United States President Donald Trump has claimed that the U.S. is making significant progress in Iran while alleging that China stole the personal data of about 220 million American voters in what he described as the largest election-related data breach in the country’s history.
Speaking during a primetime address on Thursday, Trump highlighted his administration’s foreign policy and national security agenda, arguing that investments made in the U.S. military have strengthened America’s global position.
He said the U.S. now possesses the world’s most powerful military, attributing its strength to investments made during his first term in office.
Trump also claimed that Venezuela is now cooperating with Washington in oil production following what he described as a diplomatic breakthrough.
Turning to the Middle East, the president said the United States was “winning big” in Iran and assured Americans that the results of ongoing military operations would soon become evident. He, however, did not provide further details about the operations.
On domestic issues, Trump accused the People’s Republic of China of carrying out a massive cyber operation that allegedly resulted in the theft of approximately 220 million U.S. voter files over several years beginning with the 2020 election cycle.
He further alleged that information about the breach was deliberately concealed by what he called “deep state actors” within the U.S. government.
The White House also announced the release of declassified documents which it said revealed vulnerabilities in America’s election security systems.
Trump additionally claimed that nearly 280,000 non-citizens are registered to vote in the United States and argued that voting machines and ballot-counting systems remain susceptible to manipulation.
He reiterated his opposition to widespread mail-in voting, saying such ballots should only be permitted in limited circumstances such as illness, disability, military deployment or travel.
The president also renewed his longstanding allegation that China sought to influence the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to former President Joe Biden.
However, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has consistently stated that it found no evidence of foreign interference that altered the outcomes of the 2020 or 2024 presidential elections. Election experts and multiple investigations have also concluded that documented cases of non-citizen voting and mail-in ballot fraud are rare and insufficient to affect election results.
During the address, Trump urged Congress to pass the proposed Save America Act, which would require voters to present government-issued photo identification and proof of U.S. citizenship before casting ballots.
The legislation has yet to secure enough support in Congress to become law.
Trump has repeatedly challenged the integrity of U.S. elections since the 2020 presidential election, although numerous court decisions, state election officials, federal agencies and independent reviews have found no evidence of widespread fraud capable of changing the election outcome.
