President Donald Trump used a to elevate his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and dispute his 2020 loss 鈥� this time, to justify his push to .
His allegations Thursday night of interference and influence didn鈥檛 include key context. Nor did he produce evidence that votes had been manipulated or that the election outcome had been altered.
Trump also said he was releasing previously classified documents related to the 2020 and 2018 elections. Thus far, no credible intelligence 鈥� including repeated and , 鈥� has shown the vote count in 2020 was fraudulent or manipulated by foreign actors. Trump did not question his election wins in 2016 or 2024.
Here’s the latest:
Former intelligence official calls Trump鈥檚 address 鈥榙angerous鈥�
Sue Gordon, principal deputy director of national intelligence in Trump鈥檚 first term, called the president鈥檚 address 鈥渁 dangerous speech about an incredibly important topic.鈥� She said the intelligence community throughout Trump鈥檚 first term was alarmed about foreign interference in elections, but Trump scoffed at them, angered at the investigation of his campaign鈥檚 relationship with Russia.
鈥淗e had an entire term to deal with it and I don鈥檛 know how you can believe how the same community that told him about it, that was excoriated about it鈥� wouldn鈥檛 warn him in 2020, Gordon said on CNN.
Conservative commentator John Solomon, who joined the White House staff last month and was seated in the East Room for Trump鈥檚 speech, later told MS NOW 鈥渢he intelligence community has zero evidence that someone has flipped 鈥� that a foreign power flipped 鈥� a vote in 2020, 鈥�22 or 鈥�24.鈥�
But, he added, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not through all the documents.鈥�
Trump doesn鈥檛 raise doubts about his election wins
President Donald Trump began Thursday night with a stark warning about what he described as flaws in the voting system and said he was releasing previously classified documents related to the 2020 and 2018 elections, when he lost the presidential election and when his party suffered losses.
Trump鈥檚 speech presented allegations of interference and influence in ways that lacked key context and did not produce evidence that votes had been manipulated or that the election outcome had been altered.
Notably, he focused on China but glossed over Russia, a country intelligence officials have said favored Trump in 2016 and 2020 and engaged in wide-ranging influence campaigns aimed at boosting him over Democrat Joe Biden in the latter campaign.
Trump鈥檚 Thursday night address hinged on contradictions
A twice-elected president complained about his one personal defeat, alleged a cover-up by officials in his own first administration and surfaced claims about countries attempting to harm his own prospects while staying silent on steps taken by other nations to boost him.
Trump used the remarks to justify his push to in Congress that hasn鈥檛 advanced because it lacks enough support from his fellow Republicans.
鈥淎merica is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed, because no country can be great without fair and honest elections,鈥� he said.
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