Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Conservative journalist Pedro Gonzalez criticized Vice President JD Vance's defense of the ad — Conservative journalist Pedro Gonzalez published a statement characterizing Vice President JD Vance's willingness to downplay child sexual abuse as a betrayal of principle. Gonzalez recounted his earlier interactions with Vance and described Vance's evolution from a "softer populist" attempting to "humanize" Trumpism to someone willing to defend content that could discourage abuse victims from coming forward. Gonzalez concluded that Vance would be remembered as a footnote in MAGA history as someone who "sold his soul for a crumb of power."

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• Trump endorsed Ramaswamy's ad attacking Acton using estranged mother's allegations — Trump publicly endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio gubernatorial campaign ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother making negative claims about her. At an Iowa rally, Trump stated he wished he could have run such an ad. When confronted by NBC reporter Monica Alba about the ad's use of allegations involving Acton's stepfather's rape charges and 50-year estrangement, Trump dismissed the context, refused to acknowledge the abuse allegations' relevance, and called Alba "a horrible little reporter." Ramaswamy defended the ad as addressing "lying" rather than abuse. The exchange highlighted Trump's willingness to amplify personal attacks regardless of underlying trauma or factual complexity.

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• Vice President JD Vance made inflammatory statement at Nebraska campaign rally — Vice President JD Vance stated at a campaign rally in Nebraska that "This Democrat Party needs an ass kicking." The remark represents escalated partisan rhetoric during the final weeks of the midterm election campaign.

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• Corporate PACs and executives funded Ramaswamy campaign ad attacking abuse survivor — Popular Information's analysis of campaign finance records reveals that Ramaswamy's campaign, which produced and aired the attack ad featuring abuse survivor Amy Acton's mother, received funding from corporate PACs and top executives of major American corporations including Bank of America, Deloitte, DraftKings, Kroger, and Nationwide. When contacted, DraftKings declined comment and other companies did not respond to inquiries about whether they found the ad acceptable.

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• Trump attacks Ohio governor DeWine over criticism of Ramaswamy campaign ad — Donald Trump issued a public rebuke of Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine on Truth Social after DeWine called on gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to withdraw an ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Amy Acton. DeWine said the ad was "deeply, deeply troubling" and violated the norm that family members should be "off limits" in campaigns. Trump accused DeWine of disloyalty to the Republican Party and urged Ramaswamy to continue airing the ad, characterizing Acton as a "DISASTER."

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• Vivek Ramaswamy launches attack ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother — Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican candidate for Ohio governor, released a campaign advertisement featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother claiming Acton is a liar about her childhood. Acton has publicly documented severe childhood trauma, including living in a tent during winter while her stepfather—who had prior accusations of molestation—sexually abused her between ages 9 and 12. Her mother lost custody as a result. The ad drew immediate condemnation from Republicans, Democrats, strategists, and commentators across the political spectrum as exploitative and cruel.
• Ramaswamy campaign airs attack ad featuring abuse survivor's mother, funded partly by corporate PAC contributions — Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio gubernatorial campaign aired a television advertisement featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, attacking Acton's account of childhood sexual abuse. The ad, which began circulating Monday and was aired statewide Tuesday after $4 million spending commitment, has been condemned by Democratic and Republican officials as exploitative and morally indefensible. A Popular Information analysis of campaign finance records shows the ad was funded in part by corporate PAC contributions and executive donations from Bank of America, Deloitte, DraftKings, Kroger, and Nationwide.
• Vivek Ramaswamy releases attack ad using opponent's childhood trauma — Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy released a political advertisement featuring the biological mother of his opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, claiming Acton lied about living in a tent as a child. Acton, who has not seen her biological mother since age 12 after being removed from her home following her mother's husband's indictment for rape, has documented evidence of her childhood homelessness. Court records confirm Acton's account. Vice President J.D. Vance defended the ad, while others, including former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, condemned it as morally corrupt.

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• Trump administration proposed relocating White House press briefing room — According to New York Times reporting, Trump has expressed interest in moving the press out of the White House. Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer who has championed lawsuits against journalists, are among those pushing to restore the press briefing room to its original form as a swimming pool. The reporters note that such a move would be "highly symbolic," as the proximity of media to executive power has long represented an acknowledgment of the free press's importance in constitutional democracy.

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• Musk's previous unfulfilled pledge to World Food Programme — In 2021, Elon Musk told the United Nations' World Food Programme that if they developed a $6 billion plan to address world hunger, he would sell Tesla stock to fund it. The WFP quickly produced a plan, but Musk did not donate the $6 billion as promised. Musk later donated $5.7 billion in Tesla stock to his own foundation instead, fulfilling a different charitable obligation rather than the original pledge.

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• Trump held campaign rally in Kentucky — Trump held a campaign rally in Kentucky over the weekend. Remarks included claims that Google executives now defer to him ("Google wouldn't have taken my call in the first term, now they kiss my ass"), mockery of a political opponent for being vegetarian, selective use of stock market performance for political messaging, and commentary on federal workforce reductions.

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• White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia removed after false attorney credentials revealed — On October 13, 2026, White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia held her first press briefing. On October 15, Popular Information published reporting that Zacharia had falsely claimed for years to be a practicing attorney despite lacking a law license. After days of scrutiny, including combative interviews on Fox News where hosts questioned her legal credentials, President Trump decided on October 18 that Zacharia could not remain in the role. She was "transitioned out" after five days in the position, becoming a damaging development for Republicans ahead of midterm elections.

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• Trump administration planned televised execution of Nidal Malik Hasan — The Trump administration announced a plan to stage a public televised execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan, the 2009 Fort Hood shooter. The proposal drew opposition from all segments of American society except MAGA Republican men. Facing poor polling, Trump cancelled the idea, declaring the execution would not be livestreamed. The episode revealed the premodern and barbaric values of the men now ruling America.