(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump on Thursday made a litany of claims about the insecurity of U.S. elections that ranged from the Chinese government obtaining voter information to allegations of domestic ballot-rigging as he signaled potential federal intervention in state balloting systems ahead of November’s midterms.

Democrats said Trump was laying the groundwork to tip the scales in favor of Republicans.

During Trump’s 30-minute address from the White House, the Republican president referenced the 2020 election that he has insisted, without proof, he won. Trump suggested China’s alleged meddling put Democrat Joe Biden in office instead.

“They fought like hell not to have a Donald Trump win,” Trump said.

Trump also claimed the “deep state” intelligence community did not previously inform the White House or Congress about the Chinese hack of more than 200 million U.S. voting records, and he revived unproven claims Venezuela had sought to tinker with American elections.

But his speech lacked key context and did not produce evidence that votes had been manipulated or that the election outcome had been altered.

Trump began Thursday night with a stark warning about what he described as flaws in the voting system and said he was releasing previously classified documents related to the 2020 and 2018 elections, when he lost the presidential election and his party suffered losses.

He did not raise doubts about his election wins in 2016 or 2024.

Trump also renewed his pitch for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and a photo ID to vote. Opponents say the measure would make it difficult for many Americans to vote.

As Trump spoke, the White House unveiled a website containing documents presented without context and including selectively released pieces of investigative files, intelligence analysis and correspondence.

Notably, Trump focused on China but glossed over Russia, a country that intelligence officials have said favored Trump in 2016 and 2020 and engaged in wide-ranging influence campaigns aimed at boosting him over Biden in the latter campaign.

Trump signals federal intervention in elections

Trump said his administration would contact states where election data allegedly was compromised by China and others “to mitigate any harm.”

“We’re taking swift action to ensure that sensitive voter data is better protected,” he said.

Trump’s televised remarks — ABC, NBC and CNN did not air his speech — come as Republicans face the prospect of losing one or both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, with some voters feeling economic pressures or questioning the U.S. war in Iran.

A correspondent of Fox News, an outlet friendly to Trump that aired his message, told viewers the network was “not in a position to evaluate the accuracy of the president’s statements and claims at this time.”

“Let’s be clear — in America, voters choose their leaders, not the other way around. Democrats will fight like hell to make sure every American voter can cast their ballot freely, without obstruction or interference from Donald Trump,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in response to Trump’s address.

Some GOP members told The Hill, NewsNation’s sister website, that relitigating past U.S. elections may not be a wise move, politically, at this point.

“I think our focus has got to be on winning in 2026, both the House and the Senate,” Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said.

The Associated Press and The Hill contributed to this report.