President Donald Trump stated that the United States and China engage in mutual election interference as the administration prepares for a state visit.
President Donald Trump noted that election interference is a "two-way street," suggesting that the United States performs actions against China similar to those China performs against the U.S. This follows a primetime address where the administration announced that China executed the largest compromise of election data in history by stealing 220 million voter files. While President Donald Trump previously accused Beijing of creating an "unprecedented election security nightmare," he recently downplayed the severity of the past actions, noting that the breach occurred a long time ago. He indicated that the administration plans to discuss the intelligence with Chinese officials, though he did not specify any immediate punishments or sanctions. The administration also noted that planning is underway for a state visit by President Xi Jinping in September. Despite previous intelligence reports suggesting China did not attempt to interfere in the 2020 cycle, President Donald Trump highlighted the vulnerabilities in the U.S. system to prepare the public for upcoming elections.