Trump To Deliver Primetime Speech On Election Security Ahead Of Midterms

US President Donald Trump will deliver a primetime speech on Thursday on election security, with the White House considering whether to release sensitive intelligence related to China's intention or ability to interfere in the 2020 election, even as Republicans prepare for a challenging midterm election campaign in November..

According to a Reuters report citing four sources, the White House is considering whether Trump's speech will include the disclosure of sensitive intelligence related to China's intention or ability to interfere in the 2020 US presidential election. Some administration officials have expressed concern that releasing the information could be misleading, the sources said.

The intelligence, collected during Trump's first term between 2017 and 2021, does not show that Beijing manipulated or altered votes in the 2020 election, the sources told Reuters.

Trump has repeatedly questioned the integrity of the 2020 election, falsely claiming his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden was rigged. He has also alleged widespread fraud in mail-in voting, vulnerabilities in voting machines and extensive non-citizen voting. However, numerous courts and vote recounts found no evidence of large-scale fraud in the 2020 election.

A White House task force led by conservative journalist John Solomon recently requested intelligence documents related to the matter and has spent several weeks reviewing them ahead of Trump's address, according to a source familiar with the group's work.

"As usual, anonymous sources are speculating about what President Trump will say during his speech on Thursday evening," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. "The truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say."

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to requests for comment, while the CIA declined to comment.

Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has sought to expand the federal government's role in election administration, despite the US Constitution assigning responsibility for conducting elections to state governments.

In recent months, he has urged Senate Republicans to advance the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to present photo identification and provide proof of US citizenship when registering to vote. The bill would also require states to share voter registration data with the federal government. Democrats and voting rights advocates argue that voter fraud is extremely rare and say the legislation could suppress legitimate votes.

Some senior Republicans have urged Trump to focus on issues such as inflation and the cost of living instead of revisiting the 2020 election.

"I don't know what he's going to say," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said when asked whether he would advise Trump to avoid discussing the 2020 election. "The only thing I can tell you is, we are focused on the 2026 election, at least I am, and I think most of my colleagues are."

Republicans enter the midterm campaign facing political headwinds, with Trump's approval ratings under pressure and voters expressing frustration over the Iran war and rising energy prices.

Democrats need to gain only three Republican-held seats to reclaim control of the House of Representatives, although winning a Senate majority remains more difficult, with several key contests taking place in Republican-leaning states.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused the administration of potentially attempting to influence the November elections.

"They know they can't win the election fair and square," he said. "So we don't put it past them to try whatever they can."

It remains unclear whether major television networks will carry Trump's address live, as such airtime is generally reserved for speeches on matters of national importance. Some Democrats, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have urged broadcasters not to air the speech, arguing that Trump is likely to repeat debunked claims about election fraud.