President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Washington Donald Trump’s latest attempts to sow doubt into US voters’ minds about the American electoral system will be “quickly forgotten”, according to a BBC expert. The US president claimed there are “shocking vulnerabilities” in the US election security in a dramatic speech on Thursday, three months before he faces the midterms. In a primetime address, Trump accused China of interfering in the 2020 election – which he lost to Joe Biden – and made a series of unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud and foreign meddling. He claimed he had declassified intelligence files which showed Beijing was trying to stop him from winning – but did not present clear evidence. Previous US intelligence assessments also reported that it had “high confidence” China did not interfere with the 2020 result. According to the BBC’s North America editor Sarah Smith, this “very dramatic” moment ended up “falling rather flat”. “He was trying to lay out a picture of China attempting to influence the 2020 election,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “But he didn’t really have any evidence that they had done. “For instance, he was claiming China had obtained details of millions of voters, the kind of information that you would need to register to vote. “The implication being that somehow that might be used in a fraudulent way. That’s information which is easily available online.” She said Trump was “hoping people would draw the conclusion that fraud had been committed”. However, Smith added: “[China] is probably not surprised that Donald Trump is talking about this now, especially since we are now only weeks away from crucial mid-term elections. “He wants Congress to pass legislation changing the way people vote, insisting for instance that they prove they’re US citizens before they have the right to vote.” Trump also claimed the “deep state is conspiring to keep this information [about China] from the American people”. But Smith noted there is a “gap between what [the White House is] producing and claiming as evidence and the allegations the president was making in his speech”. Trump also alleged the media wanted to continue “this plot” after several networks refused to air his speech amid concerns over his unsubstantiated claims. Smith said: “Along with American enemies, the CIA and establishment figures, the media were also being pegged as people who were complicit in the cover-up of electoral fraud in America.” Pointing to a new Washington Post-Ipsos survey which put his approval rating on 37%, Smith said Trump’s “poll ratings are not great” right now, either. She continued: “This isn’t going to move the dial very much because I don’t think it’s going to be huge news, to be perfectly honest. “More unsubstantiated claims about electoral fraud from Donald Trump are not anything new. “If voters are not paying much attention to that, that’s probably to Donald Trump’s benefit. They would much rather hear him talk about affordability, the cost of living, what he’s trying to do to bring down prices, what he’s trying to do to end the war in Iran. “It was billed as a very, very dramatic moment, but it’s one that fell rather flat – and I think will probably be quickly forgotten.” Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Trump Recycles And Distorts Old Intelligence Reports To Attack US Elections Anew Liberals Rejoice While MAGA Freaks Out Over News Coverage Of Trump's Primetime Address Trump's Election Conspiracy Files Include Something He Doesn't Want You To See