China, in his words · Second term · № 120

On China

Said China illicitly acquired 220 million U.S. voter files

“First, they show that over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People's Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China's illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files.”
Said
, Address to the nation on election reforms, White House
Subject
voter registration data
Threat
Other
Topic
Elections
Era
Second term

What the record showed

FactCheck.org reported that state voter files are mostly publicly available, with most states placing no restrictions on who can buy them, and that an April 2020 intelligence assessment, declassified in October 2022, had already said Chinese intelligence officials analyzed state voter registration data. PBS News reported that one of the released documents said the data "is publicly available for download from the commercial websites." Nextgov/FCW reported that the documents do not show that China altered voter rolls, manipulated ballots or changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Two months later Trump hosted Xi for a state visit at the White House.

Sources

  1. Address to the Nation on Election Reforms The American Presidency Project, Jul 16, 2026
  2. FactChecking Trump's Election Security Speech FactCheck.org, Jul 17, 2026
  3. Fact-checking Trump's address on China, the 2020 election and what documents show PBS News, Jul 17, 2026
  4. Trump stretches declassified China intelligence into broader 2020 election claims Nextgov/FCW, Jul 16, 2026
  5. White House Press Release - President Trump, First Lady Conclude Historic China State Visit The American Presidency Project, Sep 25, 2026