Fact-checking Trump’s speech on election security
Examining President Trump’s Election Security Assertions
Fact checking Trump s speech on election – CBS News conducted a thorough fact-check of President Trump’s Thursday evening address concerning election security. During this speech, the former president introduced fresh allegations about China’s access to American voter information. He also revisited previous accusations regarding voter registration fraud, made exaggerated claims about dead and non-citizen voting, and asserted that voting machines are “easily compromised.” Additionally, he offered various pronouncements about the current state of voting in America.
China’s Election Data Compromise Claim
One of Trump’s most prominent assertions concerned China’s alleged role in election data security. He stated:
First, they show that over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history.
CBS News rated this claim as misleading. While the assertion has some basis, several important details remain unclear. Specifically, it is uncertain how China accessed the voter data or what actions they took after obtaining it.
It is worth noting that all states make certain voting information publicly available. This includes names, addresses, political party affiliations, and additional details. North Carolina and Ohio, for instance, post their voter files online at no cost. In various states, these lists can be purchased by political campaigns and parties.
A Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FBI bulletin issued in September 2020 provided important context. The bulletin noted:
In reality, much U.S. voter information can be purchased or acquired through publicly available sources. While cyber actors have in recent years obtained voter registration information, the acquisition of this data did not impact the voting process or election results.
The bulletin further clarified:
The FBI and CISA have no information suggesting any cyberattack on U.S. election infrastructure has prevented an election from occurring, prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot, compromised the accuracy of voter registration information, or compromised the integrity of any ballots cast.
Election System Security Assessment
Trump also made claims about the overall security of the U.S. election system. He declared:
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.
CBS News rated this claim as false. Election officials have consistently maintained that election infrastructure remains secure. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, commonly known as CISA, reported that there was “no evidence of any malicious activity” affecting the integrity of the 2024 elections. Furthermore, CISA characterized the 2020 election as “the most secure in American history,” noting no evidence that voting systems deleted, lost, or compromised votes.
Both Georgia and Pennsylvania conducted comprehensive audits of the 2024 general election. Officials in both states confirmed the accuracy of their respective election results.
Voting Machine Vulnerability Claims
Another significant claim involved voting machine security. Trump asserted:
They’re vulnerable and they’re easily compromised, and people within our government knew that.
This claim lacks substantial evidence, according to CBS News analysis. The assertion likely references a government-declassified document mentioning voting machines and Venezuela. The intelligence community discovered that Venezuela was attempting to operationalize a hypothetical vulnerability in a voting system used within that country. However, that particular system is not utilized in the United States.
Smartmatic, the manufacturer of the Venezuelan machine, is not involved with any voting machines in the U.S., with one exception: Los Angeles County. Experts emphasize that American voting machines are extremely difficult to compromise because they are closely monitored, remain disconnected from the internet, and are backed by paper ballots that enable manual auditing of results.
David Becker, Executive Director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, explained:
They’re under lock and key until they are publicly tested to make sure they haven’t been tampered with. And then they are used and we still don’t trust them. We have those paper ballots.
President Trump has also expressed doubts about Dominion Voting Systems machines, which were deployed in 28 states during the 2020 election, including pivotal battleground states such as Georgia and Wisconsin. A 2022 review of Dominion Voting Systems by CISA identified certain vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited, though these findings did not indicate widespread compromise of the voting process.