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‘Let them fight’: Chinese social media reacts to Trump’s election interference claims
US leader’s explosive accusations against Beijing prompt mockery, concern and calls for self-reliance from online commenters
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Jane Caiin BeijingandPhoebe Zhangin ShenzhenPublished: 6:00pm, 17 Jul 2026Updated: 6:30pm, 17 Jul 2026Chinese social media users reacted with mockery, scepticism and concern after US President Donald Trump accused Beijing of meddling in US elections in a prime-time address.In his speech on Thursday evening Washington time, Trump focused heavily on US election security and made explosive claims about China, accusing Beijing of orchestrating the “largest compromise of election data in history” and declaring an end to complacency in the face of “Chinese interference”.
He alleged that China had accessed around 220 million American voter files and assigned a dedicated data exploitation unit to the effort, with activities dating back to at least the 2018 midterm elections and continuing into the 2020 presidential race.
Trump has maintained since late 2020 that widespread voter fraud cost him the election that year against Joe Biden.
He and his allies have repeatedly alleged irregularities involving mail-in ballots, voting machines and foreign interference, despite numerous court rulings, audits and reviews by officials in his own administration that found no evidence of fraud significant enough to change the outcome.
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Chinese-speaking posters on X, formerly known as Twitter, had little reaction to this new information other than mocking the claims or questioning their credibility.
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