President Donald Trump tried to convince Americans in a primetime address Thursday night that their elections are vulnerable to fraud and need immediate attention. While he did not repeat his frequent mantra that he actually won the presidential election he lost in 2020, Trump did declassify documents he said showed an influence campaign by China, a coverup by US intelligence officials and fraud in Michigan.
The evidence, offered mostly in highly redacted out-of-context emails, did not live up to those claims. But it will certainly be grist for Trump’s efforts to curtail mail-in voting and add new voter ID requirements.
The speech, along with context, is below.
Good evening. Before we begin, I’m proud to report that our country is safer, stronger, and far wealthier than it has ever been before. We are doing great. Less than two years ago, we inherited an economic and social disaster after the worst inflation in 48 years, the wide open borders with millions and millions of people pouring in from all over the world, including criminals of all types, and 11,888 murderers, many of whom killed more than one person.
We had transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, crime ravaging our cities, and the whole world was laughing at us as a nation, but not anymore. Two years ago, our country was dead. Now, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world. America is respected like we have never been respected before.
This speech was billed as a major address on election security. It’s starting with some standard Trump talking points.
We have more money being invested in the United States than at any time in the history of our country. More Americans are working today than ever before. This week, it was announced that inflation saw the largest monthly decline in more than six years, just happened. It was just given out. The media reported it and we accept it, the best in six years.
The tax cuts in our Great Big Beautiful Bill are saving hardworking families thousands and thousands of dollars, like with the provisions, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security for our great seniors, along with the interest deduction on a loan used to purchase a car, but only if that car is made in America.
And a 100 percent expensing for our job-creating businesses. Our stock markets are at their highest point in many years, but we can actually say of all time. And your 401(k)s, pensions and retirement accounts are setting records every single day, the highest in history. For years we paid the highest price for prescription drugs anywhere in the world.
Now we pay the lowest price under my Most-Favored-Nations policy, because I was able to get the rest of the world and the pharmaceutical companies to act responsibly. Drug prices are coming down by 70, 80 and 90 percent. Trumprx.gov, this will ultimately reduce the cost of health care. You have to go to Trumprx.gov and take advantage of it. But the cost of health care is coming way down because of what we’ve done with prescription drugs.
And with Trump accounts, every child in America now has access to a tax free investment account to save for their future. Billions and billions of dollars are being invested, put in by companies and individuals to take care of our children, so that at age 18, they will have potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in their account, and they’ll get off to a great start in life.
So for that, go to Trumpaccounts.gov and sign up your child or any child you’d like to sign up. Our previously wide open borders have been transformed into the most secure borders in the history of our country, with zero illegal aliens being admitted to the United States in the past 14 months. That is zero.
Nobody thought it was possible. We had the worst border in the history of our country, and now we have the best.
Many of Trump’s claims above have been the subject of CNN reporting. I recently talked to CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez about the crackdown on immigration, illegal and otherwise, in the US. She told me it’s an overstatement to say that zero people have crossed into the country illegally. But certainly the number has dropped under Trump. Still waiting for the election meat of this speech.
Crime is plummeting nationwide, with the murder rate at its lowest level since 1900 – or more than 125 years ago. We’re making a record investment in our armed forces, and we have the strongest and most powerful military by far anywhere in the world. I built it during my first term and, unfortunately, we’re forced to use it now. We won in Venezuela, which is now working with us to produce millions and millions of barrels of oil.
We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly. America is back and doing really well. But we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed, because no country can be great without fair and honest elections. You have to trust your country because, if there can be no trust, there can be no greatness.
And that’s very simple — no trust, no greatness. For many years I’ve called for bold, swift and decisive action to protect the integrity of America’s elections. 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. Tonight, I’m announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure.
