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Former US President Donald Trump reignited his persistent, yet unsubstantiated, claims of widespread voter fraud and alleged Chinese meddling in the 2020 election. In a primetime White House address, Trump portrayed the US electoral system as vulnerable and urged lawmakers to implement new voting restrictions, despite limited support within his own party.

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We can never watch a stolen election again.

Trump asserted that China had illicitly obtained 220 million US voter files, describing it as potentially the largest compromise of election data in history. He also claimed that more than 250,000 non-US citizens were registered to vote in four unspecified states. These assertions were made as a warning ahead of the midterm elections, which many anticipate Trump will contest if results are unfavorable.

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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.

Analysts largely dismissed Trump's address, characterizing it as a repackaging of old or unsupported material. Rick Hasen, an election law expert at UCLA, called the claims "same old unsupported, and surprisingly weak." Trump's assertion that the 2020 election was "rigged" has consistently lacked evidence, with numerous lawsuits, recounts, and audits failing to produce findings of fraud substantial enough to alter the outcome.

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They and others in the media are part of a plot.

Democrats accused Trump of deliberately attempting to erode confidence in the electoral process ahead of the upcoming midterms. Senate Democrat Dick Durbin described the speech as "a dangerous attempt to resurrect disproven lies to undermine future elections before a single vote is cast." Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb suggested the speech might be intended to lay the groundwork for Trump to declare an election emergency.

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Unsupported' claims Trump had promised "big news" on election security, but analysts said much of the address repackaged old or unsupported material.