In a half-hour speech, he announced the declassification of documents that, he claimed, prove vulnerabilities in the electoral infrastructure and a cover-up operation by the so-called "deep state."
Trump stated that Beijing illicitly obtained data from 220 million voters and claimed that there were attempts to manipulate the electoral process. However, experts and previous audits have not found evidence of widespread fraud, while Chinese authorities rejected the accusations and denied any interference.
The announcement comes at a delicate moment for the president, whose popularity is at a low and with unfavorable polls for the Republican Party ahead of the November elections. Critics believe that this strategy aims to sow doubts about the upcoming elections and justify possible extraordinary measures, such as strengthening security at polling stations or intervening in case of fraud suspicions.
Furthermore, Trump used his speech to pressure Congress with his proposal for electoral reform, which would tighten voter registration and limit mail-in voting, an initiative widely criticized by numerous states and organizations advocating for voting rights.