President Trump delivers remarks from White House

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[0:54] Let's get to this story that's now blown up online. [0:57] So take a break from scrolling just for a few minutes. [0:59] And see what's being searched right here, streaming every day. [1:02] Breaking at 4.30 in the afternoon, Eastern Time, on ABC News Live. [1:05] ABC News Live, winner of three prestigious Emmy Awards, including for outstanding live breaking news coverage. [1:14] Thank you for making ABC News Live America's number one streaming news. [1:21] Reporting from the White House on the 2026 midterms, I'm Jonathan Karl. [1:25] Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. [1:28] You're streaming ABC News Live. [1:33] This is an ABC News special report. [1:38] Good evening. [1:38] I'm Mary Bruce. [1:39] We're coming on the air as President Trump is about to address the nation from the East Room of the White House. [1:44] The exact details of his speech have not been released. [1:47] But the president is saying he will have a, quote, big announcement. [1:50] It comes with the midterm elections fast approaching. [1:53] And as the president has been pushing hard for tighter election laws, including for the passage of the Save America Act, which he has made his top legislative priority, refusing, in fact, to sign other bills until this one is passed. [2:06] Senate Majority Leader John Thune repeatedly saying the bill does not have the votes, though, to pass the Senate. [2:11] Tonight, sources telling ABC News the president is expected to discuss the 2020 presidential election. [2:18] For years, President Trump has pushed false claims about the election, despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud. [2:24] Those claims have been repeatedly disproven by the courts, members of his first administration, and those in his own party. [2:31] Let's go first to ABC's Rachel Scott. [2:33] She is at the White House tonight. [2:34] And, Rachel, what are you hearing from the White House tonight? [2:36] Why is the president giving this speech now? [2:39] Well, Mary, I can tell you we just saw Vice President J.D. Vance arrive here at the White House ahead of this very highly anticipated speech. [2:46] Sources tell me this is something that the president has been eager to do. [2:50] It's something that he has wanted to do, and, in fact, something that he has been teasing for days. [2:54] He has described this as a major speech, and sources tell us that it will focus on election integrity. [2:59] But beyond that, the White House has been very tight-lipped on what exactly the president plans to say tonight. [3:06] What is clear, Mary, we know that this is a top issue, perhaps now the most pressing issue for President Trump. [3:12] He is focused on election integrity. [3:14] He's focused on election security. [3:16] We know he has pushed false claims about the 2020 election. [3:19] It's unclear where the president plans to go tonight. [3:23] But he has made it very clear to Republicans over on Capitol Hill he wants his Save America Act passed, that voter ID law. [3:30] He wants that signed into law by the midterm elections. [3:33] And tonight he will make his case to the American people against the backdrop of that war in Iran and with the midterms now just about 110 days away, Mary. [3:41] And, Rachel, you mentioned, of course, there is so much going on in the world right now, the economy, top issue for voters. [3:47] We know, of course, the war with Iran, a huge priority for the president as well. [3:51] But you've been hearing a lot of pushback as well from Republicans who wonder why he's focusing on this. [3:56] Yes, certainly, and especially because a lot of the details here have been obscure. [4:00] 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. [4:13] We are doing great. [4:15] Less than two years ago, we inherited an economic and social disaster. [4:20] 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. [4:39] 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. [4:51] But not anymore. [4:53] Two years ago, our country was dead. [4:57] Now, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world. [5:01] America is respected like we have never been respected before. [5:07] We have more money being invested in the United States than at any time in the history of our country. [5:14] More Americans are working today than ever before. [5:18] This week, it was announced that inflation saw the largest monthly decline in more than six years. [5:26] It was just happened. [5:27] It was just given out. [5:29] The media reported it. [5:31] And we accepted the best in six years. [5:34] The tax cuts in our great, big, beautiful bill are saving hard-working families thousands and thousands of dollars. [5:43] Like with the provisions, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security. [5:51] Only for our great seniors, along with the interest deduction on a loan used to purchase a car. [5:58] But only if that car is made in America and a 100% expensing for our job-creating businesses. [6:07] Our stock markets are at their highest point in many years, but we can actually say of all time. [6:15] And your 401ks, pensions, and retirement accounts are setting records every single day. [6:22] The highest in history. [6:24] For years, we paid the highest price for prescription drugs anywhere in the world. [6:30] Now we pay the lowest price under my most favored nation's policy. [6:34] Because I was able to get the rest of the world and the pharmaceutical companies to act responsibly. [6:43] Drug prices are coming down by 70, 80, and 90%. [6:48] TrumpRx.gov. [6:51] This will ultimately reduce the cost of health care. [6:55] You have to go to TrumpRx.gov and take advantage of it. [6:59] But the cost of health care is coming way down because of what we've done with prescription drugs. [7:06] And with Trump accounts, every child in America now has access to a tax-free investment account to save for their future. [7:15] Billions and billions of dollars are being invested, put in by companies and individuals, [7:19] to take care of our children so that at age 18 they will have potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in their account [7:28] and they'll get off to a great start in life. [7:32] So for that, go to TrumpAccounts.gov and sign up your child or any child you'd like to sign up. [7:40] Our previously wide-open borders have been transformed into the most secure borders in the history of our country [7:48] with zero illegal aliens being admitted to the United States in the past 14 months. [7:55] That is zero. [7:57] Nobody thought it was possible. [7:59] We had the worst border in the history of our country and now we have the best. [8:04] Crime is plummeting nationwide with the murder rate at its lowest level since 1900 or more than 125 years ago. [8:14] 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. [8:24] I built it during my first term and unfortunately we're forced to use it now. [8:30] We won in Venezuela, which is now working with us to produce millions and millions of barrels of oil. [8:37] We are likewise winning big in Iran and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly. [8:44] America is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed [8:52] because no country could be great without fair and honest elections. [8:58] You have to trust your country because if there can be no trust, there can be no greatness. [9:05] And that's very simple. [9:07] No trust, no greatness. [9:10] For many years I've called for a bold, swift, and decisive action to protect the integrity of America's elections. [9:17] Every American deserves to know that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted accurately in a system. [9:25] And that is to make that system secure. [9:29] One where cheating and interference are not just difficult, but virtually impossible. [9:36] Unfortunately, the system we have today falls catastrophically short of that standard. [9:42] Tonight, I'm announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure. [9:54] This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes and really exposes like levels never thought possible to hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference. [10:09] Just as disturbingly, this vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you, the American people, our beautiful, our great American people. [10:21] But that all changes right now. [10:23] The documents we will release starting tonight have been gathered by the White House Government Transparency Task Force, a great group of people, [10:34] along with the staff of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. [10:38] Supported by our top intelligence agency chiefs, who have all personally reviewed the findings we are presenting this evening and fully confirmed, their authenticity. [10:52] You can see these documents for yourself at WhiteHouse.gov. [10:57] That's WhiteHouse.gov. [10:59] Go check it out. [11:00] In fact, our purpose in disclosing this information is not to weaken confidence in election, but to earn that confidence by confronting vulnerabilities and correcting them very, very quickly. [11:14] And that's what we're doing. [11:15] The documents cover five major areas of concern. [11:19] First, they show that over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People's Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, [11:34] resulting in China's illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files. [11:42] That information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities, which is exactly what was happening. [11:59] This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare. [12:05] The intelligence even shows that China has signed a data exploitation unit specifically to this new project. [12:13] Compounding the travesty, the second set of documents we are releasing reveals that members of the Deep State, very, very famous group of people, many cases, [12:24] in our intelligence agency work to actively suppress and downplay information about the extent of China's sinister election meddling, [12:35] covering it up from both the president and the American people like nobody thought was possible. [12:42] U.S. spy agencies began learning about the compromise of voter registration files in 2020, [12:47] when they discovered that tens of millions of voters' data in 18 states have been bought, stolen, or hacked by China. [13:03] Yet those responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information secret and hidden. [13:09] They did not disclose to me as president, or to anyone else, and to the best of our knowledge, they did not inform Congress. [13:18] In fact, all they kept saying is, [13:22] this is the most secure election in the history of our country. [13:25] A standard, very pat line that was divvied out to say, [13:30] the cover-up of this colossal security breach is even more disturbing in light of the additional information showing [13:37] that China engaged in other election-related activities to undermine my first administration and our 2020 campaign. [13:47] They did not want, and they just didn't want it. [13:50] They fought like hell not to have it. [13:52] Donald Trump to win, and for good reason. [13:56] As the documents we are releasing show, CIA reporting explicitly stated, [14:02] In mid-2018, the Chinese Communist Party's policy was to leverage all domestic and foreign elements [14:11] that were opposed to the U.S. president in an effort to reduce the U.S. president's votes [14:17] and make him resign or prevent his re-election. [14:21] Isn't that nice? [14:22] Also, in mid-2018, China was working to influence the results of the U.S. midterm elections [14:30] and later the results of the 2020 presidential election itself. [14:35] Separately, in mid-2019, the Chinese government's strategy against the United States [14:40] was focused on undermining domestic confidence in the U.S. president. [14:45] They wanted to just make you sound like your president wasn't so hot [14:50] when actually your president has done a great job [14:53] and they did everything possible to do exactly that. [14:58] Going on, this document says, and this is by the CIA, [15:02] the strategy included efforts to use Chinese contacts with big U.S. companies [15:08] to influence U.S. business leaders to turn against the president of the United States of America. [15:14] The Chinese government sought to identify U.S. journalists [15:18] who had reported negatively on the U.S. president [15:22] and pay them large sums of money to write more negative articles about him, [15:28] as many as they could, and they didn't care what they said. [15:33] The Chinese government wanted U.S. president to lose the next election, [15:37] and the reason they wanted me to lose is because they knew I was wise to them, [15:43] charged them billions and billions of dollars worth of tariffs, [15:47] and built the strongest military anywhere in the world. [15:51] We have the strongest military anywhere in the world. [15:54] These are exact quotes from the CIA reporting. [16:00] The name of the person doing the quote is now under review, [16:05] but it gets even worse. [16:07] This raw intelligence obtained by the FBI in 2020, [16:11] yet buried by rogue bureaucrats, [16:13] stated that China's activities even included an attempt [16:16] to manufacture illegal ballots for Joe Biden. [16:21] Documents show that during this period, [16:23] dozens of significant CIA and NSA reports [16:27] about China's election targeting [16:29] were kept out of the presidential briefing. [16:33] These were briefings I would get almost every day. [16:37] Everything was kept out. [16:38] That was of importance. [16:40] One email among intelligence analysts admitted [16:43] that they had, quote, [16:45] deliberately massaged the presidential daily briefing [16:49] to withhold information regarding Chinese activities [16:52] related to the election. [16:54] Another official inside the FBI [16:57] wrote that she was running, quote, [16:59] a shadow government, unquote, [17:02] to keep intelligence about China's election meddling [17:05] from becoming known [17:06] and to keep it away from the honorable press. [17:10] Other officials who witnessed such efforts [17:13] perceived the motivations to be blatantly political. [17:18] Recently, we found significant numbers [17:20] of burn bags in formation, [17:22] and this is a group of bags [17:25] that were used to destroy information [17:29] given by President Barack Hussein Obama [17:33] to be burned. [17:34] It was supposed to be burned. [17:36] These bags were supposed to be [17:39] at a different level by different people, [17:43] incinerated and checked, [17:45] but it never happened. [17:47] Maybe we got lucky. [17:48] We believe this was not done on purpose, [17:52] but rather through gross incompetence [17:54] of the people that were supposed to burn the bags. [17:57] But the findings are stunning. [17:59] Today, I'm asking the office [18:00] of the Director of National Intelligence, [18:03] the Department of Justice, [18:04] the FBI, and the CIA [18:06] to investigate how and why [18:08] such crucial information was hidden, [18:10] to fire those involved in the cover-up, [18:13] and to file criminal charges, [18:14] if appropriate, against these people. [18:17] Yet concealing China's meddling [18:19] was only the beginning. [18:21] The third set of documents we are releasing [18:24] proves that for many years [18:26] Americans were blatantly lied to [18:29] about the security [18:30] of our election infrastructure, [18:33] including electronic voting machines [18:35] and ballot counting systems, [18:38] dishonest almost all. [18:40] They're vulnerable, [18:42] and they're easily compromised, [18:44] and people within our government knew that. [18:47] Tonight, we're publishing [18:48] a series of previously classified [18:51] U.S. intelligence community assessments [18:53] and other reports proving [18:55] that our government has long known [18:57] these machines are extremely exposed to attack. [19:01] As one assessment states, [19:03] we judge that the United States adversaries, [19:07] including, at a minimum, Russia, China, Iran, [19:11] North Korea, as well as non-state groups, [19:14] have the capability [19:15] capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure. [19:19] That's unquote, [19:20] but that's some statement, isn't it? [19:22] Made by supposedly great patriots of our country. [19:27] The document goes on to further state that, [19:30] quote, [19:30] we assess that centralized election-related data [19:34] repositories, [19:36] such as voter registration databases, [19:39] poll books, [19:40] and other official election websites [19:42] are most vulnerable to exploitation, [19:46] and adversaries could use this access [19:48] to these systems [19:49] to disrupt election processes [19:52] within the United States of America. [19:55] Tonight, we're releasing [19:56] all of those findings, [19:57] and spanning from January 2020 [20:00] to June 2026. [20:03] This is a cyber threat [20:04] aimed at the very heart of our democracy. [20:07] Many people have questioned [20:09] whether it could actually be possible [20:11] to electronically manipulate vote totals [20:14] or change election results [20:17] on these terrible machines. [20:19] Today, we are releasing documents [20:21] that show the CIA obtained reporting [20:23] of a specific plot [20:25] to do a big number [20:28] in favor of the corrupt Maduro regime [20:32] in Venezuela, [20:34] and that's exactly what happened, [20:36] conspiring to digitally rig [20:39] their own country's elections in 2020, [20:42] and that's what they did. [20:44] This reporting included precise details [20:46] about methods to regime develop, [20:50] to digitally alter vote totals [20:52] in ways that could not be detected [20:55] even with an audit, [20:57] no matter how deep they went. [20:59] This intelligence underscores [21:01] why we must take urgent action [21:03] to ensure that our own system [21:05] can never, ever be hacked [21:07] or compromised like it was in the past. [21:10] The fourth set of documents reveals [21:12] that even when significant evidence [21:14] of fraud has been detected, [21:16] it has been buried and covered up. [21:21] Among the disclosures tonight [21:22] are FBI files detailing evidence [21:25] of alleged fraud [21:26] by a large-scale voter registration [21:28] operation in Michigan. [21:30] In 2020, Michigan State Police [21:33] raided a Democrat [21:34] get-out-the-vote organization [21:36] corrupt group [21:38] in Muskegon, [21:40] and were so concerned [21:42] by what they found. [21:44] They were just so concerned, [21:45] they couldn't believe it, actually, [21:47] that they contacted the FBI in Detroit. [21:50] The documents state [21:51] that some canvassers admitted [21:54] to FBI agents [21:55] that they signed voter registration forms [21:57] and other people's names, [21:59] submitted fraudulent registration [22:01] for people who did not exist, [22:03] and received gift cards [22:05] tied to their number of applications [22:08] that they produced. [22:09] In other words, [22:11] it was pay, play, and cheat. [22:15] The FBI agents working on the case [22:18] believe that crimes were committed, [22:20] yet the Biden Department of Justice [22:22] slow-walked the investigation [22:24] and killed it. [22:26] Tonight, I'm asking [22:27] the FBI director [22:29] to ensure that the matter [22:31] is fully investigated [22:32] and to work with [22:33] the Department of Justice [22:34] to prosecute those [22:36] responsible for any crimes. [22:38] Finally, to reveal [22:39] just how vulnerable [22:40] our elections continue to be, [22:43] we are releasing the results [22:44] of a stunning investigation [22:46] by the Department of Homeland Security. [22:49] According to the DHS review, [22:52] state voter rolls [22:53] and public records, [22:56] they identified approximately [22:57] 278,000 non-citizens [23:00] who are registered [23:01] to vote in federal elections. [23:03] Since Democrat states [23:05] refuse to share their voter files, [23:08] the real number [23:09] is actually much higher than that. [23:11] Yet, even this limited analysis [23:14] found more than a quarter [23:15] of a million foreigners [23:17] illegally registered to vote. [23:20] Put together, [23:21] these disclosures reveal [23:23] an election system [23:24] so broken and so vulnerable [23:26] that no one can possibly defend it. [23:29] It is not defensible. [23:31] Hundreds of millions [23:33] of U.S. voter files [23:34] are in the hands [23:36] of foreign governments. [23:37] Our machines [23:38] and ballot counting systems [23:40] are exposed to hacking [23:41] and manipulation [23:43] and corruption. [23:44] China and other countries [23:46] have been trying [23:47] to meddle in our elections. [23:49] Evidence of fraud [23:49] has been buried. [23:50] Hundreds of thousands [23:52] of non-citizens [23:53] and dead people [23:54] are listed and active [23:56] on the voter rolls. [23:58] And yet, [23:59] we still have elections [24:00] with no voter ID, [24:03] no proof of citizenship, [24:04] and tens of millions [24:06] of ballots [24:06] floating aimlessly [24:07] through the mail. [24:09] As one example [24:10] of the insanity, [24:11] California's recent election [24:13] for mayor of L.A. [24:14] and governor, [24:16] was held on June 2nd, [24:18] a long time ago, [24:20] but it was just completed [24:21] a few days ago [24:23] on July 10th. [24:24] Think of that, [24:25] much more than one month. [24:27] It took a month [24:28] to count the votes. [24:29] I wonder what they were doing. [24:30] This is worse [24:31] than any third world country. [24:34] There is no third world country [24:35] that has elections [24:37] like we have. [24:39] In a rare move, [24:40] NBC and ABC Fake News [24:42] have both said [24:43] that they would not cover [24:44] this speech. [24:45] They knew what it was about [24:46] because of the fact [24:48] that they don't like the topic, [24:49] because they know [24:50] how corrupt our system is [24:52] and they don't want [24:53] to reveal it. [24:54] They and others [24:55] in the media [24:55] are part of a plot. [24:57] They want to continue [24:58] this fraud [24:59] for whatever reason. [25:00] They want to keep it going. [25:02] They want to protect [25:03] the radical left. [25:04] They can't have [25:05] a great country, [25:07] and that's true. [25:08] You can't have [25:08] a great country [25:09] without free [25:10] and fair elections. [25:12] Fraud like this [25:13] should mean [25:14] a revocation [25:14] of their licenses. [25:16] They use our public [25:17] multi-billion dollar [25:19] in value airways [25:20] for absolutely no money. [25:22] They pay nothing. [25:24] All we want [25:25] is honesty [25:26] in our elections [25:26] and honesty in reporting. [25:28] They pay nothing [25:29] for multi-billion dollar [25:32] assets. [25:34] Great damage [25:35] has been done [25:35] to our country. [25:37] Our elections [25:38] were left vulnerable [25:39] to being rigged [25:41] and stolen, [25:41] and the trust [25:43] of the American people [25:44] was lost. [25:45] This cannot be allowed [25:46] to continue. [25:47] Every American, [25:48] whether you're a Republican, [25:50] Democrat, [25:51] independent, [25:52] or otherwise, [25:53] should be able [25:54] to agree [25:54] that we deserve [25:55] the most secure, [25:56] honest, [25:57] and fair election system [25:58] anywhere in the world. [26:00] Secure elections [26:01] should be [26:02] a partisan, [26:03] really, [26:04] should just, [26:04] we should be together, [26:07] Democrats, Republicans, [26:08] independents, [26:09] everybody. [26:10] And it should not [26:11] be a partisan issue. [26:13] It should cause [26:14] to unite us, [26:15] not to divide us. [26:16] This should be a cause. [26:17] We should be united, [26:19] not divided. [26:20] In light of the brand new [26:22] and irrefutable information [26:24] I have revealed tonight, [26:26] my administration [26:27] is in the process [26:28] of notifying [26:30] the states [26:31] whose election data [26:32] was compromised [26:33] by the People's Republic [26:35] of China [26:36] and many others. [26:38] We will be working closely [26:39] to mitigate any harm [26:41] and we're taking swift action [26:43] to ensure [26:43] that sensitive voter data [26:45] is better protected [26:46] so we can never be bought, [26:49] we can never be hacked, [26:51] and we can never watch [26:53] a stolen election again. [26:56] Tomorrow, [26:57] the Secretary of Homeland Security [26:59] will hold a briefing [26:59] to outline his department's [27:01] recent work [27:02] confirming cyber vulnerabilities [27:05] in our electronic voting systems. [27:08] They are bad. [27:09] We're in the process [27:10] of informing governors, [27:12] senators, [27:12] and members of Congress [27:14] of potential issues [27:15] in their states. [27:17] If you look at voting today, [27:19] it's in such bad shape [27:21] in so many states [27:22] and we are committing [27:24] to fix it [27:24] and we're also committing [27:26] to be working [27:27] with those states [27:28] and local jurisdictions [27:29] to help them fix [27:31] and patch known technical [27:32] vulnerabilities [27:34] before the midterm elections. [27:36] We have very important [27:37] elections coming up. [27:39] We want those elections [27:40] to be honest. [27:42] I've also ordered DHS [27:43] to notify every state [27:44] about non-citizens [27:46] on their voter rolls [27:47] and direct them [27:48] to remove all ineligible voters [27:50] from the lists immediately. [27:53] But most importantly, [27:54] addressing this crisis [27:55] of election security [27:57] demands that Congress [27:59] must pass the Save America Act. [28:02] How easy is that to do [28:06] unless you want to cheat? [28:09] The only reason [28:10] you wouldn't do it [28:11] is you want to cheat [28:13] because your policies [28:14] are so bad [28:15] and your candidates [28:17] are so pathetic [28:18] that you can't get away [28:20] or can't get elected [28:21] any other way. [28:22] This landmark bill [28:23] requires that all voters [28:25] must show photo voter ID. [28:29] How simple is that? [28:31] Could I have your photo, please? [28:33] Photo voter ID. [28:34] All voters must provide [28:36] proof of citizenship. [28:39] Are you a citizen [28:40] of our country, please? [28:42] And hopefully, [28:43] there will be [28:43] no corrupt mail-in ballots, [28:45] which if you watched [28:46] California [28:47] and so many other places, [28:49] mail-in ballots [28:50] are inherently corrupt. [28:52] So you would have [28:54] no mail-in ballots [28:56] except for illness, [28:59] disability, [29:00] military deployment, [29:01] or travel. [29:03] If you're going away [29:04] on business or vacation, [29:07] these reforms are [29:08] urgently needed [29:08] to stop the vulnerabilities [29:10] that I've mentioned. [29:12] To all Americans, [29:13] I ask you to pick up [29:14] your phone tomorrow, [29:15] call your representatives [29:17] in the House and Senate, [29:18] and demand that they pass [29:21] the Save America Act [29:23] without delay. [29:25] Together, we will restore faith [29:27] and confidence in our country [29:29] and we will be bigger, [29:31] better, and stronger [29:32] than ever before. [29:35] Thank you. [29:36] God bless you. [29:37] God bless our great military. [29:39] And God bless America. [29:41] Thank you very much. [29:43] President Trump there [29:46] in the East Room [29:47] making a rare address [29:48] to the nation in prime time. [29:50] Speaking for just over [29:51] about 22 minutes, [29:52] he began those remarks [29:53] touting his record [29:54] and what he believes [29:55] are his accomplishments [29:56] in office so far. [29:57] Starting his remarks [29:58] with the issues we know [29:59] so many in his own party [30:01] were hoping for him [30:02] to focus on and tout [30:03] his efforts to bring down [30:04] health care costs, [30:05] immigration, [30:06] and the border, [30:07] and the economy. [30:08] Also touching briefly [30:09] on the ongoing war with Iran. [30:11] But then the president shifting, [30:12] focusing squarely [30:13] on the nation's elections. [30:15] Saying, quote, [30:16] without trust, [30:17] there can be no greatness. [30:18] And announcing [30:18] the declassification [30:20] and release [30:20] of what he called [30:21] critical intelligence [30:22] that he claims [30:23] reveals vulnerabilities [30:24] in our voting infrastructure. [30:26] Claiming it shows [30:27] foreign interference, [30:28] especially by China, [30:29] and renewing previous claims [30:31] about irregularities [30:32] in voting machines. [30:33] The president making [30:34] a host of allegations [30:35] about information [30:36] that he claims [30:37] has been withheld [30:38] from the public [30:39] and withheld from him [30:40] when he was president [30:41] and calling for the [30:42] Justice Department, [30:42] the FBI, and CIA [30:43] to investigate how [30:45] this information, [30:46] in his words, [30:46] was hidden. [30:48] The president, of course, [30:48] we should note, [30:49] was president at the time, [30:50] but still he is attacking [30:51] the intelligence agencies [30:52] that reported to him [30:53] in 2020. [30:55] The president making [30:55] these accusations [30:56] now based on [30:57] existing intelligence [30:58] that he is now [30:59] declassifying [31:00] after directing [31:01] his administration [31:01] to go back [31:02] and review that raw data. [31:04] He is now making [31:05] all of that information [31:06] available to the public [31:07] for all to see [31:08] on the White House website, [31:10] whitehouse.gov. [31:11] We should stress, [31:12] this is complicated. [31:13] This is information [31:14] that is just being made public. [31:16] Our teams, [31:16] just like the public, [31:17] are carefully unpacking [31:18] this all, [31:19] and we will continue [31:20] to do so tonight [31:21] and throughout [31:22] the coming days. [31:23] The president saying [31:24] his purpose [31:24] in disclosing [31:25] this information [31:26] is not to weaken [31:27] confidence in elections, [31:28] but as he said, [31:30] to earn the confidence [31:31] by confronting vulnerabilities [31:32] and correcting them. [31:34] The president, of course, [31:34] has for years [31:35] pushed false claims [31:36] of widespread voter fraud. [31:38] This is a deeply [31:39] personal issue [31:39] for the president, [31:40] something he has been [31:41] talking about [31:41] since he lost [31:42] the 2020 election. [31:44] Claims of widespread [31:44] voter fraud, though, [31:45] have been repeatedly [31:47] disproven by the courts [31:48] and members of his own party [31:49] and his first administration. [31:51] Our team is standing by [31:52] to unpack all of this. [31:53] We're going to go first [31:54] to Rachel Scott, [31:55] who is at the White House. [31:56] And Rachel, all of this, [31:58] this speech from the president, [31:59] and as we stated, [31:59] there is a lot to unpack here, [32:01] and we are going through [32:02] all of this carefully. [32:03] But this comes, of course, [32:04] as the president noted, [32:05] as he is making a big push [32:07] for Congress to pass [32:08] tougher voting restrictions. [32:10] Yes, and he made that [32:11] very clear, [32:12] especially with that plea [32:13] at the end, [32:13] not just to Republicans [32:14] over on Capitol Hill [32:15] to pass the Save America Act, [32:17] his sweeping voter ID bill, [32:19] but also to Americans [32:20] at home to reach out [32:21] to their elected representatives [32:23] and urge them [32:24] to get this across [32:26] the finish line. [32:27] That is clear [32:28] that the president [32:28] is very fixated on that [32:30] at this time. [32:31] Mary, this is very complicated. [32:33] It's very complex [32:33] what the president [32:34] just laid out, [32:35] but it is nothing short [32:36] of remarkable. [32:37] The president going after [32:38] his own intelligence officials [32:39] at the time, [32:40] as you mentioned, [32:41] that he was serving [32:42] as president of the United States. [32:44] He repeatedly said [32:45] that not only was he deceived [32:46] during that process, [32:47] but also the American people [32:48] were as well. [32:50] What we do know, Mary, [32:51] at that time, [32:52] intelligence officials [32:53] said that they had briefed [32:54] the president [32:54] on the results [32:55] of the 2020 election. [32:57] We know that the president [32:57] repeatedly lost dozens [32:59] and dozens of lawsuits [33:01] challenging the election [33:03] results back in 2020. [33:04] And we also know [33:05] that the president's [33:06] own attorney general [33:07] at the time said [33:08] there was not enough [33:09] voter fraud [33:10] that would have changed [33:11] the outcome [33:11] of the 2020 election. [33:13] Still, you heard [33:14] the president continue [33:15] to push very similar claims [33:16] that we have heard him push [33:17] and peddle for years here. [33:19] As you mentioned, Mary, [33:20] our team is going [33:21] through these documents [33:21] that have just been released [33:23] on the White House website. [33:24] We're going to continue [33:25] to dig through the claims [33:26] that the president made today [33:28] and dig through the facts [33:29] for our viewers [33:30] and our audience at home. [33:31] But I will say, Mary, [33:32] the first 60 seconds [33:33] of that speech, [33:34] that's what Republicans [33:35] over on Capitol Hill [33:36] wanted to hear [33:36] from the president tonight. [33:37] That focus on the economy, [33:39] that focus on immigration, [33:40] something they think [33:41] will be top of mind [33:42] to voters [33:42] in this midterm election, Mary. [33:44] Rachel, thank you so much. [33:45] Stay with us here [33:46] because we are now [33:47] going to pause [33:47] to let the full network [33:48] join our coverage. [33:50] Stay with us. [33:58] This is an ABC News special report. [34:02] Good evening. [34:02] I'm Mary Bruce. [34:03] We are coming back on the air [34:04] because President Trump [34:05] has just completed [34:06] his address to the nation, [34:07] touting his record [34:08] and what he believes [34:09] are his accomplishments [34:10] in office so far. [34:11] For 22 minutes just now, [34:13] the president [34:13] in a rare primetime address [34:15] speaking from the East Room, [34:17] starting his remarks [34:17] with the issues [34:18] we know so many [34:19] in our own part, [34:20] in his own party, [34:20] were hoping for him to tout. [34:22] His efforts to bring down [34:23] health care costs, [34:24] immigration and the border, [34:25] and the economy. [34:26] Also touching briefly [34:27] on the ongoing war with Iran [34:28] and then the president [34:29] for the bulk of these remarks [34:31] focusing squarely [34:32] on the nation's elections, [34:34] saying that without trust [34:36] in the nation's elections, [34:37] there can be no greatness [34:38] and announcing [34:39] the declassification [34:40] and release [34:41] of what he called [34:42] critical intelligence [34:43] that reveals vulnerabilities [34:44] in our infrastructure, [34:46] claiming it shows [34:46] foreign interference, [34:47] especially by China [34:48] and renewing his previous claims [34:50] of irregularities [34:52] in voting machines. [34:52] The president just made [34:53] a host of allegations [34:54] about information [34:55] that he claims [34:56] has been withheld [34:57] from the public [34:58] and withheld from him [34:59] when he was president. [35:00] And he's calling [35:00] for the Justice Department [35:01] and the FBI and CIA [35:03] to investigate [35:04] how this information, [35:05] in his words, [35:06] was hidden. [35:07] The president, of course, [35:08] was president at the time, [35:09] but still, [35:10] he is attacking [35:10] the intelligence agencies [35:11] that reported to him [35:12] in 2020. [35:13] The president is now [35:15] making these new claims [35:16] based on existing intelligence [35:17] that he's now declassifying [35:19] after directing his administration [35:20] to go back [35:21] and review the raw data. [35:23] He is now making [35:24] this information public [35:25] for all to see [35:26] on the White House website, [35:27] whitehouse.gov. [35:28] We should stress [35:29] this is complicated. [35:30] This is information [35:31] that is just being made public [35:32] and our teams, [35:34] just like the public, [35:34] are carefully unpacking [35:36] all of this. [35:37] We're going to continue [35:37] to do so tonight [35:38] and throughout the coming days. [35:40] The president saying [35:41] his purpose [35:42] in disclosing [35:42] this information, [35:43] quote, [35:44] is not to weaken confidence [35:45] in elections, [35:46] but to earn that confidence [35:47] by confronting vulnerabilities [35:49] and correcting them. [35:51] The president, [35:51] we should note, [35:52] has for years [35:53] pushed false claims of fraud. [35:54] This is a deeply personal issue [35:56] for President Trump, [35:57] something he's been talking [35:58] about a lot [35:58] since he lost the 2020 election. [36:01] Claims of widespread voter fraud, [36:03] though, [36:03] have been repeatedly disproven [36:04] by the courts [36:05] and members of his own party [36:06] and his first administration. [36:08] Let's take a listen [36:09] to some of what the president said [36:10] just moments ago. [36:11] For many years, [36:14] I've called for a bold, [36:15] swift, [36:16] and decisive action [36:17] to protect the integrity [36:19] of America's elections. [36:21] Every American deserves [36:22] to know that [36:23] when they cast their vote, [36:25] that vote will be counted [36:26] accurately in a system, [36:29] and that is to make [36:30] that system secure, [36:32] one where cheating [36:33] and interference [36:34] are not just difficult, [36:37] but virtually impossible. [36:39] Unfortunately, [36:39] the system we have today [36:41] falls catastrophically short [36:43] of that standard. [36:47] As we mentioned, [36:47] ABC News is now looking [36:48] into the claims [36:49] that the president [36:50] has made tonight. [36:51] We have our team standing by, [36:52] and let's start [36:53] with our chief Washington [36:54] correspondent, [36:55] John Carl. [36:55] John, what stood out to you most? [36:57] Of course, [36:57] all of this is coming [36:58] as the president is making [36:59] a big push [37:00] for stricter voting restrictions. [37:01] Yeah, I mean, [37:02] it really, [37:03] what stood out to me [37:03] is that's exactly [37:04] what the president wants [37:05] to push for, [37:06] is his Save America Act, [37:08] which would significantly [37:09] change the way voting [37:10] is conducted [37:11] in the United States, [37:13] require steps [37:14] to do things [37:15] like prove citizenship [37:16] by providing specific documents [37:19] that one study says [37:20] up to 20 million [37:22] voting-aged Americans [37:23] simply don't have, [37:24] things like birth certificates, [37:26] passports. [37:28] But, Mary, [37:29] I think a lot of this [37:31] is going to need [37:31] to be looked at a lot, [37:32] you know, closer. [37:34] The president talked about [37:36] how China and hacking [37:37] in 2020 obtained access, [37:40] he said, [37:41] to 220 million voter files. [37:45] That doesn't necessarily, [37:46] that doesn't draw a line [37:48] to what China did [37:49] during the election. [37:51] Obviously, [37:52] concern of foreign interference [37:53] has been real [37:54] for a long time, [37:56] never proven, [37:57] and it doesn't seem [37:58] like there's any proof here. [38:00] One thing that really [38:01] stood out to me, though, [38:02] was one of the points [38:03] he made was about voting machines, [38:05] and this is something [38:05] that has been looked at [38:06] and litigated [38:07] and studied extensively [38:09] since he claimed [38:11] and his allies claimed [38:12] that voting machines [38:13] were used to rig [38:14] the 2020 election. [38:16] He included a CIA, [38:18] now declassified CIA, [38:20] assessment of Venezuela. [38:22] This was one of the more [38:23] outlandish allegations [38:25] that was made [38:25] during the 2020 election [38:27] that Venezuela, [38:28] somehow Hugo Chavez, [38:30] the former dictator [38:30] who died nearly a decade earlier, [38:34] had manipulated U.S. elections [38:36] through voting machines. [38:38] And what's interesting to me [38:39] is as I was reading [38:39] this CIA declassified document, [38:42] it does talk about [38:44] how Venezuela had an effort [38:47] to use voting machines [38:48] to change votes, [38:50] to rig elections, [38:52] but the assessment [38:54] is about Venezuela [38:55] attempting to do this [38:56] in Venezuelan elections [38:58] that Hugo Chavez [38:59] and then later [39:00] Nicolas Maduro [39:02] were trying to find a way [39:04] to use their voting machines [39:06] to change votes [39:07] in Venezuela [39:08] so that they would [39:09] be able to win. [39:10] There was one concern [39:11] that was expressed [39:12] back in 2005 [39:14] when a company, [39:15] when the company [39:15] that did Venezuela's voting machines [39:17] was acquired, [39:19] acquired an American company. [39:20] That triggered some concern, [39:23] but this is not [39:24] about U.S. elections, [39:25] it's about Venezuelan elections. [39:27] John, as you noting there, [39:28] the president making [39:28] a lot of claims [39:29] during this address, [39:30] also making claims [39:32] about the American election system. [39:33] Let's take a listen [39:34] to another bit [39:34] of what he had to say tonight. [39:37] For many years, [39:39] Americans were blatantly lied to [39:41] about the security [39:42] of our election infrastructure, [39:45] including electronic voting machines [39:47] and ballot counting systems, [39:50] dishonest almost all. [39:52] They're vulnerable [39:54] and they're easily compromised [39:56] and people within our government [39:58] knew that. [40:01] The president there repeating, [40:02] as John noted, [40:03] some claims that have been [40:05] heavily investigated [40:06] and looked at. [40:07] It is also worth underscoring [40:08] that the Intelligence Committee [40:10] released a report in 2021 [40:11] that found no indication [40:13] that any foreign actor [40:14] was able to change votes [40:16] or the voting process. [40:17] I want to go now [40:18] to Rachel Scott [40:19] at the White House. [40:19] And Rachel, [40:20] so much has been discussed today [40:21] about why the president [40:23] is giving this speech now. [40:26] Yes, Mary. [40:27] Look, sources tell me [40:28] that this is an issue [40:29] that the president, [40:30] quite frankly, [40:30] has been fixated on, [40:31] that the president wanted to come [40:33] before the American people tonight [40:34] and deliver this address. [40:36] There's a lot of discussion [40:37] over on Capitol Hill [40:38] about whether or not [40:39] this should have been the focus [40:40] of what the president [40:41] should be talking about. [40:42] We are so close [40:43] to the midterm elections. [40:44] They're just about 110 days away. [40:46] And for a lot of Republicans, [40:47] they wanted to hear [40:48] what the president outlined [40:49] in probably the first 60 seconds [40:51] of this speech, [40:52] talking about the economy, [40:53] talking about immigration, [40:54] issues they believe [40:55] are going to be front and center [40:57] for voters in this midterm election. [40:59] And there was a question [41:00] heading into tonight [41:01] because the White House [41:02] was very tight-lipped [41:03] on what exactly [41:04] the president was going to say [41:05] about how much President Trump [41:07] would be focused [41:08] on the 2020 election. [41:09] We know he has made a series [41:11] and slew of false claims [41:12] about that election [41:13] that he lost. [41:14] But the president did spend [41:15] quite a significant time [41:17] talking about the 2020 election. [41:19] Again, what the president [41:20] presented tonight, [41:21] it's complex. [41:22] Our team is digging [41:23] through these documents [41:24] that the White House [41:25] says they're now declassifying [41:26] and making available [41:27] to the American people. [41:28] We're reading through it [41:30] to fact-check [41:30] and understand more [41:32] of what the president [41:32] is presenting. [41:33] But I can tell you here [41:34] is what we do know. [41:35] We know that President Trump [41:36] and his allies, [41:37] they challenged [41:38] the 2020 election repeatedly. [41:39] They lost about 60 cases [41:42] in court. [41:43] We know that the president [41:44] tonight was talking [41:45] about how he was deceived. [41:46] He talked about [41:47] how the American people [41:48] were deceived [41:49] in the 2020 election. [41:50] Of course, [41:50] President Trump [41:51] was president at the time [41:52] and his own intelligence [41:54] officials were presenting [41:55] assessments to him [41:56] that showed there was [41:57] no widespread evidence [41:59] that would have changed [42:00] the outcome of the election, [42:01] something that his own [42:02] attorney general [42:03] said at the time, too, Mary. [42:04] And that is such [42:05] an important point. [42:06] And as you know, [42:07] we are all combing [42:07] through this. [42:09] Pierre Thomas is doing [42:09] that as well. [42:11] And Pierre in Washington, [42:12] you know, the president [42:13] spent so much [42:13] of these remarks tonight [42:14] making these claims, [42:16] especially about China. [42:17] And I know that [42:18] that is something [42:19] that we have looked at [42:20] before in the past, [42:21] accusations that China [42:23] was involved or somehow [42:25] trying to meddle [42:26] in the 2020 election. [42:27] And I do want to read [42:28] what the president said [42:29] about calling [42:30] for new investigations [42:31] because he said [42:32] that he is asking [42:32] the Office of the Director [42:33] of National Intelligence, [42:35] the Justice Department, [42:35] the FBI, and the CIA [42:37] to investigate how and why [42:38] such crucial information [42:39] was hidden [42:40] and to fire those involved. [42:43] And you, I understand, [42:44] are learning that the DHS [42:45] is going to be discussing [42:46] this more tomorrow. [42:48] Indeed. [42:49] Mary, here are some [42:50] of the dominant points. [42:51] As you point out, [42:52] he is claiming that China [42:53] was able to get access [42:55] to voter registration [42:56] information about [42:57] millions of Americans, [42:59] hundreds of millions [42:59] of Americans. [43:01] What we don't yet know [43:02] is whether they were able [43:03] to do anything [43:04] with that information. [43:05] There is no evidence [43:06] that they were, again, [43:07] able to change [43:08] the outcome of votes. [43:10] The other very specific [43:12] thing that he pointed out [43:13] that I did take note of [43:14] is that he said [43:15] that DHS has found [43:17] that 278,000 [43:20] non-citizens [43:21] are registered [43:22] to vote [43:23] and that DHS [43:24] will be doing [43:25] a briefing [43:25] on that fact tomorrow. [43:27] Again, that's a very [43:28] specific thing [43:29] that can be checked out. [43:31] We will look at [43:32] and the secretaries [43:33] of states [43:33] who conduct [43:35] these elections, [43:36] I'm sure will have [43:37] something to say [43:37] about whether [43:38] this information [43:39] is accurate or not. [43:40] So, again, [43:41] a lot to unpack. [43:42] And the final point [43:42] I would make, Mary, [43:43] is this. [43:44] Part of his claim [43:45] is that his administration, [43:47] the top intelligence [43:48] and top law enforcement [43:49] officials misled [43:51] and kept information [43:52] from him, [43:53] calling them [43:53] the deep state. [43:54] That is a very [43:55] damning accusation. [43:57] It'll be interesting [43:57] to see what some [43:58] of those people [43:58] who were in position [43:59] have to say about that. [44:01] Yeah, Pierre, [44:01] as we were saying, [44:02] the president now [44:03] really shining a spotlight [44:04] in many ways [44:05] on his own [44:06] first administration [44:07] and asking a lot [44:08] of questions [44:08] about who knew what [44:09] and when. [44:10] A lot of questions [44:11] to be asked [44:12] and unpacked [44:12] in the coming days. [44:13] I do want to bring in [44:14] Dan Abrams here, [44:15] our chief legal analyst. [44:16] Dan, you and I [44:17] were watching this [44:18] together just moments ago [44:19] and the president [44:20] spending so much time [44:20] focusing on China, [44:22] yet at the time [44:22] there was so much [44:23] conversation about Russia. [44:24] Right. [44:25] And look, [44:25] China has also been [44:27] thoroughly investigated. [44:28] I mean, [44:28] the president's talking [44:29] about election data, [44:31] material, voter rolls. [44:33] We know a lot [44:34] of this already. [44:35] I mean, [44:35] the National Intelligence [44:37] Officer for Cyber [44:38] found in April of 2020 [44:40] that Chinese intelligence [44:42] had analyzed [44:43] multiple U.S. states' [44:44] election voter [44:45] registration data [44:46] that was declassified [44:47] in 2022. [44:49] All right. [44:49] We knew about [44:51] a lot of this. [44:51] Now, there was a lot [44:52] of it that was redacted. [44:53] At the time, [44:53] we'll see if it's [44:54] been unredacted. [44:55] But the report [44:56] made it clear [44:57] what was China's goal. [44:59] Well, we know that too, [45:00] at least according [45:00] to them then. [45:01] The goal was to conduct [45:03] public opinion analysis [45:04] on the 2020 U.S. [45:06] general election. [45:07] There is no suggestion, [45:09] none, [45:10] that the Chinese [45:11] were trying [45:12] to manipulate [45:13] votes. [45:14] And you make [45:15] the point [45:16] about Russia. [45:17] You know, [45:17] if you believe [45:18] that interference [45:19] by foreign countries, [45:21] which is a big deal, [45:22] it is a big deal. [45:23] It ought to be [45:23] a big deal. [45:25] And China [45:26] is a real concern. [45:27] But Russia [45:28] was also [45:28] a concern [45:29] at the time. [45:30] And it was this. [45:31] And in 2016, [45:32] we know, [45:33] not only did [45:34] the Russians [45:34] try to manipulate [45:35] public opinion, [45:36] they were hacking [45:37] into the DNC. [45:38] They were doing [45:39] a lot of things [45:40] that the president [45:40] called a hoax [45:41] in terms of [45:42] Russia's involvement. [45:43] So if we're going [45:44] to talk about [45:44] foreign interference, [45:45] we've also got [45:46] to talk about [45:46] the fact that [45:47] the budgets [45:48] have been cut [45:48] across the board [45:49] to try and prevent [45:50] this in various [45:52] federal agencies. [45:53] And I do quickly [45:53] want to ask you [45:54] one thing because [45:55] just clarify for us, [45:57] is this new information [45:58] or newly revealed, [46:01] newly declassified [46:02] raw data, [46:03] raw intelligence? [46:04] Or new analysis, [46:05] right? [46:05] I mean, [46:05] that's the question. [46:06] So anytime [46:07] you mention [46:08] raw intelligence, [46:09] I start thinking, [46:10] whoa, whoa, whoa, [46:10] hang on. [46:11] Raw intelligence [46:12] can just mean [46:13] someone once [46:14] said this may [46:15] have happened. [46:16] We've seen this [46:17] happen. [46:17] It turns out [46:18] to be false. [46:19] There's a reason [46:19] that it stays [46:20] as raw intelligence [46:21] because it's not [46:22] verified. [46:23] And that's critical [46:24] when you're talking [46:26] about what matters [46:27] and what doesn't. [46:28] And one of the key [46:28] things we will be [46:29] looking at along [46:30] with our teams [46:30] as we comb through [46:31] all of this new [46:32] information to see [46:33] if it's in fact [46:34] new or not. [46:34] And is it new information [46:34] or just new analysis [46:35] of old information? [46:37] Correct. [46:37] Dan, thank you. [46:38] As we've been discussing [46:39] so much of the [46:40] president's speech [46:41] coming as he's urging [46:42] Congress to pass [46:43] the Save America Act. [46:44] He made that case [46:45] tonight, urging Americans [46:46] to call lawmakers [46:47] themselves. [46:48] Take a listen. [46:51] So you would have [46:52] no mail-in ballots [46:54] except for illness, [46:57] disability, [46:59] military deployment, [46:59] or travel. [47:01] If you're going away [47:02] on business [47:03] or vacation, [47:05] these reforms [47:05] are urgently needed [47:07] to stop the vulnerabilities [47:08] that I've mentioned. [47:10] To all Americans, [47:11] I ask you to pick up [47:13] your phone tomorrow, [47:14] call your representatives [47:15] in the House and Senate, [47:17] and demand that they pass [47:19] the Save America Act [47:21] without delay. [47:23] Together, we will restore [47:25] faith and confidence [47:26] in our country, [47:27] and we will be bigger, [47:29] better, and stronger [47:31] than ever before. [47:33] The president there [47:35] urging Americans [47:36] to use their voice [47:37] to get his top priority [47:38] in Congress passed. [47:39] Of course, the Republican [47:40] Majority Leader John Thune [47:42] has noted that right now [47:44] there isn't enough support [47:45] to pass this. [47:46] There are lots of questions [47:47] up ahead. [47:48] We are going to continue [47:48] our coverage on ABC News Live [47:50] and abcnews.com. [47:51] We're going to return now [47:52] to regular programming. [47:53] For some of you, [47:54] that will be world news tonight. [47:55] I'm Mary Bruce in New York. [47:56] Have a good night. [48:00] This has been a special report [48:01] from ABC News. [48:15] And welcome back [48:16] to ABC News Live, [48:17] our coverage continuing [48:18] of the president's address [48:20] to the nation, [48:20] where he focused heavily [48:21] on election security. [48:23] I want to continue [48:24] our conversation right now [48:25] with Jay O'Brien up on the Hill, [48:27] our congressional correspondent. [48:28] And Jay, let's pick up [48:29] where we left off, [48:30] which was the Save America Act. [48:32] The president has been [48:32] singularly focused on this [48:34] when it comes to the Hill, [48:36] and yet the votes aren't there. [48:37] And now Congress is trying [48:39] to come up with some other way [48:40] to perhaps pass just pieces [48:42] of this legislation. [48:43] The votes are definitely [48:44] not there, Mary. [48:45] And this was a full-court press [48:46] from the president [48:47] to try to change [48:48] the political math here. [48:49] But there's a group [48:50] of Republicans in the Senate [48:51] where you need [48:52] a bipartisan coalition, [48:53] 60 votes to pass anything, [48:55] who have said [48:56] that they just don't like provisions [48:57] in the Save America Act. [48:59] And they are worried [48:59] about the ramifications. [49:01] One study has found [49:02] that as many as 21 million Americans [49:04] do not have easy access [49:05] or any access at all [49:07] to the documentation [49:08] that this law requires. [49:10] I want to walk you through [49:10] exactly what's in it. [49:12] So the main provisions [49:13] of the Save America Act [49:14] are it requires [49:15] that when you go [49:16] to cast a ballot [49:17] on election day [49:18] or in early voting, [49:19] you bring a photo ID. [49:21] That's one of the biggest [49:22] provisions in the bill. [49:24] Also, it requires [49:25] that when you go [49:26] to register to vote, [49:27] which in most states [49:27] is before election day, [49:29] you bring proof of citizenship, [49:30] whether that's [49:31] in a real ID, compliant ID, [49:33] like you need to fly nowadays, [49:35] a passport or a driver's license [49:37] that's accompanied [49:38] with some other document [49:39] like a birth certificate. [49:40] And again, [49:40] there have been studies [49:41] that have shown [49:41] that that could put [49:42] an undue burden [49:43] on Americans [49:44] who do not have easy access [49:46] or access at all [49:47] to that kind of documentation. [49:48] One thing that is not [49:49] in this bill, though, Mary, [49:51] is something that the president [49:52] said at the end of his speech. [49:53] He said that there should [49:54] be restrictions [49:55] on mail-in balloting [49:57] and essentially restricting [49:58] who can get them, [49:59] meaning it should only be, [50:00] as he put it, [50:01] soldiers abroad [50:02] or people who are sick [50:03] or people who are traveling. [50:04] There's nothing [50:05] in this legislation [50:06] that restricts access [50:08] to mail-in balloting. [50:09] It requires, again, [50:10] proof of documents [50:11] and citizenship documents [50:13] to get a mail-in ballot [50:14] and then to cast [50:15] a vote by mail, [50:16] but there's nothing in it [50:17] the way the president [50:18] is describing [50:18] with this massive curtailing [50:20] of access to mail-in ballots. [50:22] Obviously, a lot of that [50:22] is cart before the horse [50:23] because the reality is, [50:24] unless the political math [50:25] changes on Capitol Hill, [50:27] this is not going to get [50:28] out of the Senate [50:29] in its current form. [50:30] And, Jay, [50:30] you spend every day [50:31] talking to members of Congress. [50:33] So many Republicans [50:34] ahead of this speech [50:35] were voicing some concern [50:36] that the president [50:37] was going to be spending [50:38] so much time [50:39] in a very public way [50:40] focused on the issue [50:41] of election security, [50:43] when, obviously, [50:44] there's so much else [50:45] going on in the world right now, [50:46] the war with Iran, [50:47] the economy, [50:48] which, of course, [50:48] we know is the top issue [50:49] for voters. [50:50] I'm curious, [50:51] are you hearing any reaction? [50:52] What do you think [50:53] Republicans are going to make [50:53] of the speech [50:54] they just heard? [50:55] It's interesting [50:56] because the bulk [50:57] of the Republican conference [50:58] has wanted the president [50:59] to look forward [51:00] rather than backward. [51:02] And John Thune, [51:03] the top Republican [51:03] on the Senate, [51:04] said as much [51:05] in just the last few days [51:06] when he was asked [51:06] about this speech [51:07] as it was nearing. [51:08] He said he's focused [51:09] on the 2026 midterms, [51:11] not the 2020 election. [51:13] And there's one more [51:14] notable reaction [51:15] because, again, [51:15] I mentioned that cadre [51:16] of Republican senators [51:18] who are blocking passage [51:20] of the Save America Act. [51:21] One of them is Tom Tillis, [51:22] Republican of North Carolina. [51:24] He gave somewhat [51:25] of a pre-bottle [51:26] to the president's remarks tonight, [51:28] and he was cutting [51:29] on the Senate floor [51:30] earlier today. [51:31] He said that continuing [51:32] to question U.S. elections [51:34] in the way that he expected [51:35] the president to do [51:37] is, in his words, [51:38] quote, [51:38] dangerous and irresponsible. [51:40] Mary. [51:40] And, Jay, [51:41] we know you will be [51:42] back up there all day tomorrow [51:43] getting that reaction [51:44] from Republicans as well. [51:46] I want to go back [51:46] to John Carl, [51:47] our chief Washington correspondent, [51:49] because, John, [51:49] as Jay and I were just discussing, [51:50] the president making [51:51] this huge push [51:52] for the Save America Act, [51:54] despite the fact [51:54] that so many in his own party [51:56] aren't quite there. [51:57] Why? [51:58] Why is this so important [51:59] to the president right now? [52:01] I think, frankly, [52:03] a lot of it goes back [52:04] to 2020, Mary. [52:05] And the president, [52:06] as you know, [52:08] continues to harp [52:10] on that election [52:11] and to insist [52:11] that he won. [52:13] So he sees [52:14] as a top priority [52:15] trying to change that [52:18] so it can't happen again. [52:19] He's going into midterms [52:20] where it sure looks [52:22] like Republicans [52:23] are in for a tough, [52:25] tough midterm election. [52:27] And he thinks [52:28] that putting these measures [52:30] in place can change that. [52:32] By the way, [52:32] there was a, you know, [52:33] one Republican senator today, [52:35] Tom Tillis, [52:35] came out [52:37] and made it clear [52:38] that he would do everything [52:39] in his power [52:40] to prevent that act [52:42] from being passed this year [52:44] to be put in place [52:45] for these midterm elections [52:47] because he thought [52:48] it would create chaos [52:50] in individual elections [52:52] around the country [52:53] as states would try [52:54] to implement [52:55] these rather significant changes. [52:58] So, but look, [53:00] he has been, [53:01] as you know, [53:02] if there's one thing [53:03] Trump has been consistent on [53:04] since 2020, [53:06] it's in saying [53:07] that he did not lose [53:08] in 2020 [53:09] and that the election [53:11] was stolen [53:12] and this is his bid [53:12] to try to, you know, [53:14] get that on the record. [53:15] Yeah, and of course [53:16] we do know that Trump [53:17] lost in 2020 [53:18] by seven million votes. [53:20] John, I do want to dial down [53:20] with you one more point [53:22] about the speech tonight [53:23] and the Save America Act [53:24] because the president [53:25] spent so much of the speech [53:25] focusing on foreign interference. [53:28] Is that something [53:28] that's actually addressed [53:29] in the Save America Act? [53:31] You know, in fact, [53:33] it is not something [53:34] that is addressed [53:35] in the Save America Act. [53:36] The Save America Act [53:36] is about voter ID. [53:38] It's about proof of citizenship. [53:39] It's not about foreign [53:41] citizen, foreign interference. [53:42] Thank you, John. [53:44] It is an important point to note. [53:46] Let's bring in Sarah Isger now. [53:47] She is our, excuse me, [53:49] our ABC News legal contributor. [53:51] Sarah, thank you as always [53:52] for joining us [53:53] and lending your expertise to this. [53:54] I think we cannot say it enough, [53:56] despite the president's claims here, [53:57] and again, we are, [53:59] we should say again, [53:59] still digging through all of this, [54:01] still pouring through [54:02] the new information [54:03] that the president [54:04] has released tonight [54:05] or has claimed to release. [54:07] But yet there is no evidence [54:08] that any vote was ever changed. [54:10] And this is something [54:11] that has been looked at [54:12] over and over again. [54:15] And indeed, I mean, [54:16] I did election day operations [54:17] for three presidential campaigns. [54:19] There is really not a way [54:21] to change this voter data. [54:23] We have very localized elections [54:24] with machines [54:25] that are checked in the mornings. [54:26] They are checked randomly [54:27] throughout the rest of the day. [54:29] They are not attached [54:30] to the internet. [54:30] They are stored in different ways, [54:33] in different locations, [54:34] so that it would be [54:35] nearly impossible to do that. [54:36] We have not seen any evidence ever [54:38] of someone being able [54:39] to change voting data [54:41] after it has been cast. [54:43] We have seen, for instance, [54:45] in 2018, [54:46] a Republican consultant indicted [54:49] in connection with [54:50] taking absentee ballots [54:52] through ballot harvesting. [54:54] And that we know [54:55] that absentee ballots [54:56] can be, for instance, [54:58] taken and thrown in the trash. [54:59] If you think that they are [55:01] votes for your opponent. [55:02] So there are election [55:03] vulnerabilities out there. [55:05] They are not changing [55:06] statewide elections [55:07] or national elections. [55:08] The 2005 Carter-Baker Commission [55:11] with Jimmy Carter [55:12] and James Baker [55:13] addressed a number of these. [55:15] But those changes [55:17] have yet to be made [55:18] by either party. [55:20] Sarah, thank you as always. [55:21] I want to bring in now [55:22] Michael Waldman, [55:23] the president and CEO [55:24] of the Brennan Center. [55:25] And Michael, one thing [55:25] that we do know for certain [55:27] is that these upcoming midterms, [55:29] the elections in 2028 [55:30] are going to be [55:31] heavily scrutinized. [55:32] How are states [55:33] preparing for that now? [55:36] Well, that's very true. [55:37] And as Sarah just said, [55:39] we have decentralized elections [55:41] with paper ballots [55:42] just about everywhere [55:43] so that there can be recounts. [55:46] And all these recounts [55:47] have showed that the results [55:48] in recent elections [55:49] have, in fact, been accurate. [55:51] With all the pressure [55:52] on them, election officials [55:53] of both parties [55:54] are working hard to prepare. [55:56] The federal government [55:57] has actually cut back [55:59] on its support, [55:59] cut back on the money [56:00] from under this administration [56:04] that these state officials [56:05] have relied on. [56:06] So they're working [56:07] with experts, [56:08] working with security experts, [56:10] doing all kinds of preparation, [56:12] working with law enforcement [56:13] to make sure [56:14] that everything [56:15] is ship shape. [56:16] You know, [56:16] there's been a lot of pressure [56:17] on elections [56:19] in recent cycles, [56:20] whether it was COVID [56:21] or violence [56:22] or disinformation [56:23] and all these other things. [56:24] But the elections [56:25] held pretty strong. [56:26] There's every reason [56:28] to think they will again. [56:29] That's what's so weird [56:30] about the speech. [56:31] I'm a scholar [56:32] of presidential speeches. [56:33] This is one of the weirdest [56:34] speeches ever given [56:35] by a president. [56:36] There was not a lot [56:36] of new things in it. [56:38] As Dan Abrams said, [56:39] the idea that China [56:40] had access [56:41] to the voter registration records [56:43] was publicly known [56:44] and lots of people [56:45] have access to those. [56:46] But to put them all together [56:48] in a full-throat assault [56:51] on the elections [56:52] is not something [56:53] any American president [56:55] has ever done. [56:56] Basically, [56:57] an attack on the democracy [56:58] of the country [56:59] he's leading. [57:01] So, [57:01] I don't know [57:03] that it will have [57:03] a huge impact, [57:04] but it is one [57:05] for the record books [57:06] in that way. [57:07] It certainly is, [57:08] I think, Michael. [57:09] Thank you so much. [57:10] I do want to bring [57:11] a point that you just raised [57:12] to John Cohen, [57:13] our contributor [57:14] and, of course, [57:14] a former acting [57:15] undersecretary [57:16] for intelligence [57:17] at DHS. [57:18] We were discussing, [57:19] you know, [57:19] what kind of intelligence [57:20] is this really? [57:21] You know, [57:21] what does it mean [57:22] when we discuss [57:23] raw intelligence? [57:24] The president [57:24] making a lot of accusations [57:26] about China. [57:27] Is this the kind [57:28] of information [57:29] that really requires [57:31] sort of hacking [57:32] by another state, [57:33] by a foreign government, [57:34] or is this the kind [57:35] of information [57:36] that perhaps, [57:36] you know, [57:37] could be accessed [57:38] by anyone, [57:40] any run-of-the-mill hacker, [57:41] information that could [57:41] be purchased? [57:42] You know, [57:42] what kind of information [57:43] are we really discussing here? [57:46] Yeah, well, [57:46] some of the information [57:47] that was described [57:48] by the president [57:49] is actually publicly [57:50] available information [57:51] and you can get it [57:52] off of voter registration [57:53] websites and through [57:54] other data collection firms. [57:56] But, you know, [57:56] there's a few issues [57:57] I just want to stress [57:58] really quickly. [57:59] One, 2016 was a real [58:01] wake-up call [58:02] for this country. [58:03] The concerns [58:04] over Russia's efforts [58:06] to interfere [58:06] in that election [58:07] really woke [58:08] the intelligence community [58:09] and the federal law [58:11] enforcement community up. [58:12] And since that time, [58:13] this has been dealing [58:15] with the potential [58:16] of election interference, [58:17] particularly by Russia, [58:17] China, Iran, [58:18] North Korea, [58:19] has been a top priority [58:20] for the intelligence community [58:21] and federal law enforcement. [58:24] So many of the things, [58:25] as others have said, [58:27] that was described [58:27] by the president [58:28] have been looked at, [58:29] have been found [58:30] not to be credible, [58:31] and actually have led [58:33] to more protections [58:35] being put in place [58:36] by state and local governments [58:37] who run the elections. [58:39] Second, [58:39] we do face serious threats. [58:41] For the past several years, [58:42] I've worked closely [58:43] with law enforcement [58:43] and election officials [58:44] to deal with physical threats, [58:46] cyber threats, [58:48] information operations, [58:50] and efforts [58:50] by foreign countries [58:51] to disrupt [58:52] the voting process [58:53] through bomb threats, [58:55] swatting calls, [58:56] even the use of drones. [58:58] So there are serious threats [59:00] that they are contending with [59:02] and developing plans [59:03] to deal with. [59:03] The problem is [59:04] that this administration [59:05] has cut most [59:06] of the federal funding [59:07] available for cybersecurity, [59:10] election security, [59:11] for physical security [59:12] of our election sites. [59:13] They've dismantled [59:14] the FBI team [59:15] that was looking [59:16] at foreign influence operations, [59:18] disinformation campaigns. [59:20] They've eliminated programs [59:21] to train state [59:22] and local prosecutors [59:24] on how to deal [59:25] with election crime. [59:26] So on the one hand, [59:27] the president is right [59:28] to raise the alarm [59:29] that we need to make sure [59:30] our election system is secure. [59:32] On the other hand, [59:33] the federal government [59:34] has, over the last year, [59:36] year and a half, [59:37] walked away. [59:38] So what I was hoping [59:39] to hear tonight [59:40] is for the president to say [59:42] we're concerned [59:43] about the threat, [59:43] we want our elections [59:44] to be safe and secure, [59:45] and I am reestablishing [59:47] these programs [59:48] and we are recommitting [59:49] to our partnership [59:50] with state [59:50] and local governments [59:51] to keep our elections [59:52] safe and secure. [59:53] John, you make [59:54] a really important point there [59:55] and I want to dial down [59:56] on that a bit more [59:57] with Dan Abrams here, [59:58] our chief legal analyst, [59:59] because you and I [59:59] were discussing this [1:00:00] during the remarks. [1:00:01] You know, the president [1:00:01] was saying that they, [1:00:02] that he wants to make sure [1:00:03] that they are prepared [1:00:03] to confront these vulnerabilities, [1:00:05] that they tackle this issue. [1:00:06] Are they prepared [1:00:08] to do that? [1:00:08] Right. [1:00:09] John makes a really [1:00:10] important point here [1:00:11] because it wasn't just [1:00:12] one agency [1:00:13] that was dealing [1:00:14] with this issue, right? [1:00:15] You've got Tulsi Gabbard [1:00:17] making the announcement [1:00:18] that they were scaling back [1:00:19] the Foreign Malign [1:00:20] Influence Center. [1:00:21] The FBI shuttered [1:00:22] a task force [1:00:23] dedicated to investigating [1:00:24] foreign deception operations. [1:00:26] They shed staff [1:00:27] at the U.S. Cybersecurity [1:00:28] and Infrastructure [1:00:29] Security Agency, [1:00:30] which deals [1:00:30] with foreign disinformation. [1:00:32] I mean, these are the agencies [1:00:34] that would help [1:00:36] root this out. [1:00:37] They're the ones [1:00:38] that would help [1:00:39] realize it was happening, [1:00:41] try to prevent it [1:00:42] from happening, etc. [1:00:43] And all that we've seen [1:00:45] in this administration [1:00:46] is cuts in this regard. [1:00:47] So it can't just be [1:00:49] the SAVE Act [1:00:50] is the only solution. [1:00:51] If you want to talk about [1:00:53] not just the problems, [1:00:54] but the solutions, [1:00:55] you've also got to talk [1:00:56] about refunding [1:00:58] a lot of these [1:00:59] very organizations [1:01:00] that have been cut [1:01:01] in this administration. [1:01:02] Dan, it's such [1:01:03] an important point. [1:01:04] And I want to go back [1:01:05] to Pierre Thomas, [1:01:06] our Chief Justice Correspondent, [1:01:07] to discuss some more [1:01:08] of the problems [1:01:09] that the president [1:01:09] was identifying, [1:01:10] as Dan just said. [1:01:11] He spent so much [1:01:12] of his remarks [1:01:13] focused on China. [1:01:14] Of course, we know [1:01:15] that China, [1:01:15] as you were pointing out earlier, [1:01:17] has long been trying [1:01:18] to access some of this data. [1:01:19] But again, there's no evidence, [1:01:21] nothing to show [1:01:22] that they have ever used [1:01:23] any of this information [1:01:24] to change votes [1:01:25] or change the outcome [1:01:26] of an election. [1:01:28] Mary, you're absolutely right. [1:01:29] China, we know, [1:01:30] based on our own reporting [1:01:31] and government statements, [1:01:33] has been engaged [1:01:35] in a massive [1:01:35] intelligence gathering effort [1:01:37] against the American people, [1:01:38] not only to include [1:01:39] voter registration information, [1:01:41] but insurance information, [1:01:43] financial information. [1:01:44] They seem to want [1:01:45] to have a very good understanding [1:01:47] of what the American people, [1:01:49] the demographics, [1:01:51] how we operate, [1:01:52] how we think. [1:01:53] And primarily, [1:01:54] what we've seen [1:01:55] is they wanted this information [1:01:56] to influence certain policies, [1:01:59] for example, [1:01:59] on Taiwan, [1:02:00] things like that. [1:02:02] Again, [1:02:02] no information so far [1:02:04] that they've ever been able [1:02:06] to change a vote [1:02:07] or that they've ever been able [1:02:08] to impact any kind [1:02:10] of voting system. [1:02:10] So I do think that, [1:02:12] again, [1:02:13] the information [1:02:14] that he presented [1:02:15] about the voter registration files, [1:02:17] as Dan pointed out, [1:02:18] there has been [1:02:19] some basic information [1:02:20] already been released [1:02:21] about that. [1:02:23] Well, again, [1:02:23] the thing I go back to [1:02:24] is this 278,000 [1:02:26] non-citizen voting. [1:02:28] It'll be very interesting [1:02:29] to see what the secretaries [1:02:30] of state have to say [1:02:32] about this information [1:02:32] and what kind of information [1:02:34] Homeland Security [1:02:35] can provide [1:02:37] in terms of specific individuals [1:02:39] that they've identified [1:02:40] who are non-citizens [1:02:42] who are registered to vote. [1:02:44] And Pierre, [1:02:44] we know that you will be [1:02:45] pressing them yourself [1:02:46] in the coming days here. [1:02:48] I do want to go back [1:02:48] to our Jay O'Brien [1:02:49] on the Hill, [1:02:50] our congressional correspondent, [1:02:51] because, Jay, [1:02:51] we were discussing earlier [1:02:52] how Republicans [1:02:53] are reacting [1:02:54] to all of this. [1:02:55] But I understand [1:02:56] you now have some reaction [1:02:57] from the Democrats. [1:02:58] Yeah, we're getting [1:02:58] some quick reaction [1:02:59] now from Democrats, Mary. [1:03:00] On top of that list [1:03:01] is Hakeem Jeffries, [1:03:02] the top Democrat [1:03:03] in the House, [1:03:03] who in a post [1:03:04] just moments ago [1:03:05] reacted to the [1:03:07] president's address [1:03:07] and he said in part [1:03:09] that President Trump [1:03:11] is, quote, [1:03:12] a conspiracy-peddling [1:03:14] 80-year-old [1:03:15] failed president [1:03:16] in Jeffries' words. [1:03:17] And then he goes on [1:03:18] to say, quote, [1:03:18] the economy is a disaster [1:03:20] under this guy [1:03:21] and the American people [1:03:22] know it. [1:03:23] And he closes it [1:03:24] with saying, quote, [1:03:25] pathetic. [1:03:26] But we're also getting [1:03:27] a fact check [1:03:28] from Hill Democrats. [1:03:29] And the most notable [1:03:30] right now is Mark Warner, [1:03:32] who's the top Democrat [1:03:33] on the Senate [1:03:33] Intelligence Committee. [1:03:34] And he was specifically [1:03:35] reacting to the claims [1:03:37] President Trump made [1:03:38] about China, [1:03:40] allegedly, [1:03:40] in the estimation [1:03:41] of the president, [1:03:42] accessing voter data. [1:03:44] And Mark Warner [1:03:45] just posted [1:03:46] while the president [1:03:47] was actively speaking [1:03:48] that, as Warner says, [1:03:50] that information [1:03:51] has been public [1:03:52] for quite some time [1:03:53] and that his own committee [1:03:54] has put out [1:03:55] various aspects [1:03:56] of that data before. [1:03:57] He says, quote, [1:03:58] the fact is [1:03:59] our intelligence agencies [1:04:01] unanimously agreed [1:04:02] that China did not [1:04:03] even try [1:04:04] to change a single vote [1:04:05] in the 2020 election. [1:04:07] A single concurring opinion [1:04:09] suggested that China [1:04:10] may have tried [1:04:11] to sway voters' opinions, [1:04:12] but that's been public knowledge [1:04:14] since 2021. [1:04:15] The overall position, [1:04:17] though, of Democrats here, [1:04:18] Mary, is that [1:04:19] there are some Democrats [1:04:19] who believe [1:04:20] that this constant drumbeat [1:04:22] from President Trump [1:04:23] on the 2020 election [1:04:25] could help them [1:04:26] in the 2026 midterms [1:04:28] and even the 2028 [1:04:29] presidential cycle. [1:04:30] And there are some Republicans [1:04:31] who are concerned [1:04:32] about that, too. [1:04:33] John Ossoff, [1:04:34] who's the Democratic senator [1:04:35] from Georgia, [1:04:36] who's currently running [1:04:37] for re-election, [1:04:39] who was considered [1:04:39] potentially, [1:04:40] until the president spoke, [1:04:41] to be a possible target [1:04:43] of President Trump's tonight, [1:04:44] given how critical [1:04:45] that state was in 2020 [1:04:46] and how critical [1:04:47] of a Senate race [1:04:48] it is now, [1:04:49] said that, in his view, [1:04:51] these false claims [1:04:52] that the president [1:04:52] has made in the past [1:04:54] about election fraud [1:04:55] have only served [1:04:56] to galvanize Georgia voters [1:04:58] in the past, [1:04:59] and he believes [1:04:59] any allegation [1:05:00] of election, you know, [1:05:02] conspiracy [1:05:02] or anything like that [1:05:03] from the president [1:05:04] will only serve [1:05:05] to galvanize Georgia voters [1:05:06] and benefit potentially [1:05:07] him and his re-election bid [1:05:09] going forward. [1:05:10] And I suspect [1:05:10] that is an argument [1:05:11] you will continue [1:05:12] to hear him make up [1:05:13] on the Hill tomorrow [1:05:14] and in the coming days. [1:05:15] Jay, thank you. [1:05:16] I want to go back [1:05:16] to John Carl [1:05:17] for just a closing thought [1:05:18] here, John, [1:05:19] because regardless [1:05:20] of the validity [1:05:22] of the claims [1:05:22] that the president [1:05:23] made tonight, [1:05:24] you know, [1:05:24] and as we continue [1:05:25] to pore over [1:05:26] this information, [1:05:27] what is clear [1:05:28] is that so much [1:05:29] of this now [1:05:30] will be re-litigated [1:05:31] in the coming days, [1:05:33] weeks, months, [1:05:33] as we are now [1:05:34] less than four months [1:05:35] away from the midterm elections. [1:05:37] Yeah, and the president [1:05:38] made some extraordinary [1:05:39] allegations. [1:05:41] I mean, he said [1:05:41] that our election system, [1:05:43] our security [1:05:43] is catastrophically short. [1:05:46] It dangerously exposes, [1:05:48] exposed to hacking. [1:05:50] There's, [1:05:51] when you have no trust, [1:05:52] there is no greatness [1:05:53] and we can't trust [1:05:54] our election systems. [1:05:55] But I, [1:05:56] looking through these, [1:05:57] we have a lot more [1:05:57] to look through. [1:05:58] I don't see anything [1:05:59] that comes anywhere [1:06:00] near making that case. [1:06:02] What I see is documents [1:06:04] presented that are intended [1:06:05] to raise doubts [1:06:07] about our security, [1:06:08] but nothing that suggests [1:06:09] there is actually [1:06:10] a security issue [1:06:12] with our elections. [1:06:13] And for, [1:06:14] specifically, Mary, [1:06:15] and this is one [1:06:15] we'll all be looking at [1:06:17] in coming days, [1:06:18] he said that the Department [1:06:19] of Homeland Security [1:06:20] has identified [1:06:21] 278,000 non-citizens [1:06:24] on voting rolls. [1:06:25] I don't know where [1:06:26] he got that number. [1:06:27] We're going to ask. [1:06:28] Pierre Thomas is going [1:06:29] to look into this. [1:06:30] But I do know this. [1:06:32] There have been [1:06:33] repeated efforts [1:06:34] to try to document [1:06:35] by people allied [1:06:37] with President Trump [1:06:38] to document [1:06:39] the allegation [1:06:40] that non-citizens [1:06:41] have voted [1:06:41] in federal elections. [1:06:43] And there has been [1:06:43] no significant evidence [1:06:45] presented. [1:06:46] The Heritage Foundation, [1:06:48] a very strongly [1:06:49] pro-Trump organization, [1:06:52] has a database [1:06:53] to collect examples [1:06:55] of voter fraud. [1:06:56] They looked at 1982 [1:06:57] to 2025, [1:07:01] a span of decades, [1:07:03] and they came up [1:07:04] with, so far, Mary, [1:07:06] about 100 documented cases, [1:07:09] they say, [1:07:10] where a non-citizen [1:07:10] voted in a U.S. election. [1:07:13] In other words, [1:07:14] statistically insignificant, [1:07:16] to say the least. [1:07:17] Just one of many issues [1:07:18] we are going to continue [1:07:19] to discuss in the coming days. [1:07:21] John, as you said, [1:07:22] there are many questions [1:07:23] to be asked. [1:07:24] You and our team [1:07:24] are going to be out there [1:07:25] asking them. [1:07:26] Thank you so much [1:07:27] for staying with us tonight. [1:07:29] The team is going to continue [1:07:30] to pour over this information, [1:07:32] and our coverage continues [1:07:33] on ABC News Live. [1:07:34] We will have complete coverage [1:07:35] of President Trump's address [1:07:36] first thing in the morning [1:07:37] on GMA. [1:07:38] I'm Mary Bruce in New York. [1:07:39] Have a good night. [1:07:42] This has been a special report [1:07:44] from ABC News. [1:07:57] Good evening. [1:07:57] I'm Perry Russman. [1:07:58] For Lindsay, [1:07:59] thank you for streaming with us. [1:08:00] We begin with President Trump [1:08:01] speaking to the nation [1:08:02] in prime time. [1:08:04] After years of pushing [1:08:05] disproven claims [1:08:05] about the 2020 election, [1:08:07] the president said [1:08:07] he would have a big announcement [1:08:08] about the U.S. voting system. [1:08:10] It comes with just four months to go [1:08:12] until we have the midterms [1:08:13] coming up in November. [1:08:15] And tonight, [1:08:15] from the East Room [1:08:16] of the White House, [1:08:17] the president making his case [1:08:18] for tougher voting laws [1:08:19] claiming foreign intelligence [1:08:20] or foreign interference [1:08:21] in the 2020 election. [1:08:23] Take a listen here. [1:08:24] For many years, [1:08:26] I've called for a bold, [1:08:27] swift, and decisive action [1:08:30] to protect the integrity [1:08:31] of America's elections. [1:08:33] Every American deserves to know [1:08:35] that when they cast their vote, [1:08:37] that vote will be counted [1:08:39] accurately in a system [1:08:41] and that is to make [1:08:42] that system secure. [1:08:44] One where cheating [1:08:46] and interference [1:08:47] are not just difficult [1:08:49] but virtually impossible. [1:08:51] Unfortunately, [1:08:52] the system we have today [1:08:53] falls catastrophically short [1:08:55] of that standard. [1:08:58] Tonight, [1:08:58] I'm announcing [1:08:59] the immediate declassification [1:09:01] and release [1:09:02] of critical intelligence, [1:09:04] revealing shocking vulnerabilities [1:09:06] in our election infrastructure. [1:09:09] This evidence shows [1:09:10] that the election system [1:09:12] we have dangerously exposes [1:09:14] and really exposes [1:09:17] like levels never thought possible [1:09:19] to hacking, exploitation, [1:09:22] and foreign interference. [1:09:24] The president making multiple claims [1:09:28] about alleged Chinese interference [1:09:29] in the 2020 election [1:09:31] and what he calls [1:09:31] a cover-up by U.S. officials [1:09:33] calling for investigations [1:09:35] and possible prosecution [1:09:37] over the alleged cover-up [1:09:38] of intelligence. [1:09:39] He has directed the release [1:09:40] of intelligence documents [1:09:41] about his allegations. [1:09:43] There seems to be about [1:09:44] 65 documents or so released [1:09:46] and our team is going [1:09:47] through them right now. [1:09:48] Let's go to senior [1:09:49] political correspondent [1:09:50] Rachel Scott [1:09:51] joining us now [1:09:51] from the White House. [1:09:52] Rachel, what stood out [1:09:53] to you there tonight? [1:09:54] Yeah, well, Perry, [1:09:55] what stood out to me most here [1:09:56] is that the president [1:09:57] is keenly fixated [1:09:58] on this issue [1:09:59] of election security [1:10:00] as we're just about [1:10:01] 110 days out [1:10:03] from the midterm election. [1:10:04] Look, heading into [1:10:05] tonight's address, [1:10:06] there was a lot [1:10:07] of questions [1:10:08] about how much [1:10:09] the president was going [1:10:09] to focus on the 2020 election [1:10:11] and his past false claims [1:10:13] about the 2020 election [1:10:14] are trying to relitigate [1:10:16] the past [1:10:17] when it comes [1:10:17] to the 2020 election. [1:10:19] And that is something [1:10:20] that was top of mind [1:10:20] for Republicans [1:10:21] over on Capitol Hill [1:10:22] because if you listen [1:10:23] to the first 60 seconds [1:10:24] of this speech, [1:10:25] that's really what they wanted [1:10:26] to hear from the president [1:10:27] tonight, this focus [1:10:28] on immigration, [1:10:29] this focus on the economy, [1:10:30] issues that they believe [1:10:31] are going to be top of mind [1:10:32] to voters in the midterm election. [1:10:34] Now, the president did spend [1:10:35] quite a lot of time [1:10:37] focused on the 2020 election, [1:10:38] and as you just heard [1:10:39] in what you just played there [1:10:41] from President Trump, [1:10:42] he also spent [1:10:43] a significant amount [1:10:43] of time talking [1:10:44] about his own [1:10:45] intelligence community, [1:10:47] people that the president [1:10:48] actually appointed [1:10:49] back in his first term [1:10:51] in office [1:10:52] while he was still president. [1:10:54] He alleges here [1:10:55] that he was deceived. [1:10:56] He alleges that [1:10:56] the American people [1:10:57] were deceived. [1:10:58] He says that there's evidence [1:10:59] to back this up [1:11:00] in the documents [1:11:01] that have been released. [1:11:02] This is complex information. [1:11:04] Our team right now [1:11:04] is pouring through [1:11:05] these documents [1:11:06] and reading through them, [1:11:07] but I could tell you [1:11:08] here is what we do know [1:11:09] based off of our past coverage. [1:11:10] The president [1:11:11] and his allies [1:11:12] challenged their election results [1:11:13] back in 2020. [1:11:15] They lost about 60 lawsuits. [1:11:17] We know that the president [1:11:18] lost the popular vote. [1:11:19] He lost the electoral college. [1:11:21] He lost the 2020 election. [1:11:22] And much of what the president [1:11:23] was saying tonight [1:11:24] goes against [1:11:25] what his own intelligence officials [1:11:27] were saying at the time, [1:11:28] even what his own attorney general [1:11:29] was saying at the time, Perry. [1:11:31] And we also have some reaction [1:11:32] coming in from [1:11:33] Senate Democrat here, [1:11:34] Mark Warner, [1:11:35] who's the vice chair [1:11:35] of the Senate Intelligence Committee, [1:11:37] saying that Trump's shocking [1:11:38] quote unquote bombshells [1:11:39] about China [1:11:40] are totally bogus. [1:11:42] Rachel Scott, [1:11:42] thank you for your time tonight. [1:11:43] And joining us now [1:11:44] to break down [1:11:44] the president's address [1:11:45] is James Sample, [1:11:46] ABC News legal contributor [1:11:47] and professor of constitutional law [1:11:50] at Hofstra University. [1:11:51] James, always great to see you. [1:11:53] Your takeaway [1:11:53] after hearing President Trump [1:11:54] speak tonight. [1:11:56] Perry, great to see you. [1:11:57] The speech was [1:11:58] very, very strange [1:12:01] in the sense that [1:12:02] it started with [1:12:03] a kind of appetizer, [1:12:04] but then he really got [1:12:05] to what is clearly [1:12:06] the focal point for him [1:12:07] and that is election security, [1:12:09] at least as he perceives it. [1:12:11] The thing I would start with [1:12:12] is the constitution. [1:12:14] The elections clause [1:12:15] of the constitution [1:12:16] is located in article one. [1:12:18] That's where Congress [1:12:18] has its power. [1:12:20] And article one's election clause [1:12:22] says clearly [1:12:23] that the states have [1:12:23] the power over elections [1:12:25] unless Congress steps in. [1:12:27] The president is conspicuously [1:12:29] and intentionally absent. [1:12:30] And the reason is [1:12:31] that the framers had a lot [1:12:33] of experience with [1:12:34] authoritarian figures [1:12:35] imposing their will [1:12:37] in election processes. [1:12:39] And so that omission [1:12:40] is intentional. [1:12:42] Without Congress, [1:12:43] the president cannot do [1:12:44] the things that he claims [1:12:45] he's going to try and do. [1:12:47] He can declassify evidence. [1:12:49] He can declassify materials, [1:12:50] but he can't act on that. [1:12:52] President Trump says [1:12:53] he will be releasing [1:12:54] a trove of intelligence [1:12:55] about our elections. [1:12:57] About 65 documents [1:12:58] have been posted online so far. [1:13:00] Our team is going through them. [1:13:00] And right now, [1:13:01] it will take some time. [1:13:02] The midterms are just [1:13:03] a few months away, [1:13:04] four months now. [1:13:05] Why is President Trump [1:13:07] doing this now, you think? [1:13:08] I think he's doing it now [1:13:09] to create a predicate [1:13:11] in order to then assert [1:13:13] so-called emergency powers. [1:13:16] But there are no emergency powers [1:13:18] that the president has [1:13:19] vis-a-vis elections. [1:13:21] And I want to point [1:13:22] to one particular timing aspect [1:13:24] that I think has not [1:13:25] gotten attention tonight, [1:13:26] but I think is critically important. [1:13:27] There is a federal law [1:13:29] called the National Voter Registration Act [1:13:31] of 1993, Perry. [1:13:33] And under that law, [1:13:34] states and the federal government [1:13:36] are prohibited [1:13:37] from systematically purging voters [1:13:40] from their voter rolls [1:13:41] within 90 days of a federal election. [1:13:44] Well, 90 days before a federal election [1:13:47] is 20 days from now. [1:13:49] You cannot, [1:13:50] even if everything he said were true, [1:13:53] and even if there were actually evidence [1:13:54] to back it up, [1:13:55] the idea that you would start [1:13:57] systematically purging voter rolls [1:14:00] 110 days before an election [1:14:01] is not actually one [1:14:03] that would produce election confidence. [1:14:06] It would produce election chaos. [1:14:09] The Save America Act [1:14:09] has passed the House four times now. [1:14:11] A major part of that bill [1:14:12] would require voters [1:14:13] to show ID before voting in person [1:14:15] or by mail with some exceptions. [1:14:17] The president said tonight [1:14:18] he wants the bill to pass, [1:14:20] but it faces a much tougher climb [1:14:22] in the Senate. [1:14:22] Why are some senators hesitant [1:14:24] to pass this bill? [1:14:26] Perry, the answer to that question, [1:14:27] in my opinion, [1:14:28] is that the reason is simple. [1:14:31] The reason is that this is marketed [1:14:33] as a voter ID bill. [1:14:35] Voter ID polls [1:14:36] at a very popular clip [1:14:37] of about 80%, [1:14:39] but it is not, [1:14:40] the Save America Act [1:14:41] is the furthest thing [1:14:42] from a voter ID bill. [1:14:44] It is a proof of registration, [1:14:46] in-person proof of registration bill [1:14:49] that would disenfranchise [1:14:50] somewhere in the neighborhood [1:14:51] of 20 million Americans [1:14:53] by some estimates. [1:14:55] Passports and birth certificates [1:14:58] in person would be required [1:14:59] for anyone who needed [1:15:01] to simply update their registration, [1:15:03] even a simple change of address. [1:15:05] That is a recipe for chaos [1:15:08] that the president [1:15:09] would then be able [1:15:10] to take advantage of. [1:15:11] James Sample, [1:15:12] thank you for your time tonight. [1:15:13] Let's turn now [1:15:13] to ABC News political contributor, [1:15:16] Sunny Joy Nelson. [1:15:17] Sunny recently left [1:15:18] the Trump administration. [1:15:19] You are the special assistant [1:15:20] to President Trump [1:15:21] and director of media affairs [1:15:22] at the White House. [1:15:23] What do you make of what [1:15:24] we just heard [1:15:24] from the president tonight? [1:15:26] Yes, well, [1:15:27] thank you for having me. [1:15:28] There's a lot to unpack here. [1:15:29] President Trump announced [1:15:30] a lot of new information [1:15:32] that we're all going to spend [1:15:33] a lot of time looking through. [1:15:34] The two biggest things to me [1:15:36] really that stood out [1:15:37] were, number one, [1:15:38] the United States [1:15:39] suffered the largest data breach [1:15:41] in history [1:15:41] from a foreign interference. [1:15:43] 220 million voter files [1:15:46] being accessed by China. [1:15:49] Couple that with the fact [1:15:50] that intelligence officers, [1:15:52] the FBI community [1:15:52] did not alert the president [1:15:54] and they did not alert [1:15:56] Congress to this. [1:15:57] That is something [1:15:58] that is totally unacceptable. [1:15:59] That's why the president [1:16:00] has leaned in so much on this. [1:16:03] The next thing [1:16:03] that really stuck out to me [1:16:04] was the vulnerabilities [1:16:05] with the voting machines. [1:16:07] There was a 2020, [1:16:09] excuse me, [1:16:10] a January 2020 assessment [1:16:11] from the intelligence community, [1:16:13] meaning they all agree [1:16:14] that there are significant [1:16:15] vulnerabilities with [1:16:17] these voting machines. [1:16:18] This is all information [1:16:19] that was withheld [1:16:20] from the American public. [1:16:22] This is information [1:16:23] that the American voters [1:16:25] deserve to know. [1:16:26] And I think that's why [1:16:27] President Trump [1:16:28] has leaned in so much to it. [1:16:29] It's not necessarily [1:16:30] about relitigating [1:16:31] the 2020 election. [1:16:32] It's about moving forward. [1:16:34] It's about making sure [1:16:35] that our country has [1:16:36] the safest and most secure [1:16:38] elections of any other [1:16:40] country in the world. [1:16:41] Yeah, and these are claims [1:16:42] the president is making [1:16:43] and our team is going [1:16:44] through them right now. [1:16:45] We just uploaded them, [1:16:46] 65 documents we are going through, [1:16:47] so it will take some time. [1:16:49] Question about behind the scenes. [1:16:50] I mean, you worked [1:16:51] with the president. [1:16:52] How often does he talk [1:16:53] about the 2020 election [1:16:54] and election security concerns? [1:16:57] Well, you know, [1:16:58] the president talks [1:16:59] about publicly pretty much [1:17:00] what he's thinking [1:17:00] at all times. [1:17:02] I can't get into [1:17:03] private conversations, [1:17:04] of course, [1:17:05] but the president has talked [1:17:06] about election security [1:17:07] for a long time. [1:17:09] He campaigned [1:17:10] on election security [1:17:11] and he had an overwhelming [1:17:12] mandate from the American people [1:17:14] to look into election security, [1:17:16] to look into foreign interference [1:17:18] into our elections. [1:17:19] And I think that's why [1:17:20] we see the president, [1:17:21] of course, [1:17:21] leaning in so heavily [1:17:22] to the Save America Act. [1:17:24] This piece of legislation [1:17:25] is critical [1:17:26] as we approach [1:17:27] the midterms. [1:17:28] You know, [1:17:28] what has happened [1:17:29] in the past, [1:17:30] unfortunately, [1:17:31] is in the past. [1:17:32] But we can do things [1:17:33] to take steps [1:17:34] to ensure [1:17:34] that it does not happen again, [1:17:36] that there is no interference [1:17:39] from foreign governments, [1:17:41] that there are no bad actors. [1:17:43] Zero voter fraud [1:17:45] should be acceptable [1:17:46] or allowed [1:17:47] in our great country. [1:17:49] Sunny Joy Nelson, [1:17:50] thank you for your time. [1:17:51] And again, [1:17:51] just want to reiterate [1:17:51] what Mark Warner, [1:17:53] the senator, [1:17:53] said, [1:17:54] the vice chairman [1:17:54] of the Senate Intelligence Committee [1:17:56] who posted on X [1:17:57] while the president [1:17:58] was speaking, [1:17:59] saying that the fact [1:18:00] our intelligence agencies [1:18:01] unanimously agreed [1:18:02] that China did not [1:18:03] even try to change [1:18:04] a single vote [1:18:05] in the 2020 election. [1:18:07] A single concurring opinion [1:18:08] suggested China [1:18:09] may have tried [1:18:10] to sway voters' opinions, [1:18:11] but that's been [1:18:11] public knowledge [1:18:12] since 2021. [1:18:14] Okay, [1:18:15] let's go to Amanda Renteria. [1:18:16] She is an ABC News [1:18:17] political contributor [1:18:18] for us [1:18:18] and a Democratic strategist. [1:18:20] Amanda, [1:18:20] the president claimed [1:18:21] that there was [1:18:21] massive election [1:18:23] tampering by China [1:18:24] in 2020. [1:18:24] What do you make of that? [1:18:27] Well, [1:18:27] I think what you saw tonight [1:18:28] was a president [1:18:29] who is losing. [1:18:31] Not only has he lost [1:18:33] 30 different seats [1:18:34] in state legislatures [1:18:35] since he got elected, [1:18:37] his approval ratings [1:18:39] are in the mid-30s. [1:18:40] And he's trying [1:18:41] to figure out a way [1:18:42] to actually get [1:18:43] his entire party [1:18:44] to try and follow him [1:18:46] on the SAVE Act. [1:18:47] And it's not working. [1:18:48] I think one of the things [1:18:49] that really stood out [1:18:50] to me tonight [1:18:51] is the thing [1:18:52] that people want you [1:18:53] to be talking about, [1:18:54] families all across America [1:18:55] want you to be talking [1:18:56] about is affordability. [1:18:57] And the best he could do [1:18:58] tonight is to say [1:18:59] that the economy is great, [1:19:01] trying to tell [1:19:02] the American people [1:19:02] that everything is okay [1:19:03] and that the stock market [1:19:05] is the best ever, [1:19:06] not addressing gas prices, [1:19:08] not addressing grocery prices [1:19:09] and energy costs [1:19:10] and the fact [1:19:10] that 1.5 million families [1:19:12] no longer have health care. [1:19:14] That's what Republicans [1:19:15] are tomorrow going to wake up [1:19:17] and talk about. [1:19:18] They're going to talk [1:19:18] about what voters [1:19:19] want to talk about, [1:19:20] not the SAVE Act, [1:19:21] not 2020 elections. [1:19:23] And so tonight, [1:19:24] and for everybody [1:19:25] who's watching, [1:19:26] this doesn't address [1:19:27] what's happening at home. [1:19:28] And for Democrats [1:19:29] who are running [1:19:29] in this midterm, [1:19:30] it's important for them [1:19:31] to stay focused [1:19:32] on what families [1:19:33] care about right now. [1:19:34] And it's important [1:19:35] for all of us [1:19:36] to really think about [1:19:37] what people are going [1:19:38] through at home [1:19:38] and not a 2020 election cycle. [1:19:42] So tonight, [1:19:43] tonight when I see [1:19:44] this election, [1:19:45] people call it strange [1:19:46] and I call it sad [1:19:47] that we have a president [1:19:47] who isn't actually talking [1:19:49] about what families [1:19:50] are talking about at home. [1:19:51] I have a Democratic [1:19:52] strategy question for you. [1:19:53] So this could have scared [1:19:54] a lot of people tonight [1:19:55] who are watching this [1:19:56] for the first time going, [1:19:57] hey, is my vote [1:19:57] even being counted? [1:19:58] And historically speaking, [1:20:00] when fewer people vote, [1:20:01] Republicans win. [1:20:02] When more people vote, [1:20:03] more voter turnout, [1:20:04] typically Democrats win. [1:20:05] What is the message [1:20:06] that Democratic politicians [1:20:08] are going to have [1:20:08] to their constituents [1:20:09] tomorrow and in the weeks [1:20:10] and in the months [1:20:11] before the midterms [1:20:12] about getting them out to vote? [1:20:14] I think this actually helps [1:20:15] empower voters to say, [1:20:17] we need you to come out. [1:20:18] We need you to come out early. [1:20:20] We need you to get your family [1:20:21] and your communities out. [1:20:22] We have seen since Trump [1:20:24] has been elected [1:20:24] and every single time [1:20:25] he now comes out [1:20:26] and talks about voter suppression, [1:20:28] it actually fires up [1:20:30] the Democratic Party. [1:20:31] It actually fires up people [1:20:32] who want to engage in voting. [1:20:34] And so I suspect [1:20:35] tomorrow morning Democrats [1:20:36] are going to wake up and say, [1:20:38] how do we make sure [1:20:39] that people feel good [1:20:40] about their votes? [1:20:40] And actually the message [1:20:42] is it's even more important [1:20:43] to engage, start organizing [1:20:45] and really think about [1:20:46] this midterm election showing up. [1:20:48] What are you going to do [1:20:48] no matter what comes at the party, [1:20:51] no matter what comes at the states? [1:20:52] I think you're going to see [1:20:53] candidates fired up tomorrow morning. [1:20:55] Amanda Renteria, [1:20:56] thank you for your time tonight. [1:20:57] Always appreciate it. [1:20:59] All right, coming up, [1:21:00] it is the largest camera ever, Bill. [1:21:02] Try 3.2 billion pixels. [1:21:04] We'll tell you what it hopes [1:21:05] to capture high atop a mountain [1:21:06] in Chile. [1:21:08] And a remarkable discovery [1:21:09] in the forests [1:21:10] of the Democratic Republic of Congo, [1:21:12] a new species of monkey. [1:21:13] There they are right there. [1:21:15] They're not too big. [1:21:16] They have some glossy black fur, [1:21:17] but their most interesting features, [1:21:19] their lips. [1:21:20] Stay with us. [1:21:21] We all know the story of Pompeii, right? [1:21:33] What is this another story to tell you? [1:21:35] A story of survival. [1:21:37] I'm going to trace real people [1:21:39] through this disaster. [1:21:41] The goal is to find the survivors. [1:21:44] This is the story we don't know. [1:21:47] So, let's try that again, shall we? [1:21:50] Get this, people. [1:21:57] Now we're streaming every weekend [1:21:59] right to you. [1:22:00] With an all-new show, [1:22:02] an all-new view, [1:22:03] special for the weekends. [1:22:04] Now you can catch The View [1:22:06] seven days a week. [1:22:07] I wonder if you can handle it. [1:22:08] It's The Weekend View. [1:22:10] The Weekend View. [1:22:11] It's The Weekend View. [1:22:13] Streaming on ABC News Live, [1:22:15] wherever you stream. [1:22:17] Take a little time [1:22:18] to enjoy The Weekend View. [1:22:19] See you on the end! [1:22:21] Now streaming Saturdays and Sundays [1:22:23] on ABC News Live, [1:22:24] wherever you stream. [1:22:26] Never seen anything like this before. [1:22:31] Here it is. [1:22:32] I mean, that's incredible. [1:22:33] This place is going to astonish you. [1:22:35] What is that? [1:22:36] Oh, my gosh. [1:22:37] America's most beautiful [1:22:39] natural wonders. [1:22:40] What? [1:22:41] This is breathtaking. [1:22:43] Whoa. [1:22:44] That is pretty amazing. [1:22:46] ABC News and Nat Geo. [1:22:48] This is extraordinary. [1:22:50] In search of... [1:22:51] Seven Natural Wonders of America, [1:22:53] now streaming on Disney Plus [1:22:54] and Hulu. [1:22:55] Friday night. [1:22:57] The kidnapping of Jacob Wetterling [1:22:59] would become one of the biggest mysteries [1:23:01] in Minnesota history. [1:23:03] Who would take a child? [1:23:04] Who would do this? [1:23:05] A guy wearing a mask took your son. [1:23:07] He gets snatched by somebody? [1:23:09] Now Friday for the first time, [1:23:12] the new 2020 interview. [1:23:14] The survivor who helped break the case wide open. [1:23:17] He told me he would find me and kill me. [1:23:20] Where are you, Jacob? [1:23:21] 2020, Friday on ABC [1:23:23] and stream on Disney Plus and Hulu. [1:23:26] We are tracking several headlines around the world. [1:23:36] Fire crews have been battling flames [1:23:37] that continue to spread across Spain's northern region. [1:23:40] Authorities say the wildfires have burned [1:23:42] more than 11,000 acres. [1:23:44] Hundreds of people have been evacuated from villages. [1:23:47] The regional government declared a level two emergency, [1:23:49] meaning the fire is threading significant infrastructure [1:23:51] and nearby populations. [1:23:53] A giant observatory on a mountain in Chile [1:23:57] has begun filming a decade-long venture. [1:23:59] They say it will be the first movie of the universe. [1:24:03] It will use a 3.2 billion pixel camera [1:24:06] to photograph the sky every three to four nights. [1:24:08] The camera is the largest camera ever built. [1:24:11] From the images, [1:24:12] researchers hope to gather more information [1:24:13] about dark matter, dark energy, [1:24:15] and the composition of our solar system. [1:24:18] And researchers say a new species of monkey [1:24:21] has been discovered deep in the forests [1:24:23] of the Democratic Republic of Congo. [1:24:24] Look here. [1:24:25] The monkey, known to locals as Lee Quelly, [1:24:28] weighs about 15 pounds [1:24:30] with glossy black fur [1:24:31] and distinctive pink and orange lips. [1:24:34] The species is only the fifth new monkey species [1:24:37] identified in Africa in the last 75 years. [1:24:39] The research team has proposed [1:24:41] a preliminary classification of endangered for the monkey [1:24:44] because of its location and population size, [1:24:46] along with the threat of being hunted. [1:24:49] Coming up, the woman who's working her magic [1:24:51] in the garden [1:24:52] and how she's spreading that magic [1:24:53] and a lot of love across social media. [1:24:56] That story coming up. [1:25:06] You've had such a huge year. [1:25:07] What are you hoping for next? [1:25:09] From getting married [1:25:10] to his highly anticipated return [1:25:12] to the big screen as Spider-Man. [1:25:14] You ready? [1:25:14] Tom Holland is having a heroic year. [1:25:17] And Monday, it's Tom and George, only on... [1:25:20] Good morning, America. [1:25:21] Has to be bigger, bolder, and more beautiful. [1:25:27] 22 designers. [1:25:29] I love a twist. [1:25:31] I'm back. [1:25:32] I'm setting those tracks. [1:25:34] And we have a new judge, Tyra Banks. [1:25:39] This could be iconic. [1:25:41] I rock with it. [1:25:43] It looks like a fairy tale, [1:25:45] but it's like one of the evil stepsisters. [1:25:47] Project Runway, new episodes Fridays. [1:25:49] Stream on Hulu and Disney+. [1:25:51] When this view is over, [1:25:53] there's a whole other view just getting started. [1:25:56] Hello. [1:25:56] Hello. [1:25:57] From backstage secrets... [1:25:58] No, that's not what I said. [1:26:00] That's what you said. [1:26:01] Oh, my God. [1:26:01] To the views you didn't get to hear. [1:26:04] I was like, what is happening? [1:26:05] I was blown away. [1:26:07] Why are so many people listening [1:26:09] to the Views Behind the Table podcast? [1:26:12] I can't imagine you could keep all of that. [1:26:13] Because nothing's off limits. [1:26:15] Behind the Table. [1:26:17] Subscribe and listen now [1:26:18] wherever you get your podcasts. [1:26:19] All right, let's go, let's go. [1:26:22] Tribal 61 is coming. [1:26:26] Let's go, let's go, let's go. [1:26:27] And everyone's going. [1:26:29] Okay, let's go. [1:26:30] Let's go, let's go. [1:26:31] Come on, let's go. [1:26:32] Let's go. [1:26:33] Let's go. [1:26:33] Because once the game starts... [1:26:35] Let's go. [1:26:38] Just saying that... [1:26:41] ...anything else stops. [1:26:44] This is what you need to know. [1:26:53] We'll take you straight to where news is happening. [1:26:56] And give you what you need to know [1:26:57] all in under 10 minutes. [1:26:58] The top stories, latest headlines. [1:27:00] What everyone's talking about. [1:27:01] What you need to know all in under 10 minutes. [1:27:03] New episodes streaming every day. [1:27:05] Only on Disney+. [1:27:06] You're watching America's number one streaming news. [1:27:09] Live reporting. [1:27:10] Breaking new exclusives. [1:27:12] Keep streaming with ABC News Live. [1:27:15] For those of us without a green thumb, [1:27:16] growing a garden is nothing short of magic. [1:27:19] Tonight we introduce you...