Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• JD Vance makes false claims blaming Democrats for government shutdown — Vice President JD Vance appeared at the White House briefing room and falsely claimed Democrats shut down the government demanding "billions of dollars of funding to healthcare for illegal aliens." In reality, US law bars undocumented immigrants from receiving such benefits and Democrats have not called for changing that law. Vance warned of imminent federal worker layoffs if the shutdown continues, with approximately 750,000 employees expected to be furloughed. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed agencies are preparing for cuts.
• Trump administration circulates AI-generated racist memes of Democratic leaders — The Trump administration released a video depicting Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with an AI-generated moustache and sombrero, accompanied by mariachi music imagery. Vice President Vance defended the memes as humor and joked about stopping them if Democrats help reopen the government. Jeffries denounced the memes as racist. Vance dismissed the racism charge, questioning whether a Mexican American would be offended by sombrero imagery.
• White House displays racist deepfake videos of Democratic leaders in briefing room — The Trump administration played racist deepfake videos on loop in the White House briefing room for hours on Wednesday. The videos, posted by Trump on Monday, used fabricated audio and imagery to mock Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, depicting Jeffries with a fake sombrero and mustache and falsely attributing inflammatory language to Schumer. Vice President JD Vance defended the videos as humor during a briefing room appearance, dismissing Jeffries's characterization of them as racist. The deepfakes promoted false claims linking Democrats to providing benefits to undocumented immigrants and invoked white supremacist "great replacement" conspiracy theory rhetoric.

Supporting reports

• Trump pardons Changpeng Zhao, Binance founder, for money-laundering facilitation — Donald Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, in October 2025. Zhao had pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering after Binance failed to report suspicious transactions involving Hamas and al-Qaida. He served nearly four months in prison and paid a $50 million fine before Trump's pardon. In a 60 Minutes interview aired November 2, Trump claimed he did not know who Zhao was and had no recollection of the pardon decision, stating he was told Zhao was a victim of Biden's "war on cryptocurrency."

Supporting reports

• Federal agents conducted raid on Chicago apartment complex claiming gang membership — On September 30, federal agents conducted a raid on an apartment complex in Chicago using a helicopter and military-style vehicles, breaking into apartments and removing individuals while claiming they were Tren de Aragua gang members. The agents filmed the individuals for a video the administration circulated portraying them as criminals. Of 37 people arrested, only two were claimed to be gang members; one of those had no criminal record. Federal prosecutors did not file criminal charges against anyone arrested. In immigration court, government lawyers never mentioned criminal charges or gang membership, and judges simply ordered deportations or voluntary departures.
• Federal agents conducted massive late-night raid in Chicago — Federal agents conducted a massive late-night raid on September 30 at a Chicago apartment building that resulted in the arrests of 37 people. The Chicago Sun Times reported that armed federal agents in military fatigues busted down doors, pulling residents, including women and children, some of them naked, from their apartments. After the raid, toys, shoes, and food remained in piles in the building's hallways, and property managers were seen throwing mattresses and broken doors into dumpsters.
• Federal agents raided Chicago apartment building using military tactics and equipment — At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1, federal agents from Border Patrol, FBI, and ATF conducted a raid on a five-story apartment building on Chicago's South Shore Drive. Agents used helicopters, large vehicles, flash-bang grenades, and military fatigues to break down doors and detain residents in zip ties, some naked. Approximately 37 people were arrested while others were released after hours of detention. The Department of Homeland Security claimed detainees were involved in drug trafficking, weapons crimes, immigration violations, or were associated with Tren de Aragua, but provided no evidence. Some detainees were U.S. citizens. Residents' apartments were left damaged.
• Federal agents conduct raid in Chicago — On October 1, 2025, federal agents from Border Patrol, FBI, and ATF raided an apartment building in Chicago, using military tactics and equipment. Residents were forcibly removed from their homes, some in zip ties, and left outside for hours. The Department of Homeland Security claimed that some detainees were involved in drug trafficking and immigration violations, but did not provide evidence. Eyewitnesses reported distress among the residents, including children.

Supporting reports

• Trump warns military leaders of "enemy within" and suggests using Democratic cities as training grounds — On September 30, 2025, President Trump addressed hundreds of top military officials and warned darkly about the need to counter "the enemy within," declaring that "America is under invasion from within" and that "Democrats run most of the cities that are in bad shape." Trump suggested the military could be useful in his drive against crime in Democratic cities and could use these cities as military "training grounds," raising concerns about violations of the Posse Comitatus Act.
• Trump addressed military commanders on deploying troops in U.S. cities — President Trump spoke to assembled military commanders at Quantico, framing domestic civil unrest as an "invasion from within" equivalent to foreign military threats. He stated he had signed an executive order establishing a quick reaction force for quelling civil disturbances and indicated that deploying combat troops to major U.S. cities including San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles would be "a major part" of military operations. He referenced the constitutional oath to defend against "all enemies foreign and domestic" and characterized inner cities as a "war" requiring military intervention.
• Trump told military leaders to confront "enemy from within" — Speaking to hundreds of senior US military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, President Trump warned of an unspecified "enemy from within," stating "We're under invasion from within, no different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways, because they don't wear uniforms." He also suggested that cities like San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles could be used "as training grounds for our military," language echoing authoritarian rhetoric about internal enemies and military deployment against civilian populations.
• Trump deploys National Guard troops to Chicago in October — In October, President Trump deployed National Guard troops to Chicago, continuing the pattern of using military forces for domestic law enforcement and immigration enforcement purposes.

Supporting reports

• Federal agencies issue partisan shutdown blame statements in apparent Hatch Act violation — Multiple federal agencies (VA, HUD, HHS, Interior, Commerce, Labor, NLRB, National Archives, Patent Office, FTC) issued emails and public statements on September 30 blaming Democrats and the "radical left" for an impending government shutdown. The statements used identical or similar language across agencies and included partisan characterizations. Legal experts characterized the coordinated messaging as violating the Hatch Act, which restricts political activities by federal employees, and potentially violating federal law on lobbying with taxpayer funds.
• HUD website displays partisan shutdown message blaming "radical left" — The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a large red banner on its homepage blaming the "radical left" for the looming government shutdown and stating the Trump administration wants to keep government open. The message appeared after Republican and Democratic leaders failed to reach a spending agreement by the Tuesday night deadline. HUD spokesperson Matthew Maley defended the banner as reporting on shutdown impacts, while critics characterized it as inappropriate partisan propaganda on a public agency website.
• Veterans Affairs spokesperson issues partisan shutdown statement — A Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson issued a statement on Tuesday using charged political rhetoric, blaming "radical liberals in Congress" for attempting to shut down the government to achieve "open borders" and other partisan characterizations, while warning of impacts to veterans care and assistance programs.
• White House violated Hatch Act by using federal agencies to blame Democrats for shutdown — During the government shutdown crisis on September 30, the White House violated the Hatch Act—which prohibits use of government resources for partisan gain—by directing federal agencies to send emails to employees blaming Democrats for the shutdown. Agencies including the Social Security Administration, Small Business Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Commerce sent emails stating Trump "opposes a government shutdown" but Democrats were "blocking this Continuing Resolution… due to unrelated policy demands." The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a banner calling the "Radical Left" responsible for the shutdown. The Department of Veterans Affairs issued a statement blaming "Radical liberals in Congress" for attempting to shut down the government.
• HUD posted banner blaming "radical left" for shutdown — The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a bright red banner on its website on September 30 blaming the "radical left" for the impending government shutdown. The banner read, "The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people." The non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen subsequently filed a complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel, calling the banner a "blatant violation" of the Hatch Act.
• White House threatens federal worker layoffs during government shutdown — The Trump administration warned that federal worker layoffs are imminent if the government shutdown continues. Vice President Vance stated the administration would "lay some people off" and take "extraordinary steps" to maintain essential services. Approximately 750,000 federal employees face furlough with pay withheld, while essential workers such as military and border agents may be forced to work without pay. OMB Director Russ Vought announced the White House is also pausing or canceling infrastructure and clean energy funding to Democratic-leaning states.
• Department of Education employees' email accounts manipulated with partisan talking points — NBC News reported that Department of Education employees who were furloughed discovered their email out-of-office messages had been altered to include partisan talking points blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. Five civil servants provided copies of their manipulated messages, which had been rewritten in the first person without their consent. Employees stated the alterations violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
• Federal agencies deploy partisan messaging blaming Democrats for shutdown, potentially violating Hatch Act — Multiple federal agencies, including Treasury, Agriculture, Education, and at least a dozen others, have used official websites and employee out-of-office messages to blame Democrats for the government shutdown. The Department of Education altered employees' automated replies without their knowledge or approval. Legal experts and watchdog groups argue this constitutes a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity. Public Citizen and the Democracy Defenders Fund have filed complaints with the GAO and Special Counsel's office.
• Department of Education changed furloughed employees' out-of-office messages to blame Democrats — During the government shutdown, the Department of Education changed automated out-of-office email replies for furloughed employees from generic messages to ones blaming Democrats for the shutdown. When employees changed the messages back to neutral language, the Department changed them again to blame Democrats. This represents use of government communications infrastructure to advance partisan messaging during a shutdown.
• Trump administration threatens mass firings of federal employees during shutdown — On Thursday morning, the Trump administration threatened to fire many employees at federal agencies across the nation, creating fear and uncertainty among furloughed workers. Some employees printed out furlough notices and pay stubs in preparation for potential unemployment. The threat occurred amid the ongoing government shutdown and the administration's use of the crisis to pursue policy goals, including cutting climate funding and freezing construction projects.
• Federal agencies post partisan messages blaming Democrats for shutdown operations curtailment — Several federal government departments posted partisan and potentially illegal messages stating that their operations were curtailed due to "the Radical Left Democrat shutdown." Sources at the Education Department reported that out-of-office email messages were changed without staff permission to use rhetoric blaming Democrats for the shutdown. The action represents an apparent coordinated effort to use government communications infrastructure for partisan messaging during the funding lapse.
• White House issues fact sheet attributing government shutdown economic impacts to Democratic opposition to funding restrictions on healthcare for undocumented immigrants — The White House published a fact sheet on October 3, 2025, presenting state-by-state economic projections attributed to a government shutdown. The document claims the Council of Economic Advisers warns of $15 billion in weekly GDP losses, projects 43,000+ additional unemployed Americans over a month-long shutdown, and lists estimated impacts on WIC recipients, SNAP beneficiaries, consumer spending, and gross state product by state. The fact sheet frames the shutdown as caused by Democratic demands to fund healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

Supporting reports

• HUD website displays partisan shutdown message blaming "radical left" — The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a large red banner on its homepage blaming the "radical left" for the looming government shutdown and stating the Trump administration wants to keep government open. The message appeared after Republican and Democratic leaders failed to reach a spending agreement by the Tuesday night deadline. HUD spokesperson Matthew Maley defended the banner as reporting on shutdown impacts, while critics characterized it as inappropriate partisan propaganda on a public agency website.
• Veterans Affairs spokesperson issues partisan shutdown statement — A Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson issued a statement on Tuesday using charged political rhetoric, blaming "radical liberals in Congress" for attempting to shut down the government to achieve "open borders" and other partisan characterizations, while warning of impacts to veterans care and assistance programs.
• HUD posted banner blaming "radical left" for shutdown — The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a bright red banner on its website on September 30 blaming the "radical left" for the impending government shutdown. The banner read, "The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people." The non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen subsequently filed a complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel, calling the banner a "blatant violation" of the Hatch Act.

Supporting reports

• Trump blamed Democrats for shutdown and threatened irreversible cuts — Speaking to reporters on September 30, Trump blamed Democratic lawmakers for the impending government shutdown, but added that his administration "can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them, and irreversible by them. Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like." The statement indicates an intent to use the shutdown as an opportunity to make permanent cuts to programs favored by Democrats.
• Trump threatens mass federal worker layoffs during shutdown — President Trump stated that if the government shuts down, the administration will conduct mass layoffs of federal workers, adding that "they're going to be Democrats." The threat was made during negotiations over a funding bill and reflects potential use of shutdown conditions to purge federal employees on partisan grounds.
• Trump told reporters administration will use shutdown to cut healthcare and benefits — On Tuesday, after addressing military leaders, Trump told White House reporters that the administration intends to use the government shutdown to cut programs the American people support, including healthcare access and benefits. Trump stated the administration can use the shutdown to make "irreversible" cuts to programs Democrats favor and to "cut large numbers of people out" of benefits. He cited OMB Director Russell Vought's ability to "trim the budget to a level that you couldn't do any other way" and acknowledged the administration is using the shutdown as an opportunity to implement cuts that would otherwise face opposition.

Supporting reports

• Trump posts deepfake video of Democratic leaders — President Trump's social media account posted a doctored video depicting Senate Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority Leader Jeffries. The fabricated video showed Schumer with Mexican music in the background and Jeffries wearing a sombrero and mustache, with false audio of Schumer making derogatory statements about Democrats, immigrants, and minorities. The video was released during active shutdown negotiations.
• Trump posted racist AI-generated video of Schumer and Jeffries — Trump posted on Truth Social on September 29 a vulgar and racist AI-generated video of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, with Jeffries wearing a sombrero and Schumer saying in the fabricated audio that Democrats "have no voters anymore because of our woke, trans bullshit," and that "if we give all these illegal aliens health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us." The post used deepfake technology to create false statements attributed to Democratic leaders. Jeffries responded by tweeting, "Bigotry will get you nowhere," and Schumer said, "If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can't negotiate. You can only throw tantrums."

Supporting reports

• Trump administration implements mass deferred resignation program for federal workers — The Trump administration oversaw the largest mass resignation in U.S. history on September 28, 2025, with over 100,000 federal workers formally quitting through a deferred resignation program. The program costs $14.8 billion, paying workers full salary and benefits while on administrative leave for up to eight months. The total expected departures across all reduction programs is approximately 275,000 employees. Federal workers cited months of "fear and intimidation," public vilification, job insecurity, and threats of firings as reasons for departing, with many describing the environment as deliberately hostile.
• Resignations of Federal Workers Take Effect — The Trump administration's cuts to the federal workforce resulted in the resignations of over 100,000 federal workers, effective immediately. Many of those leaving reported feeling pressured and fearful due to the administration's actions. This year's cuts are projected to lead to a total loss of at least 275,000 federal workers, marking the largest decline in civilian federal employment since World War II.
• Over 100,000 federal workers resign as part of workforce reduction — More than 100,000 federal workers' resignations took effect on September 30 as part of the Trump administration's cuts to the federal workforce. Those departing reported being forced out through fear and pressure from administration officials. This year's cuts will result in the loss of at least 275,000 workers, the largest decline in civilian federal employment in a single year since World War II. OMB Director Russell Vought previously stated the goal was to make federal workers not want to come to work and to put them "in trauma."

Supporting reports

• Trump posted about gold décor in the Oval Office — Trump posted on Truth Social that foreign leaders are amazed at the "majesty and splendor" of his new golden palace, claiming the Oval Office and Cabinet Room contain "some of the highest quality 24 Karat Gold" and stating "Best Oval Office ever, in terms of success and look!!!"
• Trump posted about gold fixtures in Oval Office remodel — President Trump posted on social media praising his remodeling of the Oval Office, which included copious gold fixtures. Trump claimed the fixtures were made of 24-karat gold and stated that foreign leaders "freak out" when they see the quality. Some of the gold appliqué matched polyurethane fixtures available from the home improvement store Home Depot.

Supporting reports

• Trump posts directive to deploy troops to Portland — On September 27, Trump's social media account posted a directive to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect ICE facilities from what Trump characterized as attacks by "Antifa" and "domestic terrorists." Trump authorized "Full Force, if necessary." The post was based on Trump's assertion that Portland was a "war ravaged" city plagued by "anarchists" and "crazy people," claims contradicted by local officials and reporting.
• Trump directed troop deployment to Portland, Oregon — On September 27, Trump announced via Truth Social that he directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, which he baselessly called "War ravaged" and "under siege" by antifa. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson responded that "the number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city." The deployment was presented without evidence of the claimed crisis.
• Trump directed military deployment to Portland with authorization for full force — President Trump posted that he was directing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to provide troops to protect the ICE facility in Portland and "any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists," and authorized "Full Force, if necessary." The order came after Trump claimed the facility was under siege, but Senator Ron Wyden posted a video showing the ICE facility with no people present.
• Trump announced deployment of federal troops to Portland — Trump announced on Truth Social that he is directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy federal troops to Portland, Oregon at the request of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to protect against what he characterized as attacks by "Antifa" and "domestic terrorists." Trump authorized "full force, if necessary." Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson both rejected the deployment, stating there is no insurrection or threat to national security warranting military presence in the city.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration installs "Presidential Walk of Fame" without Biden — The Trump administration introduced a "Presidential Walk of Fame" on the West Wing Colonnade of the White House, which features portraits of presidents in gold frames, except for Joe Biden's, whose portrait is substituted by a photograph of an autopen.