'We do it even better': Trump says US outperforms China, Russia in spy operations ahead of midterms

US President Donald Trump has said that Washington also conducts intelligence operations against China and Russia, claiming that the United States is better at spying on its adversaries, during a campaign rally in Iowa ahead of Tuesday's US midterm elections.

Speaking at the Iowa Republican Candidates' Campaign Rally on Sunday (local time), Trump recalled being told that China was spying on the United States and said Washington was also monitoring Beijing and Moscow.

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"Somebody said, 'China's spying on us, sir.' I said, 'Yeah, and we're spying on them too. Don't worry about it.' They said, 'Terrible! China! Russia! They're spying on us, sir!' I said, 'That's true. And we're doing it to them also, but we do it even better, so don't worry about it. Don't worry,'" Trump said.

His remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of alleged Chinese intelligence operations targeting US military personnel and installations.

On October 30, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that two Chinese nationals, Liren 'Ryan' Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, had each been sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government without notifying the US Attorney General.

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According to the DoJ, the defendants operated under the direction of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), facilitating secret cash payments in exchange for sensitive information and attempting to recruit potential intelligence assets from within the US military.

Court documents revealed that the two men facilitated a clandestine payment of approximately USD 10,000 in January 2022 through a 'dead drop' arrangement in Livermore, California.

Their activities also included collecting photographs of US military installations, naval personnel and recruitment facilities, as well as gathering personal information about potential intelligence targets.

The FBI arrested both defendants on June 27, 2025, following a counterintelligence investigation.