NPR News: 07-17-2026 3AM EDT

Giles Snyder· Host0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. President Trump used his primetime speech Thursday evening to cast doubt on the integrity of the country's elections.

Donald Trump· Soundbite0:11

Every American deserves to know that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted accurately in a system, and that is to make that system secure. One where cheating and interference are not just difficult, but virtually impossible. Unfortunately, the system we have today falls catastrophically short of that standard.

Giles Snyder· Host0:35

Trump claimed elections in the US are vulnerable, and he declassified intelligence that he said exposed fraud and foreign interference. He accused China of interference in the twenty twenty election he lost to former President Joe Biden, contradicting US intelligence findings. China's embassy in Washington, meanwhile, is denying President Trump's claims. Ashish Valentine reports from Taipei that China says it does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

Ashish Valentine1:03

In a statement issued to CBS News and CNN ahead of the president's primetime speech on election interference, Beijing's embassy denied allegations it had interfered with the American democratic process. It notes that, quote, "Elections are an internal matter of the US and that China has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections of the US." President Trump alleged that China gained access to information on two hundred twenty million voters during the twenty