Trump accuses China of interfering in 2020 election, Beijing denies charge

President Donald Trump has alleged ‘shocking vulerabilities’ in the country’s election security during a primetime White House address on Thursday. BBC news confirmed.

In that half-hour speech, Trump accused China for interfering in the 2020 presidential election. Trump claimed, hundreds of intelligence files were declassified by him which proves Beijing tried to tilt the election in favor of Joe Biden.

Although President failed to provide concrete evidence regarding China rigging the election outcome, he alleged that China hacked or stole 220 million voter files across 18 US states. 

Chinese Embassy in Washington, however, rejected this allegation. ‘Beijing has never and will never interfere in US presidential elections.’ The embassy told to Reuters.

On the contrary, US intelligence community also contradicted Trump’s claims. A 2021 ‘high confidence’ report suggested that China did not interfere. The report noted that Beijing likely avoided meddling to escape potential blowback.

This address comes three months before the crucial midterm elections in the US. Observers note, Trump’s popularity has taken a hit. A recent Washington Post-Ipsos poll showed his approval rating has plunged to 37% amid rising cost-of-living crises and the ongoing war with Iran.

During the speech, journalists were not allowed to ask questions. Trump also claimed that US voting systems remain highly exposed to foreign adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran.

Trump further alleged that a Democratic-affiliated group ran a voter fraud scheme in Michigan. He also claimed the Department of Homeland Security found 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote. He did not clarify if any illegal votes were actually cast.

At the end of his speech, Trump urged the passage of the SAVE America Act. The stalled bill aims to ban most mail-in voting and mandate photo ID and proof of citizenship.

-SA