[Anchor]
U.S. President Donald Trump has brought up conspiracy theories in an address to the nation, claiming that China interfered in a past U.S. presidential election. The move appears to be aimed at rallying his base ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, but it has drawn immediate criticism following the speech.
Washington correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam reports.
[Reporter]
In a primetime address to the nation at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, President Trump claimed that during the 2020 presidential election, in which he failed to secure re-election, China attempted to influence the results by illegally obtaining 220 million U.S. voter files through purchase or hacking.
[Donald Trump / U.S. President: This information included names, addresses, phone numbers, party affiliations, and sensitive data regarding voter registration and various activities. China even operated a dedicated unit to utilize this intelligence.]
He also raised conspiracy theories that the so-called "deep state"—influential figures embedded in U.S. politics, business, and the media—covered up or downplayed these actions.
[Donald Trump / U.S. President: The reason they (China) wanted me to lose the election is because I saw through China's intentions, imposed billions of dollars in tariffs, and built the most powerful military in the world.]
Trump spoke at length, arguing that the U.S. election system is worse than that of a third-rate country and that hostile nations like China could interfere. He urged the passage of the "Save America" bill, which would strengthen voter identification requirements.
This message from Trump is interpreted as an attempt to rally his supporters for the November midterm elections by putting the issue of election integrity at the forefront.
Major U.S. media outlets analyzed the speech in real time, criticizing it by stating that "Trump's fantastical claims are all untrue" and that there is a "reaction of absurdity from within the Republican Party, as well as the Democratic Party."
The Chinese government also issued a rebuttal.
[Lin Jian / Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The U.S. claims are completely fabricated, malicious slanders that have already been proven to be baseless in the past.]
Despite pressure from the White House, major broadcasters including NBC, ABC, and CNN did not air the speech live. Analysts suggest that Trump is building a pretext to refuse the results and claim election fraud should he lose in the November midterm elections.
(Reported by Park Eun-ha | Video edited by Lee Seung-yeol)
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