Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• LULAC, Common Cause, UnidosUS, and Denver file federal lawsuit challenging armed ICE enforcement at polling places — LULAC, Common Cause, UnidosUS, and the City and County of Denver filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday challenging a Trump administration policy permitting armed ICE officers to enter polling places to conduct immigration enforcement. The lawsuit was prompted by comments from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stating that ICE officers could enter polling locations to serve warrants or conduct immigration and customs enforcement. Plaintiffs cited an 1865 federal law generally prohibiting armed federal personnel at election sites except to repel armed enemies, and argued that armed immigration enforcement could intimidate voters and interfere with local election administration.

Supporting reports

• Complaint filed: League of United Latin American Citizens v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security — LULAC, Common Cause, UnidosUS, and the City and County of Denver filed a complaint in D.D.C. challenging the Trump administration's policy authorizing ICE agents at polling places during the 2026 general election. Plaintiffs allege the policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act as arbitrary and capricious and exceeds DHS statutory authority under 18 U.S.C. § 592, which bars armed federal personnel at polling places except to repel armed enemies. Plaintiffs seek declaratory judgment and an injunction barring armed officers from polling places, drop boxes, and curbside voting locations.

Supporting reports

• DOJ sends letters to 30 election officials ordering retention of 2024 records and indicating investigation — Trump's Justice Department sent letters to at least 30 senior state election officials ordering retention of all 2024 election-related records, despite state laws permitting destruction of voting records 22 months after an election. The letters indicated that chief election officials "are currently under investigation" and subject to "ongoing litigation," though the nature, scope, and whether the probe is criminal or civil remain unclear. The action appears designed to create legal jeopardy for election administrators.

Supporting reports

• Nobel Prize scientist warns DOGE actions resemble election corruption scheme — Nobel Prize-winning scientist Geoffrey Hinton, known as "the godfather of AI," commented in the Musk documentary that "It's fairly clear to me that Trump is hell-bent on corrupting the midterm elections." Hinton stated that if one wanted to corrupt midterm elections using AI, "all you needed to do was get detailed information on U.S. citizens. And what DOGE did looked like just what you would do."

Supporting reports

• Trump delivers lengthy speech at Republican midterm convention in Dallas — President Trump spoke for 1 hour 44 minutes at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 10, 2026, making numerous false claims including that he won three presidential elections, that Democrats are "admitting" he won, and that he had equal crowds outside the arena. He promised $5,000 to every adult US citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress, proposed renaming geographic features (Gulf of America, Lake America, New Mexico to New America, Strait of Hormuz to Trump Strait), and made disparaging remarks about Democratic candidates and Iran.
• White House correspondent fact-checks Trump's convention attendance claims — Nandita Bose, White House correspondent for Reuters, fact-checked Trump's claims about the convention arena being full. She reported that the upper decks were empty, large stretches of side sections remained sparsely filled, and even with Trump onstage the arena was clearly not at capacity, contradicting Trump's repeated statements about the crowd size.

Supporting reports

• Missouri state supreme court rules Trump-backed congressional maps must go to voter referendum — The Missouri state supreme court ruled that the newly redrawn congressional maps, backed by President Trump and designed to favor Republicans, cannot be used in the November election without voter approval via referendum. The court's decision triggered fierce opposition from Trump, state Republicans, and the state attorney general, who claimed it would disenfranchise voters and create a constitutional crisis. This ruling preceded the conflicting federal court orders issued the same day.

Supporting reports

• Missouri federal judge issues temporary restraining order requiring use of Trump-backed congressional maps in November elections — US District Judge Stephen Clark issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on September 8, 2026, ordering Missouri to use newly drawn congressional districts favoring Republicans in the November general election, overriding the state supreme court's ruling that the maps must go to voters for approval. The TRO cited voter confusion and fairness concerns from using different maps in the primary versus general election. The order was immediately appealed to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, creating conflicting legal directives days before the election.
• Missouri federal judge orders use of Trump-backed congressional map despite state supreme court block — On September 9, 2026, federal district judge Stephen Clark (Eastern District of Missouri) issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) requiring Missouri to use newly drawn congressional districts favoring Republicans in the November midterm elections, overriding a unanimous Missouri Supreme Court ruling that had blocked the same maps. The TRO cited potential voter confusion if different maps were used for the general election versus the August primary. The decision triggered immediate appeals to the Eighth Circuit and US Supreme Court, leaving state election officials without legal clarity weeks before the election.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh denies emergency request to use Trump-backed Missouri congressional maps — Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied an emergency request from Missouri officials to use the newly redrawn congressional map favoring Republicans in the November elections. This denial occurred hours before the federal judge's contradictory TRO ordering use of those same maps. The conflicting rulings created immediate legal chaos regarding which map would govern Missouri's congressional elections.
• Justice Brett Kavanaugh denies Missouri officials' request to use Republican-favored House map — On September 9, 2026, US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied an emergency request from Missouri officials to use the House map favored by Republicans, leaving in place a unanimous Missouri Supreme Court ruling that had blocked the newer maps drawn to create an additional Republican-friendly seat. Kavanaugh's denial occurred hours before a federal district judge issued a contradictory TRO ordering use of the same Republican-backed map, creating legal chaos.

Supporting reports

• Sentinel Action Fund uses Musk's votesafe.org infrastructure to operate white-labeled voter registration site — Sentinel Action Fund, the super PAC affiliated with the Heritage Foundation, created register.sentinelactionfund.com using votesafe.org's white-labeled platform, which transmits collected voter data to America PAC's servers. Sentinel Action Fund then spent $650,000 advertising the site during Fox News' State of the Union coverage. The organization claimed the site made registration "easier" and prevented voter information from going to "extremist Democrat organizations," but the connection to Musk's surveillance infrastructure had not been previously disclosed to the public.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration deadline for State Citizenship Lists — Today, September 4, 2026, is the deadline Trump set in his March 31 election executive order for DHS, working with USCIS and the Social Security Administration, to compile State Citizenship Lists from federal citizenship, naturalization, Social Security, SAVE, and other government records and transmit updated versions to state election officials at least 60 days before the November 3 midterm elections.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration asks Supreme Court to revive Postal Service mail ballot requirements — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court Thursday to revive new Postal Service requirements for mail ballots after a federal judge temporarily blocked them. The requirements include voter list specifications, ballot envelope designs, and unique barcodes. The Supreme Court has not approved the rules. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson requested responses by September 8, and reporting indicated the online portal states would need to use was still not operational Thursday.

Supporting reports

• Steve Bannon announced plan to deploy ICE agents to surround polling places — On his podcast, Steve Bannon stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would "surround the polls come November" to prevent what he characterized as election theft, declaring "we will never again allow an election to be stolen." This public announcement of armed federal presence at polling locations preceded similar statements by administration officials and represented a coordinated messaging effort to normalize federal law enforcement at voting sites.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration attempted to use USPS to control ballot delivery — The Trump administration attempted to use the United States Postal Service as a gatekeeper to prevent delivery of ballots that the federal government deemed should not be delivered, despite state agency determinations. Courts blocked this effort, but a whistleblower revealed that despite court orders, the administration implemented a system that would discard entire batches of up to 10,000 ballots if a single ballot in the batch was rejected. This targets mail voting, which Democrats use at higher rates than Republicans.

Supporting reports

• ATP tax filings do not yet disclose Florida law enforcement funding ahead of 2026 election — ATP provided at least $210,000 to Leon County and $132,050 annually to Wakulla County, plus equipment donations to Gainesville police valued at $223,733, and funded Guardian Retreats for law enforcement officers. These payments fall in the 2025 financial year. ATP's 2025 tax return is not due until November 15, 2026, twelve days after the November 3, 2026 election. This timing means voters will not have access to documented evidence of the scale and nature of ATP's law enforcement funding operations before casting ballots in Marx's gubernatorial race.

Supporting reports

• DHS identifies over 250,000 potential noncitizens on voter rolls; state officials question accuracy — DHS reported identifying more than 250,000 potential noncitizens on voter rolls in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. State election officials questioned the numbers and how they were produced. In Nevada, DHS initially suggested nearly 16,000 noncitizens could be registered; after further review, federal officials told Nevada they had confirmed only 185 people as noncitizens, while more than 14,000 cases still required additional review.

Supporting reports

• Homeland Security Investigations launches coordinated voter fraud initiative — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began a coordinated voter fraud investigation across nine states, directing agents to investigate leads, conduct interviews, and develop cases for federal prosecutors. USCIS investigators are also assisting with election-related work, pulling the federal immigration system into election enforcement less than two months before the midterm elections.
• HSI launches nine-state voter-fraud investigation surge — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of ICE, has launched a voter-fraud investigation surge across nine states. The operation is set to start approximately two months before Election Day (November 3, 2026) and is planned to continue into the period when early and mail voting will be underway. Investigators have been instructed to follow leads and help move cases to federal prosecutors. The operation is scheduled to wind down in mid-October.

Supporting reports

• USCIS officers reassigned from immigration fraud to voter-data review — The Washington Post reported that hundreds of USCIS officers normally investigating fraud and security concerns in immigration applications have been reassigned to review voter data for noncitizens. DHS did not confirm the specific number, but a USCIS spokesperson confirmed the voter-data operation is underway. This reassignment diverts immigration personnel from their standard duties to support federal election enforcement efforts.

Supporting reports

• Homeland Security Secretary says ICE agents could be deployed to polling places — Markwayne Mullin, US homeland security secretary, stated on Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers could be deployed to polling sites if there is a threat or an active warrant being served. Democrats and voting rights groups have warned for months that the Trump administration might attempt to deploy federal agents to polling locations to intimidate voters ahead of November midterm elections. Federal law prohibits armed agents from being at election sites. The DHS later clarified ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations but may arrest individuals as part of targeted enforcement.
• Homeland Security Secretary Mullin declined to rule out ICE presence at polling places — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters on September 2, 2026, that he is not ruling out sending ICE agents to polling places, stating they would be present only if there is a threat or to serve a warrant. However, federal law explicitly prohibits armed agents from being present at polling locations during elections, making Mullin's statement a threat to violate federal law and suppress voting.

Supporting reports

• DHS redirects immigration officers to examine voter registration data for noncitizens — The Department of Homeland Security redirected hundreds of USCIS fraud and national security officers from immigration case work to examine voter information for possible noncitizen registrations. DHS claimed that nearly 250,000 noncitizens may be registered across four states, but the agency has not publicly substantiated the figure. State election officials examining the data have questioned its reliability. Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Republican, reported that federal officials acknowledged they lacked high confidence that thousands of Pennsylvania names DHS identified actually represented improperly registered noncitizens.

Supporting reports

• USPS whistleblower reports flawed ballot mail system designed to disrupt mail-in voting — Senator Richard Blumenthal released a whistleblower complaint alleging that the U.S. Postal Service has developed a new, untested IT system for handling federal election ballot mail that is "secretive, rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed." The whistleblower warns that a single barcode scanning failure in a batch of 10,000 ballots will reject the entire batch, potentially preventing millions of voters from receiving mail-in ballots. The system was developed despite a federal court injunction ordering work to stop. The whistleblower questions whether "catastrophic failure would be a feature rather than a bug."
• Federal whistleblower disclosed flaws in USPS mail-voting verification system — An anonymous federal worker filed a whistleblower disclosure with Senator Blumenthal warning that the U.S. Postal Service's new system to regulate mail voting for the midterms has been "rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed." The USPS issued the rule last week, and it is currently blocked by federal court. The whistleblower alleges workers were forced to create the system in weeks when it should have taken 9 months, and that work continued on implementation even after being ordered to stop. The disclosure warns the Trump administration "has hidden the high likelihood that the new ballot mail verification processes will result in major disruptions in mail ballots ever getting delivered to voters." Specific concerns include rejection of entire batches of thousands of ballots when a problem with one voter is found, and no planning for inevitable errors. The whistleblower called one portion of internal software "garbage."
• USPS whistleblower reports catastrophic flaws in new ballot-handling system — A whistleblower disclosed to Congress that the new USPS system for handling federal election ballot mail contains "potentially catastrophic problems." The system rejects entire batches of ballots if even a single barcode fails to scan during verification, preventing thousands of ballots from reaching voters. The disclosure was made public on September 2, four days before Massachusetts began sending mail-in ballots.
• Senator Blumenthal demands USPS Postmaster General cease ballot mail project and provide records — Senator Richard Blumenthal, top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, issued formal demands to Postmaster General David Steiner to abandon the ballot mail IT project, cease work ordered halted by federal court, and provide by September 8 all records related to the project, including names and dates of personnel involved. Blumenthal characterized the system as designed to "disenfranchise millions of Americans," noting that one-third of all Americans cast ballots by mail.

Supporting reports

• Senator Blumenthal demands USPS Postmaster General cease ballot mail project and provide records — Senator Richard Blumenthal, top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, issued formal demands to Postmaster General David Steiner to abandon the ballot mail IT project, cease work ordered halted by federal court, and provide by September 8 all records related to the project, including names and dates of personnel involved. Blumenthal characterized the system as designed to "disenfranchise millions of Americans," noting that one-third of all Americans cast ballots by mail.
• Senator Blumenthal requested information on USPS mail-voting plan and accused administration of political motivation — Senator Blumenthal requested detailed information from the Postmaster General about the USPS mail-voting verification plan. Blumenthal stated the USPS rule puts all mail voters at risk and accused the Trump administration of being "hellbent on changing the framework of casting ballots in this country, clearly for political reasons."
• Federal whistleblower disclosed flaws in USPS mail-voting verification system — An anonymous federal worker filed a whistleblower disclosure with Senator Blumenthal warning that the U.S. Postal Service's new system to regulate mail voting for the midterms has been "rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed." The USPS issued the rule last week, and it is currently blocked by federal court. The whistleblower alleges workers were forced to create the system in weeks when it should have taken 9 months, and that work continued on implementation even after being ordered to stop. The disclosure warns the Trump administration "has hidden the high likelihood that the new ballot mail verification processes will result in major disruptions in mail ballots ever getting delivered to voters." Specific concerns include rejection of entire batches of thousands of ballots when a problem with one voter is found, and no planning for inevitable errors. The whistleblower called one portion of internal software "garbage."

Supporting reports

• Complaint filed: Electronic Privacy Information Center v. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, et al. (D. Md.) — Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland challenging Executive Order 14399 and a Department of Homeland Security implementation memorandum directing creation of "State Citizenship Lists" derived from federal citizenship, naturalization, Social Security, and other databases to be sent to state election officials. EPIC alleges the collection, disclosure, and consolidation of members' sensitive personal information—including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and citizenship status—without consent violates the Privacy Act, Administrative Procedure Act, and constitutional provisions including separation of powers and the Elections Clause. EPIC contends the data is unreliable and risks eligible voters being misidentified as non-citizens and purged from voter rolls. Plaintiff seeks declaratory relief, vacation of the lists, deletion of data, and injunctive relief against further disclosure or use.

Supporting reports

• Senate GOP leaders warn Trump on Paxton endorsement; MAGA Inc. funding stalls — Senate GOP leaders warned Trump before the May Texas primary that if Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination over incumbent John Cornyn, Trump's political operation would need to bankroll the expensive general election campaign. More than three months later, MAGA Inc. has not spent significantly on the race. Democrats and James Talarico have dominated Texas airwaves since June, outspending Republicans by approximately $31.5 million to $4.7 million. Paxton's campaign has spent just over $150,000 on advertising since June. Republican leaders including Sen. John Kennedy stated the Senate lacks budgeted funds for Texas and needs help from the President.

Supporting reports

• Mike Rogers makes false claim about witnessing Osama bin Laden's body — Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, former House Intelligence Committee chair, claimed in a fundraising email that he "saw the dead body of Osama bin Laden with my own eyes." In fact, Rogers was in Washington DC on May 1, 2011, when the raid occurred in Pakistan. He was informed by phone by CIA Director Leon Panetta and later saw a photograph of Bin Laden's body, not the body itself. Rogers has a pattern of exaggerating his role in counterterrorism operations.
• Mike Rogers misleads supporters about role in Osama bin Laden killing — Republican candidate Mike Rogers, in a fundraising email, suggested he played an active role in the killing of Osama bin Laden, stating he "saw the dead body of Osama bin Laden with my own eyes, knowing that together, we had delivered justice for America." However, Rogers was not in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 1, 2011, when bin Laden was killed, nor was he in the White House Situation Room where President Obama and senior officials followed the raid. Instead, Rogers was at home in Washington, D.C., where as chair of the House Intelligence Committee, he was informed of the raid in a phone call from CIA Director Leon Panetta.

Supporting reports

• Preliminary injunction ruling — League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump (D. Mass.) 1:26-cv-11549 — Judge Talwani found that USPS Defendants violated the court's preliminary injunction related to “initiating or completing rulemaking to promulgate” specific regulations outlined in Section 3 of EO 14399 by sending a corresponding Final Rule to the Federal Register on Aug. 22, 2026. However, the court declined to impose a remedy “other than identifying the violation,” finding that the relief requested by Plaintiffs would not remedy the past violation but noting that Plaintiffs could choose to file an amended complaint.
• Democratic attorneys general from 23 states filed lawsuit challenging the USPS mail-in ballot rule — Democratic attorneys general from 23 states filed a new lawsuit Wednesday challenging the now-final USPS rule that allows the Postal Service to police mail-in ballot eligibility. The AGs sought an emergency block on the rule, with the first mail-in ballots set to go out the following week.
• Federal judge lifted the last remaining block on Trump's plan to give the Postal Service a new role in policing mail-in ballots — Judge Talwani granted Defendants' motion to reconsider and vacated the court's Aug. 11 preliminary injunction blocking Section 3 of EO 14399 following the Supreme Court's intervening stay of a separate preliminary injunction to Sections 2 and 3 of the same EO in a different but related case, Trump v. California . The vacatur is without prejudice to Plaintiffs amending their complaint. That same day, Plaintiffs filed a Supplemental Complaint adding claims directly challenging the USPS Aug. 21, 2026 Final Rule implementing Section 3 of EO 14399 as a separation-of-powers violation and as unlawful agency action exceeding USPS statutory authority under Title 39. Plaintiffs seek declaratory relief that the EO and Final Rules are unlawful and enjoinment of Defendants from continuing implementation of the Final Rule.
• Preliminary injunction ruling — State of California v. United States Postal Service (D. Mass.) 1:26-cv-13917 — A U.S. district judge reluctantly lifted the final injunction blocking Trump's plan to reshape how mail-in ballots are handled. The judge stated the Supreme Court ruling earlier in the week left her little choice. The new Postal Service rules could result in ballots being rejected from voters who do not appear on newly compiled federal eligibility lists. Democratic attorneys general from 23 states filed a new lawsuit Wednesday challenging the now-final USPS rule and seeking an emergency block before mail-in ballots begin going out the following week.
• USPS implements Trump executive order restricting mail-in ballot delivery — Judge Talwani granted in part Plaintiffs' emergency motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), staying implementation or enforcement of certain provisions of the USPS Final Rule for 14 days as to elections occurring on or before Nov. 3, 2026. The court found Plaintiffs likely to succeed on their claims that USPS lacked statutory authority to issue the Final Rule and that it is unconstitutional. The Court also found Plaintiff Organizations' members to be at risk of irreparable harm, facing a significant risk of disenfranchisement and interference with their rights under state laws. The Court is yet to rule on the Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction.
• Twenty-four states and DC file lawsuit challenging Trump mail-voting executive order — Judge Talwani granted in part Plaintiffs' emergency motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), staying implementation or enforcement of certain provisions of the USPS Final Rule for 14 days as to elections occurring on or before Nov. 3, 2026. The court found Plaintiffs likely to succeed on their claims that USPS lacked statutory authority to issue the Final Rule and that it is unconstitutional. The Court also found Plaintiff States face irreparable harm as “compliance [with the Final Rule's requirements] is practically impossible as to the 2026 midterm elections.” The Court is yet to rule on the Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction.
• U.S. District Judge Talwani temporarily blocked mail-voting restrictions — The US Postal Service announced implementation of new rules requiring the post office to withhold ballots for mail-in voting to voters deemed ineligible by Department of Homeland Security and other federal records. The rules stem from a Trump executive order issued earlier in 2026 and apply immediately to November's midterm elections. The US Supreme Court lifted a lower court injunction on Monday; US District Judge Indira Talwani lifted a nationwide block on Wednesday. Twenty-four states and DC filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the order as usurping state and congressional authority over elections.
• US District Judge Talwani lifts nationwide block on USPS mail ballot rule — Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to block the Trump executive order restricting mail-in voting in the 2026 midterm elections. The states argue the USPS policy is part of a broader effort by the administration to "rewrite federal election law and usurp the authority of the states and Congress."
• — Late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Talwani temporarily blocked the Postal Service from enforcing Trump's new mail-voting rule, one day after USPS announced the requirements took effect. The temporary block lasts 14 days while the court considers a longer preliminary injunction, with a hearing scheduled for September 3. The case could quickly return to the Supreme Court. As of Friday morning, Trump's new mail-ballot restrictions are currently blocked.
• — US District Judge Indira Talwani lifted her nationwide injunction blocking implementation of the USPS mail ballot delivery rule, citing the Supreme Court's decision to lift the lower court injunction. The ruling clears the way for the rule to take effect for November's midterm elections.