WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump is warning America about what he calls “shocking vulnerabilities” in the U.S. election system that must be fixed. He laid out the details in a primetime speech on Thursday night.
Trump has long said the 2020 presidential election was rigged. He believes newly declassified documents back those claims.
“This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes and really exposes, like levels never thought possible, to hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference,” Trump said during his address to the nation.
Four batches of documents were released on the White House website, with the main categories being: voting vulnerabilities, China, Michigan, and “non-citizen” voter rolls.
“Put together, these disclosures reveal an election system so broken and so vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it. It is not defensible. Hundreds of millions of U.S. voter files are in the hands of foreign governments. Our machines and ballot counting systems are exposed to hacking and manipulation and corruption. China and other countries have been trying to meddle in our elections. Evidence of fraud has been buried,” Trump said.
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While some of the declassified documents identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities and foreign efforts to collect voter data, others also conclude that large-scale manipulation of U.S. voting systems would be difficult to carry out without detection.
The President says the material underscores the need for stronger voter registration requirements and additional election security measures before November.
“Congress must pass the Save America Act. How easy is that to do, unless you want to cheat?” Trump said.
While many Republicans agree with the President on passing key election reforms, some also expressed frustration that he’s still addressing issues from the 2020 election.
“Look, we can’t re-prosecute that campaign. Anytime you’re looking back, you’re not looking ahead, and I’m looking ahead to these elections, and the President should as well,” said North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R).
Democrats criticized the address, saying the President was undermining confidence in future elections.
“He’s laying the foundation to be able to tell America after Election Day that the election was corrupt and therefore should not be respected,” said Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes (D).
For now, the focus shifts to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers will decide whether any of the administration’s proposed election reforms can move forward before November’s midterms.
