During a nearly 30-minute prime-time address from the White House on July 18, 2026, former President Donald Trump accused China of interfering in the 2020 US presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden. Trump claimed China orchestrated "what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history," resulting in the "illicit acquisition" of 220 million US voter files. He also cited intelligence documents revealing "shocking vulnerabilities" in the US election infrastructure, exposing it to "hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference."

Zheng Yongnian, dean of the school of public policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, described Trump’s allegations as campaign rhetoric aimed at the November midterm elections. Zheng suggested the claims are unlikely to significantly affect China-US relations. He further stated that instead of blaming other countries, Washington should focus on reforming its own democratic system. "If US elections can be so easily interfered with by other countries, then there must be something wrong with the electoral system and even the democratic system of the US," Zheng said. "I do think that American democracy needs to have changes."

A prominent adviser to Beijing also indicated that Trump’s accusations expose a "huge crisis" within America’s democratic system.

Sources