Trump accuses China of trying to meddle in the midterm elections 'against my administration'

President Trump on Wednesday accused the Chinese government of actively trying to interfere in the midterm elections.

Speaking at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Trump said that "regrettably, we found that China has been attempting to interfere" in the 2018 elections. "They do not want me, or us, to win, because I am the first president ever to challenge China on trade," Trump said, per Talking Points Memo, adding that the efforts are "against my administration." He did not mention previously reported efforts by Russia to interfere with the midterms.

Trump's statement comes a few weeks after National Security Adviser John Bolton told ABC News that there was "a sufficient national security concern" about possible election interference from China. Trump tweeted last month that "all of the fools so focused" on meddling from Russia should "start also looking in another direction, China." As Talking Points Memo points out, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in July that China was "conducting a range of cyberintrusions and attacks" on the U.S., but that Russia "has been the most aggressive foreign actor."

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Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs suggested that Trump's Wednesday declaration of interference from China may have been specifically referring to a recent ad taken out in The Des Moines Register from The China Daily, a government-backed paper, that opposed Trump's trade policies. Recently, Trump also tweeted that the Chinese government's tariffs are meant to "impact and change our election" by "attacking our farmers, ranchers, and industrial workers."

Because Trump did not get into any specifics while making his accusation Wednesday, it's unclear if there is any additional evidence to back up his claim. China's foreign minister issued a statement disputing Trump, saying, "We do not and will not interfere." Watch Trump's remarks below. Brendan Morrow