{"id":8514,"date":"2026-07-17T09:54:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T04:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8514"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:54:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T04:54:44","slug":"the-doom-computer-game-was-part-of-trumps-wild-and-baseless-election-security-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8514","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Doom\u2019 Computer Game Was Part Of Trump\u2019s Wild And Baseless \u2018Election Security Nightmare\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n\r\n<br><div id=\"article-content\">\n            \n\n\n\n\n<p>Things got really weird during President Donald Trump\u2019s big speech on \u201celection security\u201d Thursday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<!-- \/wp:post-content -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The centerpiece of the event was a document dump that was posted to the White House website, which Trump claimed to summarize during his televised primetime address. The supposed evidence contained in the reams of pdfs included a wild anecdote about the iconic 1990s computer shooter game \u201cDoom\u201d that underscored just how far the president was reaching as he tried to substantiate his theories.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In the address to the nation, which was only carried by some networks, Trump reiterated his thoroughly debunked claims about the integrity of the American election system. Trump\u2019s latest case <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/white-house-weighs-releasing-controversial-intel-china-us-elections-sources-say-2026-07-15\/\" target=\"_blank\">centered on questionable intelligence<\/a> related to supposed Chinese interference in voting and one of the GOP\u2019s favorite false conspiracy theories: the <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/news\/russian-disinfo-sites-non-citizen-voting-trump\" target=\"_blank\">non-existent bogeyman of non-citizen voting<\/a>. The president used these paranoid fantasies to argue for his administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/federal-judge-dismisses-justice-department-lawsuit-seeking-detailed-maryland-voter-data\" target=\"_blank\">push to obtain voter data<\/a> from Democratic states and for the passage of the SAVE America Act, legislation that <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/news\/the-save-act-self-owns-will-continue\" target=\"_blank\">would impose draconian voter suppression measures<\/a> designed to help Republicans win the midterms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Among many other things, the president suggested Chinese influence campaigns and \u201cmeddling\u201d targeted him specifically because of his hard line against Beijing. He also claimed China had managed to obtain voter data. The U.S. and other foreign governments have a long history of attempting to sway public opinion in rival nations. Chinese and American hackers have also accessed private data from citizens in both countries. However, nothing the president pointed to showed any level of decisive or unprecedented foreign influence in American elections. He also suggested one of his favorite targets, \u201cdeep state\u201d forces within the U.S. government, had covered up China\u2019s plotting and withheld information about it in his first term.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>These claims came as Trump summarized <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/election-integrity\/\" target=\"_blank\">a trove of recently declassified files<\/a> that supposedly supported his case.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cFor many years, Americans were blatantly lied to about the security of our election infrastructure, including electronic voting machines and ballot counting systems \u2014 dishonest almost all. They\u2019re vulnerable and they\u2019re easily compromised and people within our government do that,\u201d Trump claimed. \u201cTonight we\u2019re publishing a series of previously classified U.S. intelligence community assessments and other reports proving that our government has long known these machines are extremely exposed to attack.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>We will be poring over this stuff for some time, but even at first glance, the documents clearly show how questionable Trump\u2019s purported claims about election interference, high-level conspiracies, and vulnerable machinery are. One initial example we spotted is a crazy incident involving \u201cDoom\u201d that was seemingly initially shared by an anonymous Twitter user who attended a hacking conference. It was presented as solid proof of U.S. elections\u2019 insecurity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The trove of files released by the White House on Thursday include emails from Trump\u2019s first term that show intelligence officials arguing over the idea China was \u201cengaged in election influence.\u201d This view was described as a \u201cminority\u201d perspective within the intelligence community. In spite of this disagreement, this viewpoint was allowed to be presented in certain reports that were also included in Trump\u2019s trove.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>One January 2020 memorandum from the National Intelligence Council that was contained in the document dump outlined supposed \u201cVulnerabilities In US 2020 Election Infrastructure.\u201d That memo, which was declassified by Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/news\/2020-election-report-tulsi-gabbard-fulton-county\" target=\"_blank\">conspiracy-minded former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard<\/a> and approved for release by the president earlier this month, featured a \u201cPollbook Hacking Example\u201d involving \u201cDoom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This supposed proof of serious vulnerability was simply a photo of a \u201cpollbook\u201d that was described as having been \u201cmodified at the 2019 Defcon Voting Machine Hacking Village to run the popular video game \u2018Doom.\u2019\u201d The memorandum noted this claim was solely \u201caccording to press reporting\u201d from the hacking event.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1552508,\"sizeSlug\":\"full\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"802\" height=\"766\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-16-at-10.35.48\u202fPM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1552508\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-16-at-10.35.48\u202fPM.png 802w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-16-at-10.35.48\u202fPM.png?resize=768,734 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-16-at-10.35.48\u202fPM.png?resize=600,573 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 802px) 100vw, 802px\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This picture, which was treated as a serious example of threats to election infrastructure, seemingly came from <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/l33tLumberjack\/status\/1160605415932956673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1160605415932956673%7Ctwgr%5E5d0a1bc60d2a54ce7b517ee4473925b0d597064e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fbusiness%2F2019%2F08%2F12%2Fdef-con-hackers-lawmakers-came-together-tackle-holes-election-security%2F\" target=\"_blank\">a tweet<\/a> posted by someone with the username \u201cl33tLumberjack\u201d that was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2019\/08\/12\/def-con-hackers-lawmakers-came-together-tackle-holes-election-security\/\" target=\"_blank\">included in a Washington Post article<\/a> about the 2019 Def Con hacking conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cDoom on a electronic pollbook? Yes please!\u201d l33tLumberjack said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cDoom,\u201d a sci-fi shooter that was originally released in 1993 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Doom\" target=\"_blank\">revolutionized<\/a> the gaming industry, is a relatively simple piece of software and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2014\/sep\/15\/hackers-doom-printer-canon-security\" target=\"_blank\">porting it onto various devices<\/a> has become something of a tradition for hackers eager to demonstrate their prowess or expose security vulnerabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>While the Post reported that hackers at Def Con 2019 were able to easily break into devices including election poll books and ballot printers, the article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2019\/08\/12\/def-con-hackers-lawmakers-came-together-tackle-holes-election-security\/\" target=\"_blank\">also pointed out<\/a> that the National Association of Secretaries of State described a prior version of the demonstration as \u201cunrealistic\u201d since it does not match the actual conditions under which these devices are used. Many key election systems are never connected to the internet and multiple states that use electronic systems also have paper records. Election officials at every level of government \u2014\u00a0including members of Trump\u2019s first administration \u2014\u00a0have rejected the notion of widespread fraud in the 2020 race despite the president\u2019s persistent claims.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Of course, expert consensus and consistent debunking has never stopped Trump from seeking out fringe theories and questionable evidence to deny his loss in the 2020 election and try to restrict voting in future races. In his speech, along with revealing the document dump, Trump encouraged his supporters to call lawmakers and press Congress to pass the SAVE America Act. He also announced that he directed the Department of Homeland Security to order states to remove non-citizens from the voting rolls. Ahead of the speech, Politico reported DHS is set to announce it identified tens of thousands of ineligible voters, though it is not clear how it reached its conclusions, nor whether the agency has evidence any of these people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/07\/16\/dhs-says-it-found-thousands-of-non-citizens-on-voter-rolls-in-four-states-01002326\" target=\"_blank\">ever actually cast a ballot<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Trump\u2019s document dump and associated remarks may have lacked substance and seriousness. However, they prove he is not letting go of his conspiracy theories about voting or giving up on attempts to interfere with it in the future. In that way, Trump\u2019s remarks envisioned a doom far realer than any sci-fi shooting game.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cWe can never be hacked and we can never watch a stolen election again,\u201d Trump declared, before adding, \u201cTogether we will restore faith and confidence in our country and we will be bigger, better and stronger than ever before.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->          <\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n        appId: \"101800829865996\",\n        xfbml: true,\n        version: ' v2.6'\n      });\n      window.fbAsyncInit.__didInit = true;\n    };\n    (function(d, s, id) {\n      var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n      if (d.getElementById(id)) {\n        return;\n      }\n      js = d.createElement(s);\n      js.id = id;\n      js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n      fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n    }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n  <\/script>\r\n<br><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Things got really weird during President Donald Trump\u2019s big speech on \u201celection security\u201d Thursday night.\u00a0 The centerpiece of the event was a document dump that was posted to the White House website, which Trump claimed to summarize during his televised primetime address. The supposed evidence contained in the reams of pdfs included a wild anecdote&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-16-at-9.44.53\u202fPM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}