US President Donald Trump's extraordinary midnight address from the East Room of the White House has sparked a wave of sharp political clashes in the US, serious international tensions and immediate tremors in financial markets.
The initial reactions from Washington to Beijing show a complete division on the issue of election security, less than four months before the crucial US midterm elections in November.
In his 25-minute speech, Trump announced the declassification of documents that he said prove that China carried out the “largest election data breach in history”, illegally acquiring the records of 220 million American voters. The Republican leader used the moment to increased pressure on Congress to urgently pass the strengthened election law SAVE America Act.
Sharp reactions in the US: Complete party division
The domestic political response in the US was immediate and extremely polarized. The minority leader in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, reacted extremely sharply on the social network X: “Donald Trump is a weak, out of control, conspiracy-mongering 80-year-old failed president. Something is really wrong with this man. I think he really needs to be examined by doctors“, writes USA Today. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of The intelligence committee called the speech a "repetition of long-debunked theories," CBS News quoted him as saying.
On the other hand, the hardline Republican Party and key administration figures, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were in the room in full support. However, tensions were felt among moderate Republicans; Senate Majority Leader John Thune diplomatically deflected questions, saying he was fully "focused on the 2026 elections," Reuters reported.
The world reacts: Beijing rejects accusations, EU is cautious
The international response focused on direct accusations against China. Even before the official start of the speech, the Chinese embassy in Washington issued an official position: "China has always adhered to to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. U.S. elections are an internal matter and China has never interfered and has no intention of interfering in them“, CBS News quoted the diplomatic department as saying.
Analysts warn that the White House's move risks seriously escalating tensions between the two superpowers just before Chinese leader Xi Jinping's planned visit to the United States in September. Cybersecurity experts were quick to add context, pointing out that the released documents mostly contain publicly available voter registers, which in the United States can be legally purchased by any company, and the speech does not provide evidence of actual vote changes, NBC News emphasizes.
Tremors in financial markets in Asia
The economic impact of the speech was felt seconds after it ended during the early Asian trading session, where investors reacted nervously of the threat of a new economic war between the US and China:
The main Tokyo stock indices (Nikkei 225) and Hong Kong (Hang Seng) were down by nearly 1.2% in the first hours of trading. Фючърсите на американските акции (S&P 500 и Nasdaq) също се оцветиха в червено, губейки средно по 0.6% от стойността си. Цената на суровия петрол тип Брент записа лек скок нагоре, движена от общата геополитическа несигурност и продължаващия конфликт с Иран в Ормузкия проток.Медийният прецедент във Вашингтон
Речта на Тръмп бе белязана и от безпрецедентен сблъсък с медиите. Големите национални ефирни мрежи като ABC, NBC и кабелният гигант CNN отказаха да излъчат речта на живо в основните си телевизионни канали, пренасочвайки я към стрийминг платформите си. В отговор по време на самото обръщение Тръмп директно атакува медиите: „Те и останалите в медиите са част от заговор. Искат да скрият тази измама и да защитят радикалната левица“, цитира го The Guardian. Президентът призова за отнемане на лицензите на телевизиите, които налагат подобна цензура.
Ситуацията остава изключително динамична. По-късно днес се очаква извънреден официален брифинг на Министерството на вътрешната сигурност на САЩ (DHS) и неговия секретар Марквейн Мълин, където ще бъдат представени техническите детайли около докладваните уязвимости.