Trump announces election intelligence declassification in White House address, says China accessed voter data

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the immediate declassification of intelligence documents that he said expose vulnerabilities in America's election infrastructure, claiming the records show that China accessed sensitive information on millions of US voters.

Speaking from the White House in a televised address, Trump said the documents would reveal what he described as long-hidden weaknesses in the country's election systems.

"Tonight, I'm announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure," Trump said.

He alleged that the material shows the US election system was vulnerable to hacking, exploitation and foreign interference, and claimed the information had been withheld from the public for years.

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"This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes... to hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference. Just as disturbingly, this vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you," he said.

Claims of Chinese access to voter information

Trump claimed the declassified records show that the Chinese government obtained access to databases containing US voter information.

According to the president, the data included names, home addresses, phone numbers, political party affiliations and other details related to voter registration.

"That information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities," Trump said.

He did not provide evidence during the address that the alleged access resulted in changes to voter registrations or election outcomes.

Watch Trump's White House address here:

What previous intelligence assessments said

US intelligence agencies have previously acknowledged that Chinese intelligence collected and analysed publicly available state-level voter registration data during the 2020 election cycle for public opinion research.

However, federal intelligence agencies and election security officials have consistently said they found no evidence that foreign governments altered voter registration databases or manipulated vote counts.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has repeatedly described US elections as highly secure, citing decentralised election systems and paper ballot backups as key safeguards against cyberattacks.

Basic voter registration information, including names, addresses and party affiliation, is publicly available in most US states and can legally be accessed by political campaigns, researchers and the public under state laws.

The US president also assured that his administration would work with state and local authorities to strengthen election security and ensure the voting system remains protected.

“We’re in the process of informing governors, senators and members of Congress of potential issues in their states,” Trump said. “If you look at voting today, it’s in such bad shape in so many states, and we are committing to fix it.”

The US president urged lawmakers to approve the Save Act, a proposed legislation that would introduce stricter requirements for voter registration and place additional conditions on the voting process.

“To all Americans, I ask you to pick up your phone tomorrow, call your representatives in the House and Senate, and demand that they pass the Save America Act without delay,” Trump said.