{"id":6258,"date":"2026-07-17T04:37:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T04:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=6258"},"modified":"2026-07-17T04:37:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T04:37:30","slug":"key-moments-from-trumps-speech-claiming-declassified-documents-show-us-election-vulnerabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=6258","title":{"rendered":"Key moments from Trump\u2019s speech claiming declassified documents show US election vulnerabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n President Donald Trump, in a primetime speech Thursday night, alleged vulnerabilities exist in American election systems, despite declassified documents released by his administration largely discussing vulnerabilities that have been known for years and that election officials around the country have tried to address.\n <\/p>

Read more Trump\u2019s devoted base is really shrinking now<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Trump said the speech and release of documents are not meant to \u201cweaken confidence\u201d in US elections, though critics say he has done just that. For years, the US president has spread falsehoods about the 2020 election.\n <\/p>\n

\n In the remarks, he addressed his economic agenda, immigration policies, election integrity, China, and more.\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN reporters followed along the speech and reviewed the declassified documents. You can read highlights of the coverage below:\n <\/p>\n

\n Declassified documents shed light on scope of Chinese hacking targeting Americans\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Sean Lyngaas<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n Documents that the Trump administration released on Thursday shed new light on just how voracious Chinese intelligence services have been in collecting information on Americans.\n <\/p>\n

\n Cyber espionage, or the use of hacking to collect sensitive information, and the use of cyberattacks to disrupt elections are two very different things. The documents show China doing the former, not the latter.\n <\/p>\n

\n The documents show the lengths that Chinese hackers allegedly went to spy on senior US government officials and the 2020 presidential campaign of Joe Biden.\n <\/p>\n

\n One Chinese hacking group was using techniques to track the email accounts of Biden campaign staffers, suggesting that \u201cthe Chinese operators are mapping out the target network for follow-on approaches, possibly including tasking campaign staffers\u2019 e-mail accounts in the Chinese military\u2019s signals intelligence system for collection,\u201d one declassified intelligence report says.\n <\/p>\n

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\nTOPSHOT – People cast their ballots on the last day of early voting for the general election in Michigan at the Livingston Educational Service Agency in Howell, Michigan on November 3, 2024. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY \/ AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\nWhat Trump\u2019s newly declassified documents do \u2013 and don\u2019t \u2013 say about threats to US elections<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

7 min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n Other reports in the collection of documents note that Chinese government actors have been downloading voter registration information in numerous states. In some cases, the information was already publicly available. But there is no mention of China actively exploiting the data on voters it collected or stole. There is instead intelligence analysis of what China coulddo with the data.\n <\/p>\n

\n The personal information on Americans taken by one Chinese actor \u201ccould, in theory, be leveraged to carry out anything from future CNE (computer network exploitation) operations to election influence operations, although the actual motivations for collecting this information is unknown,\u201d one intelligence report said.\n <\/p>\n

\n The documents paint a picture of Chinese intelligence services that are collecting just about any information they can on hundreds of millions of Americans. That, in the aggregate, is not a new revelation. Between the 2015 hack of the Office of Personnel Management and subsequent hacks of American health care providers and other companies, US intelligence officials have long warned that Chinese spies have a detailed picture of tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of Americans.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump\u2019s claim Venezuela hacked voting machines echoes allegations from an ex-Venezuelan spy\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Maria Santana<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n The claim promoted by the White House tonight that Venezuela experimented with hacking its own voting machines echoes allegations made by former Venezuelan intelligence chief and convicted drug trafficker Hugo \u201cEl Pollo\u201d Carvajal in a letter to President Donald Trump.\n <\/p>\n

\n Carvajal, a three-star general trusted by former Venezuelan leaders Hugo Ch\u00e1vez and Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, led the country\u2019s military intelligence service and later served in the National Assembly. He eventually broke with Maduro, endorsed opposition leader Juan Guaid\u00f3 and fled to Spain.\n <\/p>\n

\n He was arrested there in 2021 and extradited to the United States in 2023.\n <\/p>\n

\n In his December 2025 letter obtained by CNN via his lawyer, Carvajal alleged, without providing evidence, that voting-technology company Smartmatic \u201cwas born as an electoral tool of the Venezuelan regime.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Carvajal claimed elections \u201ccan be rigged with the software\u201d and that it had been used to do so, but did not specify which elections.\n <\/p>\n

\n Smartmatic rejected Carvajal\u2019s account, saying it was never owned or controlled by the Venezuelan government and that no evidence showed its technology manipulated US elections.\n <\/p>\n

\n The company says its technology was used only in Los Angeles County during the 2020 election.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump allies have long falsely accused Smartmatic of rigging the 2020 US election. A declassified CIA memo from June said the US intelligence community determined in 2006 that Venezuela and Smartmatic didn\u2019t have the capability \u201cto manipulate the outcome of elections outside Venezuela.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Carvajal pleaded guilty in 2025 to narcoterrorism, drug-trafficking and weapons charges, including conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.\n <\/p>\n

\n His sentencing has been postponed without a new date \u2014 a possible sign he may be cooperating with prosecutors, although no agreement has been confirmed. He could become a witness against Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, who was captured by US forces and brought to New York to face narcoterrorism, cocaine-importation and weapons charges.\n <\/p>\n

\n Maduro has pleaded not guilty.\n <\/p>\n

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\nPresident Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is expected to speak on election security.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\n5 takeaways from Trump\u2019s primetime speech on elections<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

6 min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n Nevada, Pennsylvania push back on Trump claims about noncitizens on their voter rolls\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Gabe Cohen<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n In his primetime address, President Donald Trump claimed the Department of Homeland Security, reviewing public data, found roughly 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote across four states: California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania. It is unclear what data DHS analyzed to support that claim.\n <\/p>\n

\n Nevada\u2019s secretary of state\u2019s office flatly rejected the assertion that thousands of noncitizens are on its voter rolls.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThese numbers are wildly speculative at best, and DHS has not shared anything that backs it up,\u201d a spokesperson said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt raised similar questions in a statement to CNN, saying, \u201cWe welcome DHS sharing their methodology and list of potential ineligible voters so we can carefully review the validity of their claims.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN reached out to DHS asking what voter data it reviewed from the four states, but the department did not immediately respond. The Justice Department is currently suing more than two dozen states to force them to turn over their full, unredacted voter rolls for screening through a DHS citizenship verification system, though courts have repeatedly blocked those efforts.\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN has reached out to election officials in California and New Jersey.\n <\/p>\n

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Former Deputy DNI: Trump’s speech was “dangerous”\n <\/div>\n
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Former Deputy DNI: Trump’s speech was “dangerous”<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n Democratic governors say Trump is trying to \u2018undermine free and fair elections\u2019\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n Twenty four Democratic governors accused President Donald Trump of attempting to undermine elections, saying they \u201cstand ready to fight back against the Trump administration and stop any and all unlawful attacks on every American\u2019s constitutional right to vote.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s deeply alarming that President Trump continues to try to undermine free and fair elections,\u201d the governors said in a statement responding to Trump\u2019s remarks that was posted to the Democratic Governors Association website.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cNo amount of lies and conspiracy theories can change the fact that our country\u2019s elections have repeatedly been proven to be safe and secure,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cThese attacks are intended to intimidate and silence voters.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The governors issuing the statement include: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.\n <\/p>\n

\n Their comments come as states face increased pressure from the Trump administration to adopt a sweeping set of election changes championed by the president.\n <\/p>\n

\n Last month, CNN reported that the administration is threatening to withhold tens of millions of dollars in federal homeland security funds unless states take steps that include including phasing out certain electronic voting systems and moving to hand-marked paper ballots, among other changes.\n <\/p>\n

\n China denies Trump\u2019s allegations of election meddling\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Simone McCarthy and Steven Jiang<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n China denied President Donald Trump\u2019s accusations that it aimed to influence US elections and had obtained tens of millions of US voter data records.\n <\/p>\n

\n In a statement to CNN Thursday, a spokesperson at the Chinese embassy to the US in Washington said: \u201cChina has all along adhered to the principle of non-interference in others\u2019 internal affairs. The US election is an internal matter of the US. Its outcome is determined by the votes of the American people.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cChina has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections of the US.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Beijing has repeatedly denied past allegations related to election interference and political meddling from a number of Western nations, including Australia, Canada and Britain, as well as the US.\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN has also reached out to China\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment on the allegations.\n <\/p>\n

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\nVice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\nChina\u2019s watching the US election \u2013 but doesn\u2019t see much hope for better ties<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

7 min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n CIA director praises Trump administration declassification\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Aleena Fayaz<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Thursday highlighted his department\u2019s role in the Trump administration\u2019s declassification of election-related documents this evening, saying the effort was meant to uphold \u201cpublic confidence in elections.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Critics say the declassification and President Donald Trump\u2019s primetime speech could have the opposite effect, undercutting public faith in the electoral process.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cProtecting our democracy and the integrity of our elections from foreign influence and interference remains paramount,\u201d Ratcliffe said in a post on X, adding, \u201cThese matters deserve public scrutiny to ensure our democracy\u2019s foundation \u2013 the security and public confidence in our elections \u2013 is unassailable.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The CIA was one of several agencies involved in the White House release of documents.\n <\/p>\n

\n Ratcliffe was Trump\u2019s director of national intelligence in his first term \u2013 when the intelligence community took a different position than what Trump described tonight. In 2021, an intelligence report released by the ODNI concluded that \u201cwe have no indication that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 election, including voter registrations, casting ballots, vote tabulation or reporting results.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Prominent 2020 election deniers praise Trump address\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Donie O\u2019Sullivan<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n Some of the most prominent proponents of conspiracy theories falsely alleging the 2020 election was rigged welcomed President Donald Trump\u2019s declassification of election-related documents Thursday night.\n <\/p>\n

\n On his live webcast, conservative firebrand Steve Bannon described Trump\u2019s address to the nation as \u201cincredibly powerful\u201d and immediately began using it to sow doubts about the integrity of the upcoming midterm elections \u2014 even though Trump claimed that was not his intention.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe need a National Security Emergency about the midterm elections immediately \u2014 this is a powerful predicate for that,\u201d Bannon wrote in a text message to CNN.\n <\/p>\n

\n He added further on his live program, \u201cThe midterms are going to be stolen like every other election has been stolen.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO who infamously held a \u201ccyber symposium\u201d in 2021 that failed to deliver on its promise of proving the 2020 election was stolen, also welcomed Trump\u2019s release of declassified documents.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe have to get rid of the voting machines. Everything he said, including China, I have been saying for over five years,\u201d Lindell told CNN after Trump\u2019s address.\n <\/p>\n

\n Michael Flynn, who served briefly as Trump\u2019s first national security adviser in 2017, wrote on X after the address that \u201cthe CIA and NSA directors during his first term should immediately be arrested for treason.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Election community relieved that Trump didn\u2019t take any drastic steps Thursday\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Marshall Cohen<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n Some election officials privately expressed relief Thursday night that President Donald Trump didn\u2019t announce any new major or dramatic steps that would upend voting procedures.\n <\/p>\n

\n In the run-up to his primetime address, rumors swirled throughout the election community about possible worst-case scenarios and unilateral actions Trump could take \u2014 like declaring a national emergency or trying to decertify voting machines.\n <\/p>\n

\n Instead, his roughly 30-minute speech featured recycled complaints and debunked talking points about voter fraud, new material from unclassified documents, and a push for Congress to pass his controversial voting overhaul known as the Save America Act.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cHe said nothing, basically,\u201d one election official from a large jurisdiction told CNN on condition of anonymity. \u201cFor people who don\u2019t trust elections, this resonates and validates their opinions. But it never moves the needle.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n But another person in the election community said, despite the temporary easing of anxiety, there are still plenty of concerns going forward. If Trump raised these supposed new election vulnerabilities, \u201cwhen will he announce his corrective measures?\u201d they said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Some major election vendors reacted more cautiously.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe are actively reviewing the President\u2019s comments,\u201d a spokesperson for Liberty Vote, formerly known as Dominion Voting Systems, said in a statement. \u201cOur immediate focus is on our customers, the dedicated men and women who run elections, and supporting their efforts.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Dominion\u2019s machines are used in more than half of US states. Trump and his allies have repeatedly and falsely accused Dominion of rigging the 2020 election.\n <\/p>\n

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CNN examines Trump’s new election vulnerability claims\n <\/div>\n
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CNN examines Trump’s new election vulnerability claims<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n It\u2019s too late for Trump\u2019s elections overhaul, state officials of both parties warn\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Tierney Sneed<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump\u2019s speech Thursday is unlikely to affect the legislative hurdles blocking the SAVE America Act, the sweeping elections legislation he\u2019s championed that would impose strict voter ID mandates nationwide and require proof of citizenship be provided when registering to vote.\n <\/p>\n

\n But election officials warn that, even if it were enacted, implementation with a general election just three-and-a-half months away would cause major disruptions. The current version of the bill would put its requirements into effect immediately.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt seems nearly impossible to implement something of that size and scope in 110 days,\u201d said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.\n <\/p>\n

\n He said that elections in his state are carried out by 30,000 workers known as election judges. \u201cThey would all have to be trained about how to spot a real versus a fake birth certificate or a real versus a fake marriage record,\u201d Simon, a Democrat, told CNN Thursday morning, referring to the workaround in the bill for married voters who have different names than what\u2019s on their birth certificates.\n <\/p>\n

\n Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, told CNN this week that even though Iowa already has some of the bill\u2019s requirements at the state level, other provisions would be new. He said that \u201cCongress has failed miserably by not coming to the experts to make sure [the federal bill] can even be implemented.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cRight now, I don\u2019t know if the American public \u2014 and I don\u2019t even know if all of the Congress \u2014 really know what\u2019s in that Save Act,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Michigan secretary of state blasts Trump\u2019s claims of voter fraud, says elections remain \u2018secure and safe\u2019\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Adam Cancryn<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n Michigan\u2019s secretary of state on Thursday accused President Donald Trump of sowing doubt in the nation\u2019s electoral system, insisting that the state\u2019s elections were \u201csecure and safe\u201d in 2020 and all subsequent elections.\n <\/p>\n

\n The statement by Jocelyn Benson, who is also running for governor as a Democrat, came after Trump invoked Michigan in his primetime speech, claiming that evidence of voter fraud in 2020 had \u201cbeen buried and covered up.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Benson dismissed Trump\u2019s remarks as \u201clong debunked and baseless conspiracy theories about an election he lost almost six years ago,\u201d adding that \u201cnone of his rhetoric changes what\u2019s true: Michigan\u2019s elections are secure and safe and the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the people.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also rejected Trump\u2019s claims in a separate statement, vowing to resist any effort by the Justice Department to interfere with state or local administration of elections.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump\u2019s allegations threaten to upend US-China ties at sensitive moment\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Simone McCarthy<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump\u2019s claim that China has waged a campaign of interference in US elections threatens to upset a fragile stability between the two powers ahead of an expected visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the US in September.\n <\/p>\n

\n Beijing has long bristled at \u2013 and strongly denied \u2013 allegations of political or election inference raised by the US and its allies. It says such activities contradict China\u2019s principle of \u201cnon-interference\u201d in other countries\u2019 internal affairs.\n <\/p>\n

\n China has also repeatedly slammed the US for what it says is Washington\u2019s meddling in other countries\u2019 business.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump\u2019s latest allegations are likely to cast a shadow over Beijing\u2019s preparations for Xi\u2019s upcoming trip \u2013 expected to be the next key touchpoint in an effort to strengthen fraught ties between the world\u2019s two largest economies.\n <\/p>\n

\n Relations cratered last year due to spiraling disagreements over trade, tariffs and export controls on key strategic goods. An even keel had only been restored following a Trump-Xi meeting in South Korea last fall, and then a landmark visit by Trump to Beijing in May, the first by an American president in nine years.\n <\/p>\n

\n There, the two sides hailed an era of \u201cconstructive strategic stability,\u201d and Trump invited Xi to the US in September. Beijing confirmed in May that Xi would make a fall visit to the US.\n <\/p>\n

\n Cabinet officials, campaign staff and White House aides on hand for Trump\u2019s speech\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Donald Judd<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n When President Donald Trump delivered election security remarks from the East Room Thursday, he was joined by members of his Cabinet, White House officials, and members of his political operation.\n <\/p>\n

\n Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were all seated in the front row.\n <\/p>\n

\n Former journalist and special government employee John Solomon, who\u2019s been tasked with leading White House \u201ctransparency\u201d efforts was also seated in the front row holding a binder.\n <\/p>\n

\n Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, FBI Director Kash Patel, acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte were also on hand.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump aide Peter Navarro \u2014 who served a four-month sentence after defying a federal subpoena from the House Select Committee that investigated the January 6th, 2021 attack on the Capitol was also present in the East Room as was Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller.\n <\/p>\n

\n And a number of aides, including White House comms director Stephen Cheung, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and aide Natlie Harp were also present.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump directs FBI to investigate alleged voter registration fraud in Michigan\n<\/h3>\n
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\nUS President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on July 16, 2026.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\nFrom CNN\u2019s Elise Hammond and Holmes Lybrand<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump claimed tonight that an alleged fraud scheme around voter registration in Michigan in 2020 was covered up by federal officials.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIn other words, it was pay, play and cheat,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThe FBI agents working on the case believed that crimes were committed, yet the Biden Department of Justice slow-walked the investigation and killed it.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The investigation stemmed from earlier probes into thousands of fraudulently filled out voter registration cards by people paid to get others to register to vote in Muskegon County, Michigan.\n <\/p>\n

\n State and federal investigators uncovered evidence that Democratic canvassers in Muskegon, Michigan were paid to collect filled out registration cards but instead put in fake names and information. The fraudulent voter registration cards were flagged by the county\u2019s clerk and, the documents released in support of the president\u2019s claim note, did not result in any fraudulent votes being cast.\n <\/p>\n

\n State and federal prosecutors declined to prosecute anyone following the investigations, despite criticism from Republican state lawmakers.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump said he is asking the FBI director to work with the Department of Justice to \u201cprosecute those responsible for any crimes.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Michigan officials denied what they called \u201cbaseless accusations\u201d that the state\u2019s elections are not secure, and pushed back against \u201cDOJ\u2019s intention to deploy federal election monitors to various polling locations during the August primary election.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump barely mentioned the Iran conflict in wartime, primetime address\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Betsy Klein<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump sought a rare primetime address in wartime to speak directly to the American people, but he did not use the opportunity to clearly lay out his case for a path forward for the conflict in Iran that has escalated in recent days.\n <\/p>\n

\n In fact, he barely mentioned the war.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe have the strongest and most powerful military by far anywhere in the world. I built it during my first term, and unfortunately, we\u2019re forced to use it now,\u201d he said from the East Room Thursday night.\n <\/p>\n

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\nUS President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on July 16, 2026.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\nHere\u2019s how the TV networks handled Trump\u2019s highly unusual prime-time address<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

5 min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n The United States, he added, is \u201cwinning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more Iceberg lettuce sold at Taco Bell linked to cyclospora outbreak<\/a><\/p>\n

\n That was the president\u2019s only reference to the conflict, as strikes have intensified throughout the week following the total breakdown of a ceasefire agreement.\n <\/p>\n

\n The US military said Thursday it launched a wave of airstrikes for the sixth consecutive night, and CNN has reported that Trump is now receiving options for expanding the US military operation in Iran as he weighs next steps.\n <\/p>\n

\n But Americans are skeptical of Trump\u2019s strategy, with gas prices and the cost of living ticking up at home. A new Washington Post-Ipsos poll released Thursday reveals that just 29% of Americans approve of the president\u2019s handling of the Iran conflict.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump renews plea for elections overhaul bill that faces staunch Senate opposition\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Adam Cancryn<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Trump on Thursday sought to rally support for his stalled federal elections overhaul legislation, urging Americans in a primetime speech to demand that Congress pass the bill.\n <\/p>\n

\n The plea follows Trump\u2019s repeated failures to convince lawmakers in his own party to advance the overhaul, which faces staunch opposition in the Senate and no immediately viable path to passage into law.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI ask you to pick up your phone tomorrow, call your representatives in the House and Senate, and demand that they pass the SAVE America Act without delay,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump has nevertheless continued to push for the bill for weeks, at one point refusing to sign separate bipartisan housing legislation in protest of the lack of movement on the SAVE America Act. On Thursday, he renewed his baseless claims that failing to approve the measure would open the door to rampant cheating in November\u2019s midterm elections.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cAddressing this crisis of election security demands that Congress must pass the SAVE America Act,\u201d he said. \u201cHow easy is that to do? Unless you want to cheat.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n China has long denied Western allegations of election interference\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Simone McCarthy<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n China has repeatedly denied past allegations related to election interference and political meddling from a number of Western nations, including the US.\n <\/p>\n

\n Those include a 2020 warning from the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center that Russia, China and Iran would all try to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, using online disinformation and other means.\n <\/p>\n

\n At the time, China\u2019s Foreign Ministry vehemently denied the charges, calling them \u201csimply absurd and ridiculous,\u201d and saying US elections were America\u2019s \u201cinternal affair.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cChina has never interfered in it and has no interest to do that in the future. At the same time, we have repeatedly said that those in the US should immediately stop the trick of dragging China into their domestic politics,\u201d Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at the time.\n <\/p>\n

\n China has also faced allegations of political or election interference from other Western democracies in recent years, including Canada, Australia and Britain.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump claims US spy agencies did not disclose compromised voter data in 2020\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Tori B. Powell<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump has claimed that data showing \u201can unprecedented election security nightmare\u201d was not disclosed to him or Congress.\n <\/p>\n

\n He said tonight that \u201cmembers of the deep state\u201d worked to \u201cactively suppress and downplay information about the extent of China\u2019s sinister election meddling, covering it up from both the president and the American people like nobody thought was possible.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The president went on to accuse US spy agencies of knowing about compromised voter registration files in 2020, claiming that data across multiple states was \u201cbought, stolen or hacked by China.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cYet those responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information secret and hidden,\u201d he alleged. \u201cThey did not disclose to me as president or to anyone else, and to the best of our knowledge, they did not inform Congress.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Documents and notes released Thursday by the Trump administration were intended to round up everything the US government had information about that was tied to past reports, said a source with direct knowledge of the US intelligence community\u2019s assessment of foreign interference efforts around the 2020 election.\n <\/p>\n

\n But once that additional underlying information was vetted, the source said it was not considered consequential or credible enough to include.\n <\/p>\n

\n Also, China has a long history of espionage, like the allegations outlined by Trump tonight. Chinese hackers breached federal government servers in 2015 and stole more than 20 million sensitive records from the Office of Personnel Management.\n <\/p>\n

\n Beyond accessing voter rolls, on the topic of trying to influence or interfere with election results, one new report from the National Intelligence Council from October 2020 said China\u2019s activities regarding that year\u2019s presidential election were \u201clow-level\u201d and confined to \u201cexploratory steps.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n After the 2020 election, Trump appointees at the DNI later publicly announced that China considered trying to influence the outcome but decided not to, due to concerns of upsetting US-China relations.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump cites inflated data to claim 278,000 non-citizens are registered to vote\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Tierney Sneed, Fredreka Schouten and Betsy Klein<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that his Department of Homeland Security has uncovered approximately 278,000 non-citizens in state voter rolls, citing data uncovered in a program that has been documented to inflate non-citizen numbers.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe are releasing the results of a stunning investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. According to the DHS review, state voter rolls, and public records, they identified approximately 278,000 non-citizens who are registered to vote in federal elections,\u201d the president said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump went on to suggest that \u201cthe real number is actually much higher than that.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n But the data-matching program Trump cited is known to present an inflated number of suspected non-citizens, in part because naturalized citizens are often flagged wrongly as non-citizens. The agreement that DHS has entered with states that use the program \u2013 SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) \u2013 to vet their rolls warns that they must do their own due diligence in reviewing the results, in compliance with the law, before using it for voter purges.\n <\/p>\n

\n The system, which has long been used to verify the citizenship and immigration status of people seeking government benefits, has been expanded by the Trump administration to pull in data from several government agencies in its hunt for proof that foreign national have infiltrated federal elections.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin will address the data further on Friday.\n <\/p>\n

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Trump claims new intel reveals vulnerabilities in US elections\n <\/div>\n
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\n Trump says DHS secretary will hold briefing Friday on efforts to secure elections\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Donald Judd<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump said Thursday that Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin will hold a briefing Friday \u201cto outline his department\u2019s recent work confirming cyber vulnerabilities in our electronic voting systems.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The move comes as the administration released a new batch of documents about alleged election vulnerabilities. Though the documents are newly declassified, they largely discuss vulnerabilities that have been known for years and that election officials around the country have tried to address.\n <\/p>\n

\n Speaking from the White House East Room, the president said that the administration is \u201cin the process of informing governors, senators, and members of Congress of potential issues in their states.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIf you look at voting today, it\u2019s in such bad shape in so many states, and we are committing to fix it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re also committing to be working with those states and local jurisdictions to help them fix and patch known technical vulnerabilities before the midterm elections.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump warns election system \u2018falls catastrophically short\u2019 in bombastic telling of vulnerabilities\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Donald Judd<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump began his remarks on America\u2019s elections tonight with stark rhetoric casting doubt on the nation\u2019s election security, claiming it \u201cfalls catastrophically short.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cAmerica is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed, because no country could be great without fair and honest elections,\u201d Trump said, speaking from the White House East Room.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cEvery American deserves to know that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted accurately in a system, and that is to make that system secure \u2014 one where cheating and interference are not just difficult, but virtually impossible,\u201d the president added.\n <\/p>\n

\n Since returning to the White House in 2024, Trump has repeatedly \u2014 and without evidence \u2014 claimed that the 2020 presidential election was \u201crigged\u201d against him. As a candidate, Trump has made efforts to cast doubt on the fairness of the nation\u2019s elections in 2016, 2020 and 2024.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump cast a dark picture of the nation\u2019s elections system, warning, \u201cthe election system we have dangerously exposes \u2014 and really exposes, like levels never thought possible \u2014 to hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference,\u201d while claiming \u201cthis vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Throughout his remarks, Trump used extreme rhetoric to cast doubt on the nation\u2019s elections, claiming at one point, \u201cThis is worse than any third world country \u2014 there\u2019s no third world country that has elections like we have.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Despite those claims, Trump did not provide evidence of any actual ballots fraudulently cast in the 2020 election.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump claims declassified documents show Venezuela had undetectable vote-rigging methods\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Alejandra Jaramillo<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that newly declassified documents show Venezuela developed a method to secretly alter election results, reviving allegations about voting technology that have long been disputed by US intelligence officials and election experts.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump, speaking during his prime-time address, the documents detail what he described as a Venezuelan effort to manipulate election systems.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cToday, we are releasing documents that show the CIA obtained reporting of a specific plot to do a big number in favor of the corrupt Maduro regime in Venezuela,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s exactly what happened, conspiring to digitally rig their own country\u2019s elections in 2020, and that\u2019s what they did,\u201d the president added.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump claimed the reporting described methods \u201cdevelop to digitally alter vote totals in ways that could not be detected even with an audit, no matter how deep they went.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The machines, the president was referring to, were made by Smartmatic, a company that Trump allies have falsely accuses of rigging the 2020 US election, largely because of its past ties to Venezuela.\n <\/p>\n

\n A declassified CIA memo from June said the US intelligence community determined in 2006 that Venezuela and Smartmatic didn\u2019t have the capability \u201cto manipulate the outcome of elections outside Venezuela.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The CIA memo found that \u201cwhile the intelligence validated significant concerns about foreign-linked voting technology vendors, it did not definitively confirm that large-scale electronic fraud was successfully executed in specific Venezuelan elections.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Smartmatic software is used in Los Angeles County, and the company has called allegations that its systems were used to rig US elections \u201ccompletely baseless\u201d and repeatedly debunked. While experts have identified vulnerabilities in some voting systems, there is no evidence that any foreign adversary has successfully exploited them to change votes in a US election.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump claims China worked against him in the 2020 election despite intel saying it didn\u2019t\n<\/h3>\n
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Saul Loeb\/AFP\/Pool\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Adam Cancryn<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed that China sought to meddle in the 2020 election to prevent him from winning, even though US intelligence agencies long ago concluded that the nation ultimately chose not to interfere in the race.\n <\/p>\n

\n That conclusion was repeated in documents the Trump administration declassified ahead of the speech.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe Chinese government wanted US president to lose the next election,\u201d he said during his primetime speech. \u201cAnd the reason they wanted me to lose is because they knew I was wise to them.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump cited intelligence agency findings in backing up his claims, quoting CIA reports that he said showed China wanted to \u201cleverage all domestic and foreign elements that were opposed to the US president in an effort to reduce the US president\u2019s votes\u201d as far back as mid-2018.\n <\/p>\n

\n But those claims appeared to be drawn from the minority view first mentioned in a 2021 intelligence analysis that instead concluded that China did not make any major effort to influence the election out of fear of upsetting its relations with the US.\n <\/p>\n

\n The minority view was included in that assessment for transparency, but even the senior intelligence officer who offered that view \u201cagrees that we have no information suggesting China tried to interfere with election processes,\u201d the assessment said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump touts sinking inflation and stock market gains as evidence of \u2018hottest country\u2019\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s David Goldman<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump opened his primetime address touting America\u2019s strong economy and financial markets.\n <\/p>\n

\n He claimed: \u201cmore Americans are working today than ever before\u201d \u2014 a factual claim that needs context. That\u2019s almost always true during an economic expansion. Labor market gains have remained relatively robust this year, although June\u2019s job gains came in below economists\u2019 expectations.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump also touted the largest monthly decline in inflation in more than six years. That\u2019s also true \u2014 inflation fell 0.4% in June, the biggest monthly decline since the pandemic.\n <\/p>\n

\n But prices fell entirely because of lower oil and gas prices in June, a trend that has reversed itself in July as the United States and Iran resumed their war and oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a trickle.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump also said stock markets were at all-time highs. That\u2019s nearly true but not quite accurate: The S&P 500 hit its most recent record on June 2 and has fallen 1% since then.\n <\/p>\n

\n Stocks have been up and down over the past month as investors grow nervous about the high cost of AI technology.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump says release of documents is not meant to \u2018weaken confidence\u2019 in US elections\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Molly English<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump said the release of declassified documents related to election integrity, the focus of his Thursday night address, to the nation is not meant \u201cweaken confidence\u201d in US elections, despite years of insisting there have been irregularities in elections.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cOur purpose in disclosing this information is not to weaken confidence in election, but to earn that confidence by confronting vulnerabilities and correcting them very, very quickly,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump has long insisted that irregularities marred the 2020 election, which Joe Biden won. And he\u2019s repeatedly excoriated Congress for not passing his elections overhaul bill, which has stalled in the Senate, even refusing to sign a bipartisan measure to bring down the cost of housing as he pressured lawmakers to clear the elections legislation.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump casts blame on China for US election data compromise\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Betsy Klein<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump squarely took aim at China for what he claimed was \u201cthe largest compromise of election data in history\u201d in the 2020 US presidential election, largely reiterating the conclusion of a declassified 2021 intelligence report.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump said in a primetime address that China illegally acquired 220 million US voter files, including names, contact information, party preferences, and \u201cother sensitive data,\u201d calling the breach an \u201cunprecedented election security nightmare.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The president suggested that China worked to \u201cundermine my first administration and our 2020 campaign,\u201d along with efforts to influence the 2018 midterm elections, when Democrats won control of the House of Representatives.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump also accused China of leveraging contacts with US businesses to \u201cturn against\u201d him and \u201cidentify US journalists \u2026 to write more negative articles about him.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\nSome key context: <\/strong>China considered trying to influence the outcome of the 2020 election but chose not to out of fear of upsetting US-China relations, US intelligence agencies concluded in a report declassified in 2021.\n <\/p>\n

\n But there was a minority, or differing, view in the intelligence community that China had in fact acted. The then-National Intelligence Officer for Cyber assessed that China took \u201cat least some steps to undermine former President Trump\u2019s reelection chances, primarily through social media and official public statements and media,\u201d as the intelligence community assessment said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump\u2019s comments come two months after he traveled to China to meet with the country\u2019s leader, Xi Jinping, and ahead of an expected visit by Xi to the White House in late September.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump opens address with economy and immigration before turning to election issues\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Alejandra Jaramillo<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump opened his address tonight by highlighting his administration\u2019s economic agenda and immigration policies, despite previewing the speech as focused on election integrity.\n <\/p>\n

\n Beginning his remarks, Trump declared, \u201cWe are doing great,\u201d before pointing to the latest inflation report and promoting his Trump Accounts initiative.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis week, it was announced that inflation saw the largest monthly decline in more than six years,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIt\u2019s just given out.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The president then shifted to immigration, crime and Venezuela, arguing his administration had dramatically strengthened border security.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump touts TrumpRx and Trump Accounts initiatives in appeal to voters\u2019 affordability concerns\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Adam Cancryn<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump used part of tonight\u2019s primetime speech to tout two of his eponymous economic initiatives: The prescription drug site TrumpRx and the Trump Accounts investment vehicle.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump boasted that the TrumpRx site would result in vastly lower drug prices for Americans, though there is little clear evidence to date that the initiative has significantly cut the cost of drugs.\n <\/p>\n

\n He also urged parents to sign their children up for the just-launched Trump Accounts, which provide some federal seed money to invest alongside any personal contributions.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cBillions and billions of dollars are being invested, put in by companies and individuals to take care of our children, so that at age 18 they will have potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in their account,\u201d Trump said. \u201cSign up your child or any child who\u2019d like to sign up.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The initiatives are part of the affordability agenda that the White House has sought to push ahead of November\u2019s midterms, in an effort to assuage Americans\u2019 anxieties over the cost of living.\n <\/p>\n

\n Ahead of speech, Democratic elections chiefs accuse Trump of making elections less secure\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Tierney Sneed<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n As they wait to see what President Donald Trump will say tonight, Democratic election chiefs are accusing Trump of making elections less secure by withdrawing federal supporting for election administration, while attempting to drastically change the rules months away from the midterms.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cHow do you say you care about safe and secure elections when you\u2019re trying to throw all of these wrenches into the works when that all needed to be decided 18 months ago?\u201d Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas told CNN from the summer conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State, which has brought election officials from both parties to Rapid City, South Dakota this week.\n <\/p>\n

\n Election officials told CNN they are confident in the preparation they had done for the midterms \u2013 and in their ability to fend off potential attempts by the Trump administration to intervene. But they said that a top focus was countering disinformation and voter confusion, particularly with the rhetoric coming out of Washington, DC.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe\u2019ve heard a lot of this rhetoric before, and none of it makes sense to me,\u201d Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas told CNN. \u201cTrust the 2016 election results. Don\u2019t trust the 2020 election results. Trust the 2024 election results, but don\u2019t trust it enough because we\u2019re going to change everything about it.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon told CNN that a major priority of his office was communicating to voters that election rules in his state have not changed.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe biggest challenges are that the swirl and the noise around the White House\u2019s constant attempts to insert itself into elections would somehow distract from the mission ahead of us, which is to provide an election that is fair and accurate and honest,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n GOP lawmaker wants Trump to \u2018get past the 2020 election\u2019 and focus on issues like affordability\n<\/h3>\n

\nFrom CNN\u2019s Sarah Ferris<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\n GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said on Thursday that he hopes President Donald Trump will be able to move on from the 2020 election and instead focus during his address on issues like the affordability crisis many Americans are facing and the Iran war.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI want him to get past the 2020 election,\u201d Fitzpatrick said. \u201cI\u2019d like for him to talk about hopefully his thoughts on Iran. Talk about the issues people care about. People care about affordability. They want to know what\u2019s going on with the Iran conflict.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n He went on to say, \u201chow are we going to go about lowering the costs of goods and services and food and fuel and housing and childcare and all those things? That\u2019s the most important issue.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more GOP leaders forced to abandon signature veterans benefits bill amid intra-party dispute<\/a><\/p>\n

\nRead through CNN\u2019s entire live coverage of the speech here.<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump, in a primetime speech Thursday night, alleged vulnerabilities exist in American election systems, despite declassified documents released by his administration largely discussing vulnerabilities that have been known for years and that election officials around the country have tried to address.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nKey moments from Trump\u2019s speech claiming declassified documents show US election vulnerabilities - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=6258\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Key moments from Trump\u2019s speech claiming declassified documents show US election vulnerabilities - 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