Trump accuses China of election interference; Venezuela earthquake toll nears 5,000

Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivered an address accusing China of interfering in American elections, stating he would declassify information to support his claims. The speech, however, was not broadcast live by all major U.S. television networks. CNN, ABC News, and NBC chose not to air the address, while CBS, Fox News, and MS Now provided live coverage.

Trump asserted that China had illegally obtained data on 220 million American voters, including personal details. He alleged that U.S. intelligence officials deliberately withheld information about the extent of China's actions. Trump claimed he was declassifying confidential information that proved this interference.

However, reports indicate that the declassified documents do not conclusively demonstrate that China influenced the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Some documents cited by Trump reportedly do not pertain to U.S. elections at all. For instance, a CIA document from May mentioned concerns about election integrity in Venezuela, not the U.S. Another CIA document suggested Beijing "does not currently intend to interfere or attempt to influence" U.S. elections, though it noted China could change its stance later.

These claims also appear to contradict a 2021 U.S. intelligence report, overseen by then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, which found no evidence that any external actor had altered the 2020 presidential election's technical aspects. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the death toll from a double earthquake on June 24 has climbed to at least 4,930, with over 16,700 injured and more than 17,000 left homeless, according to Venezuelan Parliament President Jorge Rodriguez.

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Trump w odpowiedzi stwierdził, że stacje te powinny stracić koncesje i uznał je za „część spisku” wymierzonego w uczciwość wyborów w USA i sprzyjającego „radykalnej lewicy”.