Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• United States sells Venezuelan oil and holds proceeds in Qatar — The United States has sold $500 million worth of Venezuelan oil and is holding the proceeds in a Qatar account rather than in U.S. banks. Trump claims he has the power to manage this money and is attempting to prevent its capture by oil companies with prior claims against Venezuela. Senator Elizabeth Warren stated there is no legal basis for a president to set up an offshore account to control assets seized by the American military.
• Trump administration completed first Venezuelan oil sale valued at $500 million — The Trump administration executed its first sale of Venezuelan oil valued at $500 million following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. Trump signed an executive order detailing how the U.S. plans to block courts and creditors from accessing revenue from oil sales. Revenue is being held in bank accounts controlled by the U.S. government, with the main account located in Qatar and additional funds held in U.S. Treasury accounts. Trump indicated the U.S. would effectively run Venezuela and take control of up to 50 million barrels of oil.
• Trump discusses Venezuelan oil sales — Trump revealed that the U.S. has sold $500 million worth of Venezuelan oil and is keeping the proceeds in Qatar, claiming he has the authority to manage these funds.

Supporting reports

• Trump proclamation imposes 25% tariff on advanced computing chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment under Section 232 national security authority. — President Trump signed Proclamation 11002 on January 14, 2026, invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act to impose a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on advanced computing chips and derivative semiconductor products effective January 15, 2026. The proclamation, based on a Commerce Department investigation, finds that semiconductor imports threaten U.S. national security due to dependence on foreign supply chains and insufficient domestic manufacturing capacity. Exemptions apply to chips for U.S. data centers, R&D, startups, repairs, and public-sector use. The Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative are directed to pursue trade negotiations within 90 days, with potential for broader tariffs in a second phase.
• Trump issued proclamation imposing 25 percent tariff on advanced computing chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment — President Trump signed a proclamation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, imposing a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on certain advanced computing chips and derivative semiconductor products effective January 15, 2026. The proclamation states the Secretary of Commerce found that semiconductor imports threaten U.S. national security due to insufficient domestic production capacity and reliance on foreign supply chains. The tariff exempts chips for U.S. data centers, R&D, startups, consumer applications, civil industrial uses, and public sector applications. The proclamation directs the Secretary and U.S. Trade Representative to pursue trade negotiations within 90 days and reserves the President's authority to impose broader tariffs on semiconductors after negotiations conclude.
• Trump signed proclamation imposing 25% tariff on advanced computing chips under Section 232 — President Trump signed a proclamation invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, imposing a 25% tariff on certain advanced computing chips including NVIDIA H200 and AMD MI325X. The proclamation directs the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate agreements addressing semiconductor imports. The fact sheet states the tariff aims to incentivize domestic semiconductor production and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains, with potential for broader tariffs on semiconductors and derivative products in the future.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration gives $40 billion to Argentina — Trump administration provided $40 billion to Argentina, while simultaneously failing to deliver promised economic relief to American families and cutting federal funding to states that did not vote for him.
• Trump administration pushes for $100 billion in oil company subsidies — The Trump administration pushed for $100 billion in subsidies to oil companies while failing to deliver promised economic relief to American families and cutting federal funding to states that did not vote for him.

Supporting reports

• Trump told oil executives he would not repay historical losses from Venezuelan nationalization — At a meeting with oil executives on January 10, 2026, Trump stated that he would not use revenue from the sale of Venezuelan oil to repay billions of dollars owed to U.S. oil companies for losses from the 2007 nationalization of their Venezuelan assets. Trump said: "We're not going to look at what people lost in the past, because that was their fault. That was a different president. You're going to make a lot of money, but we're not going to go back."

Supporting reports

• Trump meets with oil executives and promises "total safety" for Venezuela investments — President Trump held a White House roundtable with oil industry executives from Chevron, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips on Friday, promising "total safety, total security" to persuade them to invest $100 billion in Venezuela's infrastructure following the toppling of Nicolás Maduro. Trump stated the investment would come from private companies, not federal funds, and warned executives that competitors stood ready to replace them. Later that day, Trump signed an executive order blocking courts or creditors from impounding revenue from Venezuelan oil sales held in US treasury accounts, directing those funds toward Venezuelan "peace, prosperity and stability."
• Trump signed executive order declaring national emergency over Venezuelan oil revenue — On January 10, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency—his tenth in this term—stating that any use of revenue from the sale of Venezuelan oil to repay billions of dollars owed to oil companies "will materially harm the national security and foreign policy of the United States." The order asserted that such repayment would interfere with efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela and jeopardize U.S. foreign policy objectives including ending illegal immigration, stopping illicit narcotics, protecting against Iran and Hezbollah, and bringing stability to the Western Hemisphere. The order effectively placed control of Venezuelan oil revenue under executive authority.
• Trump told oil executives he would not repay historical losses from Venezuelan nationalization — At a meeting with oil executives on January 10, 2026, Trump stated that he would not use revenue from the sale of Venezuelan oil to repay billions of dollars owed to U.S. oil companies for losses from the 2007 nationalization of their Venezuelan assets. Trump said: "We're not going to look at what people lost in the past, because that was their fault. That was a different president. You're going to make a lot of money, but we're not going to go back."

Supporting reports

• Trump signed executive order declaring national emergency over Venezuelan oil revenue — On January 10, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency—his tenth in this term—stating that any use of revenue from the sale of Venezuelan oil to repay billions of dollars owed to oil companies "will materially harm the national security and foreign policy of the United States." The order asserted that such repayment would interfere with efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela and jeopardize U.S. foreign policy objectives including ending illegal immigration, stopping illicit narcotics, protecting against Iran and Hezbollah, and bringing stability to the Western Hemisphere. The order effectively placed control of Venezuelan oil revenue under executive authority.