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Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump has claimed his primetime speech from the Oval Office Thursday alleging foreign interference in recent U.S. elections drew “great reviews” and a “big audience,” despite also complaining about its not being aired live on several major networks. The president accused China of meddling in the 2020 vote to ensure his defeat to Joe Biden , suggesting Beijing may have been involved in the “manufacture of illegal ballots” and paid journalists to write negative stories about him. He also claimed that “deep state” actors within the U.S. intelligence community had withheld crucial information from his daily briefings, all without providing substantial evidence to support his accusations. The White House did publish a tranche of newly-declassified documents to help Trump make his case, but at least one showed he was the beneficiary of election hacking by Russia , not the victim. Former national security officials and Democrats have since said his speech was filled with falsehoods and exaggerations , with California Gov. Gavin Newsom calling it “the ramblings of a mad king.” China’s Foreign Ministry has also responded, saying Trump’s allegations have no basis in fact. On Friday afternoon, Trump is set to travel to New York City to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower. Recommended Trump claims ‘deep state plot’ covered up efforts by China to ‘undermine’ the 2020 election that he lost What do Trump’s declassified election conspiracy documents show – and how much was known already? ‘The ramblings of a mad king:’ Gavin Newsom leads scornful Democratic reaction to Trump speech Trump’s declassified docs reveal that Russia tried to help him in 2020 – a claim the president has long denied Dem senator says she fears Trump may send troops to seize ballots during midterm elections Trump today Donald Trump hails 'great reviews' for speech not aired live on three major networks Trump outlines sprawling election hacking plot in primetime TV address President claims ‘deep state’ actors within his own government covered up meddling China reject's Trump's allegations and denies interference ‘The ramblings of a mad king:’ Newsom leads Democratic attacks on Trump speech Trump wants Lindsey Graham's sister to run for his seat in the special primary President Donald Trump said Friday that he urged South Carolina Senator Darline Graham Nordone to enter the state’s special Republican Senate primary this summer. Nordone, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, was appointed Monday by Governor Henry McMaster to serve as an interim replacement after her 71-year-old brother died suddenly on Saturday . A GOP primary is scheduled for August 11 to determine the party’s nominee for the November general election. “I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday afternoon. “I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.” Brendan Rascius 17 July 2026 20:35 Opinions about the fairness of the 2020 election are subject to huge partisan divide There is a massive partisan divide when it comes to opinions about the fairness of the 2020 election. A majority of Republicans, 63 percent, believe the 2020 election was “stolen” from Donald Trump via election fraud, according to an April Reuters survey. Just 9 percent of Democrats and 21 percent of independents said the same. Brendan Rascius 17 July 2026 20:30 Trump set to attend FIFA reception in New York City on Friday afternoon President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to New York City on Friday afternoon for a FIFA reception shortly after 5 p.m. The event is set to take place in Trump Tower, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. The White House also confirmed that the president will attend the World Cup final on Sunday, where Argentina will face off against Spain at MetLife Stadium. Brendan Rascius 17 July 2026 20:00 Democrat denounces Trump address, accusing him of 'refusing to accept reality' New York Rep. Jerry Nadler was one of many Democrats to denounce President Trump’s election address, during which he alleged the 2020 election was subject to foreign interference. “The Trump administration’s own review of the 2020 election determined it was safe—a finding reaffirmed by countless audits and court cases,” Nadler wrote on X on Friday afternoon. “The only person refusing to accept reality is Donald Trump. His lies and countless attempts to undermine free and fair American elections are dangerous and antidemocratic.” Brendan Rascius 17 July 2026 19:25 Democrats push back on Markwayne Mullin’s election security measures Democrats criticized DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin after he announced certain “mandatory” election changes. “We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory,” Mullin told reporters Friday, adding that states are going to “have to implement security issues.” “We’re saying that the machines have to be secured and that your voter registration list needs to be scrubbed,” he said. California Governor Gavin Newsom, considered a potential 2028 contender, shot back on X, writing: “California has free, fair, and secure elections and we will fight for them.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote: “They are losing, and they know it. Election officials will not be intimidated. Senate Democrats will make sure resources are in place to fight back against any illegal activity by the Trump administration.” Multiple government reviews have found that voter fraud is exceedingly rare and that foreign adversaries did not alter votes in the 2020 election. Brendan Rascius 17 July 2026 18:55 DHS secretary says foreign adversaries can hack into voting machines and threatens state election officials Following President Trump’s speech on election security Thursday night, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin escalated the administration’s rhetoric, asserting that foreign adversaries could hack voting machines and warning that state officials who refuse to comply with federal security directives could face unspecified consequences. In his primetime address, Trump described voting machines as “easily compromised.” Speaking to reporters Friday, Mullin went further, suggesting that hackers could infiltrate systems and manually alter vote totals—an allegation that runs counter to intelligence community findings that no such activity occurred. “We’re saying that the machines had to be secured and that your voter restoration list needs to be scrubbed,” he told reporters while discussing his plan to aggressively pursue voter fraud, which reviews have found to be exceedingly rare. “I will tell you if the states choose not to participate — we will make sure that we make those states a priority to look at who voted in their states and hold the election officials accountable,” he added. Brendan Rascius 17 July 2026 18:28 What Trump said about election security – and what we already know Donald Trump has spent more than a decade spreading false and inflated claims about election outcomes and how the nation’s elections are run. His primetime address on Thursday was no exception. The president alleged “shocking vulnerabilities in election infrastructure” and claimed our “election system” is “dangerously” exposed to “hacking, exploitation and foreign interference.” But it appears much of the newly declassified material he announced Thursday evening echoes or reinterprets previously disclosed information that was already known to intelligence officials, including during his first administration. Importantly, nothing in the materials supports any allegations that any votes were manipulated by fraud or foreign actors to have changed election outcomes. Election officials and voting rights advocates fear the president’s remarks, which he says are meant to protect elections, will instead continue to sow deep distrust in their legitimacy to serve his own interests. Alex Woodward takes a closer look. What Trump said about election security — and what we already know Newly published materials largely rehash previous intelligence while president fails to offer evidence of fraud that cost him 2020 Joe Sommerlad 17 July 2026 18:25 Watch: Democrat warns Trump could use military to seize ballots at midterms Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin had this to say on MS NOW’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell last night. Dem senator says she fears Trump may send troops to seize ballots during midterm elections Joe Sommerlad 17 July 2026 17:55 Trump’s declassified docs reveal that Russia tried to help him in 2020 – a claim the president has long denied The White House released a series of documents Thursday evening promoting the president’s assertion that U.S. elections are vulnerable to manipulation, although at least one contains information the president has previously denied. Among the trove of election integrity documents, released in tandem with the president’s speech, one National Intelligence Council assessment on “Foreign Threats to the 2020 Election” determined that Russian government-linked actors were trying to boost Trump’s campaign. The document insinuates that Russia seemingly preferred Trump and wanted to boost his campaign on social media while disparaging former president Joe Biden’s then-presidential campaign. However, when that information was initially released in 2020, Trump brushed it off as a “hoax” and accused Democrats of spreading misinformation that Russia preferred him as a candidate. Here’s more from Ariana Baio . White House docs reveal Russia tried to help Trump in 2020 despite president’s denial Among documents released by the White House, one confirms Russian government-linked actors tried to boost Trump’s 2020 campaign Joe Sommerlad 17 July 2026 17:25 Recap: Trump claims ‘deep state plot’ covered up efforts by China to ‘undermine’ the 2020 election that he lost If you missed the president’s remarks last night or are just joining, here are Andrew Feinberg and John Bowden with a full report on the allegations he had to make about alleged foreign interference in recent American elections and the role Washington’s “deep state” may have played in concealing the truth. Trump claims deep state plot’ covered up China efforts to ‘undermine’ 2020 election In a bid to pressure Congress for passage of the restrictive SAVE America voter ID bill ahead of this year’s crucial midterm elections, Trump told the nation he had 'declassified' documents showing China tried to sway the election he lost Joe Sommerlad 17 July 2026 16:55 Newer 1 / 5 Older More about Donald Trump US elections China Russia Joe Biden Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments Most popular Popular videos Bulletin Read next Get in touch Contact us Our Products Subscribe Register Newsletters Donate Today’s Edition Install our app Archive Other publications International editions Independent en Español Independent Arabia Independent Turkish Independent Persian Independent Urdu The Standard Extras Puzzles All topics Betting offers Latest deals Competitions and offers Independent Advertising Independent Ignite Syndication Working at The Independent Legal Code of conduct and complaints Contributors Cookie policy Donations Terms & Conditions Privacy policy User policies Modern Slavery Statement Thank you for registering Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in
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