President Donald Trump said China had created an “unprecedented election security nightmare” by allegedly targeting US election-related data, but he has not announced any new measures against Beijing. The article highlights the apparent contrast between his warning and his continued engagement with China, including plans to host President Xi Jinping in September.

In a 16 July address, Trump said intelligence showed China had assigned a data-exploitation unit to the alleged operation and accused officials of suppressing information about it. Less than two weeks later, his policy towards Beijing had not visibly changed, raising questions about how seriously his administration would act on the claims.