President Trump is scheduled to address the nation at 9 p.m. ET Thursday on election security, a primetime speech that marks his latest focus on voting systems and election administration as Republicans prepare for challenging midterm elections in November.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump would present what she called “findings” on election integrity. “Everything he is saying will be backed by facts and by evidence that will be provided this evening,” Leavitt told reporters, according to Reuters.
The White House had been weighing whether to include disclosure of sensitive intelligence related to China’s intention or ability to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election, Reuters reported. However, the intelligence did not show that Beijing manipulated or changed votes, according to four sources familiar with the matter. Some Trump officials worried the information could be misleading.
Trump has spent years raising doubts about electoral outcomes. He has repeatedly asserted, without evidence, that his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden was rigged, and advanced other false claims including that mail-in balloting is rife with fraud and voting machines are vulnerable. Numerous courts and vote recounts found no evidence of large-scale fraud in the 2020 election, according to NPR and Reuters.
A federal intelligence report released in March 2021 concluded: “We have no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 US elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results.” This assessment came from intelligence collected during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021.
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has sought to expand federal power over election administration, which legally resides with state governments under the U.S. Constitution. He has pressured Senate Republicans to advance the SAVE America Act, which would require photo ID to vote and proof of U.S. citizenship to register, while also mandating that states share voter registration information with the federal government. Democrats and voting-rights advocates argue that voter fraud is exceedingly rare and say such legislation would suppress legitimate votes.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated Republicans are focused on 2026, not relitigating Trump’s 2020 defeat. “I don’t know what he’s going to say,” Thune said Wednesday. “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,” according to Reuters.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Trump’s primetime speech is part of an attempt to delegitimize the upcoming midterms. “Trump’s primetime speech tonight isn’t simply about relitigating his overwhelming defeat in the 2020 election; it’s about undermining the 2026 election before a single vote has been cast,” Schumer said on the Senate floor, according to NPR.
Major television networks have not yet confirmed whether they will carry Trump’s remarks live. Spokespeople for NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and Fox News did not respond to questions about airing the address, according to Reuters.
Sources
- Reuters — Trump’s planned primetime speech on election security, intelligence review on China, Leavitt’s statements on facts and evidence, Thune’s focus on 2026 midterms
- NPR — Trump’s false claims on 2020 election, Schumer’s statement on speech intent, federal intelligence report conclusion
- The New York Times — Live updates on Trump’s speech and election security focus
