Trump addresses the nation: message on election fraud and anticipation for a 'big announcement'

"It can't be bigger, because without free and fair elections, we can't have a country." Thus, Donald Trump promised that in his address to the nation tonight, he will make "a big announcement" on the vulnerabilities and outright corruption of the American electoral system. And when asked if this announcement would focus on voting machines, which, following Trump's defeat in 2020, were already the subject of harsh attacks from the tycoon's allies, who now find themselves having to pay multimillion-dollar defamation settlements to the companies that manage them, the president replied: "It's about that topic, but there will be a couple of other things, too, but I'd rather wait. It's really big news."  

The expectation is therefore that Trump will use the speech, for which the White House has requested prime-time airing on major television networks, to reiterate accusations of fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election, the results of which he has never accepted. According to informed sources telling the Washington Post, Trump will accuse China of having accessed American voter data and will also reveal information related to Venezuela's role. The White House, however, is maintaining the utmost secrecy and is warning people to be wary of disclosures from "anonymous sources": "The truth is, no one really knows what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should listen to him," says spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.  

It was Trump who announced the speech on social media, and the usual informed sources reveal that it happened after the classified White House briefing on the results of the Trump administration's extensive review of old FBI documents, including material related to the 2020 election investigation, when Attorney General William Barr of the first Trump administration determined that no evidence of the fraud and corruption so loudly denounced by the defeated president had been found. 

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In recent months, FBI Director Kash Patel has dispatched hundreds of agents to the bureau's Atlanta headquarters to review 700 files by a July 17 deadline, according to an internal memo obtained by the Post. This is in Fulton County, which has been at the center of Trump's recriminations and his maneuvers to overturn Joe Biden's victory. These maneuvers led to federal indictments against the tycoon, which were later dismissed after a Supreme Court ruling and his subsequent election victory.  

Trump's decision to address the nation was based on the advice of Bill Pulte, the mortgage expert with no national security experience whom Trump insisted on appointing as acting Director of National Intelligence, and John Solomon, a conservative journalist who in recent years has consistently questioned the investigations against Trump and called for the publication of alleged evidence of foreign interference. Solomon was called to the White House to assist in reviewing the documents.  

In fact, American intelligence agencies concluded in March 2021 that there was no foreign interference that altered the votes or manipulated the voting machines in the 2020 presidential election, although Russian and Iranian spies attempted to influence them, and China also reportedly considered influence campaigns, but then, after an internal dispute, decided not to proceed.  

But on this front too, the Trump administration has reopened investigations, and former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard herself has personally overseen them, including examining voting machines used in Puerto Rico for cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This is not to mention the controversy and constitutional concerns raised by Gabbard's participation as an observer in the FBI raid on Fulton County elections offices last January.  

Finally, the speech is part of a series of actions Trump has taken to influence the conduct of the upcoming elections, including last week's decision to disband the bipartisan commission that helps states and local communities organize elections. He also issued an executive order restricting mail-in voting and requiring states to verify that voters are citizens. These measures were blocked by judges, who reminded him that the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the authority to decide on elections.  

And for this reason, Trump may use the speech to increase pressure on Congress, to pass the Save America Act, and to impose citizenship checks and photo ID requirements in the upcoming midterm elections. Senate Republicans continue to insist they don't have the votes needed to pass the legislation, which Democrats are blocking. Trump responded with the snub of not signing the bipartisan housing bill, allowing it to go into effect anyway. But now, voter rights groups fear a sensational announcement from Trump designed to cast a shadow over the integrity of the electoral system, all just months before the midterm elections.  

(Adnkronos)