President Donald Trump adopted a more conciliatory tone regarding China's alleged meddling in United States elections on July 21. Speaking from the Oval Office, the President suggested that the U.S. engages in similar activities, remarking that the situation is not a one-way street. He stated, "They do things. And we do things to them. I'll be honest. We do things to them, too." Trump did not provide specific details regarding what he meant by the U.S. taking such actions against China.
This latest commentary arrived just five days after Trump delivered a primetime national address in which he accused Beijing of orchestrating the largest compromise of election data in history. During that July 16 speech, he cited a collection of declassified intelligence documents to claim that China attempted to undermine the 2020 election by stealing 220 million voter files and influencing the 2018 midterms. Trump further alleged that China sought to manipulate U.S. business leaders to turn against his administration and paid journalists to produce negative coverage. He claimed that the Chinese government wanted him to lose because they realized he was aware of their tactics.
Addressing potential consequences for China, Trump noted that he plans to discuss the intelligence regarding election interference with Chinese leaders. He suggested that China might be different today compared to the 2020 election cycle. During his first year back in the White House, Trump engaged in a trade war with China before both nations moved away from heavy tariffs. He also visited China in May to meet with President Jinping Xi, whom he has described as a "friend" and a "great leader."
Trump used his earlier address to warn about vulnerabilities in the upcoming November elections, accusing the "deep state" of concealing information about Chinese interference from him. However, much of the data he referenced, including the acquisition of voter files containing names, addresses, and party preferences, originated from publicly available records. Previous intelligence assessments have conflicted with these claims. A March 2021 report from the Biden administration's director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, stated there was high confidence that China did not attempt to interfere in the 2020 election. The report concluded that while China considered potential attempts to change the outcome, they ultimately determined that the risks of being caught were not worth the potential benefits of either a Biden or Trump victory.
