Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump appealed to Supreme Court to override lower courts' rulings on ballroom construction authority — Trump appealed to the Supreme Court seeking to override lower courts' rulings that he lacks the authority to build a ballroom structure without congressional permission. The ballroom project has become a point of controversy, with Trump spending significant time and resources on Washington, D.C. renovation and beautification projects while the administration faces other pressing issues.
• Supreme Court deadline set for Trump ballroom construction intervention — Tomorrow (August 21, 2026) is the deadline for the Supreme Court to intervene on Trump's ballroom construction project. If the Court chooses not to take the case, construction must be halted based on a prior court order.
• Supreme Court temporarily halts lower court order blocking White House ballroom construction — Chief Justice John Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday permitting construction of Trump's controversial White House ballroom to continue while the Supreme Court considers an emergency appeal from the administration. An appeals court had ordered work to stop pending legal review, concluding the project likely requires congressional approval. The administration argued the 90,000-square-foot ballroom and underground military facility are critical to presidential security. Democrats criticized the decision as "rubber stamping Trump's vanity-driven, gilded corruption." The project, already 65% complete after 10 months, is expected to cost over $400 million.

Supporting reports

• Trump conducts White House grounds tour showcasing renovations and new helipad — President Trump led press corps on a 40-minute tour of White House grounds undergoing extensive remodeling he personally oversees, including a new granite driveway, refurbished columns, newly laid sod, and an ornate helipad. Trump autographed a stone inscribed with his name for the helipad center and praised the grass quality, which he noted was donated by Scotts Miracle-Gro, a campaign contributor. The tour occurred as national debt exceeded $40 trillion and an Iran war Trump initiated continued.

Supporting reports

• Trump's Freedom Grand Prix car race scheduled for Washington D.C. streets — Trump's Freedom Grand Prix car race is scheduled to take place this weekend on the streets of Washington D.C. The event will feature 25 IndyCars traveling at speeds of 180 to 190 miles per hour on city streets. Preparation required welding down 200 manhole covers and removing some street lights. White House Director of Protocol Monica Crowley announced the event.

Supporting reports

• Sean Duffy's "Great American Road Trip" YouTube series premiered with minimal viewership — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's six-episode YouTube reality show, filmed over seven months while serving in his Cabinet position, premiered on the Department of Transportation's YouTube channel. The series, which was originally scheduled for June but delayed, features Duffy, his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy (a Fox and Friends co-host), and their nine children traveling through seven states. After 24 hours, all six episodes combined had accumulated just over 5,000 views.

Supporting reports

• Office of the Comptroller of the Currency approved bank charter for World Liberty Financial — Late Friday night, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency approved a preliminary charter for World Liberty Financial (WLF), a cryptocurrency venture launched by the Trump family and close allies the Witkoff family, to become a bank. The charter permits WLF to issue USD1, a stablecoin, and to manage customer assets and settle payments. Reuters reports WLF had funneled more than $1.6 billion to Trump and his family as of April 2026.
• Office of the Comptroller of the Currency approved Trump family crypto business banking charter — The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, led by Trump appointee Jonathan Gould, announced conditional approval for World Liberty Financial—a crypto venture controlled by the Trump family—to receive a banking charter. This will allow WLF to issue stablecoin tokens inside the U.S. without an intermediary. Trump made $65 million in 2025 selling WLF shares and nearly $600 million selling stablecoins through the venture, according to financial disclosures.

Supporting reports

• Trump offered paid subscriptions to presidential announcements — Trump is offering paid subscriptions to presidential announcements on war, peace, and economic policy, with paying customers receiving information first. Sen. Ossoff characterized this as selling access to presidential pronouncements on matters of national importance.
• Trump sold early access to Truth Social posts for up to $100,000 per month — Trump has been selling early access to his Truth Social posts for as much as $100,000 a month. Investors appear to be making substantial profits by anticipating Trump's posts, which move financial markets. The arrangement has been widely reported and discussed as a potential form of insider trading.

Supporting reports

• Trump purchased stock before canceling tariffs and profited from market rebound — Sen. Jon Ossoff reported that Trump announced tariffs on April 2, which crashed markets for a week. Six days into the crash, Trump purchased millions in stock (Amazon, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Berkshire Hathaway). The next morning, Trump posted on Truth Social "This is a great time to buy" with three exclamation marks. Three hours and 41 minutes after that post, Trump canceled the tariffs, triggering one of the biggest same-day market rebound rallies in history, allowing Trump to profit from the price recovery.

Supporting reports

• OCC grants conditional bank charter to Trump-family-owned crypto bank World Liberty Financial Trust Company — The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted conditional approval on August 14, 2026, to World Liberty Financial Trust Company, a crypto bank approximately 38% owned by Donald Trump and his family members, to issue the Trump-backed stablecoin USD1. The bank will not lend money or offer deposit insurance but will collect deposits and invest them in Treasury bonds while earning interest for itself. Critics and experts argue the approval creates a mechanism for depositors to "curry favor" with the White House, as USD1 has minimal market utility outside its Trump connection.

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• Senators Murray and Murphy request information on luxury planes for FBI director and border advisor — Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top-ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) requested information from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin regarding the purchase of twelve new planes, including one equipped with a bedroom, shower, kitchen, bar, and flatscreen televisions, to transport FBI Director Kash Patel and Trump's border advisor Tom Homan. The FBI already maintains a plane for the director's use. The senators characterized the purchases as wasteful expenditure of taxpayer funds for luxury amenities.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration petitions Supreme Court to override congressional authority over White House construction — The Trump administration, through U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, filed a petition with the United States Supreme Court on August 14, 2026, seeking to allow continued construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House. Trump demolished the East Wing without congressional approval and began construction of the ballroom, initially claiming no taxpayer cost but with estimates now reaching $900 million, primarily funded by taxpayers. Lower courts and an appeals court ruled the project requires congressional approval; the administration claims the ballroom is 65% complete and critical for national security.
• Trump administration petitions Supreme Court to halt appeals court order blocking White House ballroom construction — The Trump administration filed an emergency petition with the US Supreme Court requesting a stay of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals' decision halting construction of a $400 million White House ballroom. The appeals court had ruled the project lacked required Congressional approval. Solicitor General D John Sauer argued the ballroom is part of an integrated military security complex essential to national security. Chief Justice Roberts set a Tuesday deadline for plaintiffs to respond. The lower court had blocked aboveground work but permitted underground security construction to continue.
• Trump asked Supreme Court to allow White House ballroom construction to continue — Trump asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for his White House ballroom to continue construction before an appeals court ruling halting above-ground work goes into effect on August 21. The Trump administration argues the injunction "threatens the security and safety" of the president.

Supporting reports

• Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao — Trump granted a pardon to Changpeng Zhao, Binance's ex-CEO and founder, who had pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to violating the Bank Secrecy Act and failing to maintain an effective anti-money-laundering program. Zhao served a four-month jail term in 2024 before receiving the pardon in 2025. Zhao still owns 90 percent of Binance, which has been plagued by money-laundering violations and internal findings of $1.7 billion in crypto moving to Iranian entities linked to terrorism.

Supporting reports

• Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao — Trump granted a pardon to Changpeng Zhao, Binance's ex-CEO and founder, who had pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to violating the Bank Secrecy Act and failing to maintain an effective anti-money-laundering program. Zhao served a four-month jail term in 2024 before receiving the pardon in 2025. Zhao still owns 90 percent of Binance, which has been plagued by money-laundering violations and internal findings of $1.7 billion in crypto moving to Iranian entities linked to terrorism.
• Trump settles $10 billion IRS lawsuit with immunity provision — Trump used the Department of Justice to forge a settlement of his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS regarding a leak of his tax returns. The settlement grants Trump and his family immunity from IRS audits of prior tax returns and could save him approximately $100 million. A federal judge later found that because Trump controlled both sides of the case, there was no genuine adversity of parties to provide the court with jurisdiction, characterizing the arrangement as essentially a gift to Trump at taxpayer expense.
• Trump uses presidency to amass $2.2bn in personal revenue through crypto, Truth Social, and foreign deals — Donald Trump has generated approximately $2.2 billion in personal revenue during his second presidency through multiple ventures: $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency holdings (including $799 million from World Liberty Financial and $636 million from his $Trump memecoin), a $100,000-per-month Truth Social scheme offering wealthy buyers early access to presidential posts, a $10 billion IRS settlement providing tax immunity, and a $400 million plane gift from Qatar. Ethics experts and congressional Democrats have raised corruption concerns, noting that Trump has declined to place assets in a blind trust and has dismantled regulatory guardrails that previously constrained presidential conflicts of interest.
• Trump's World Liberty Financial receives $2 billion UAE investment in Binance deal — Trump's World Liberty Financial (WLF), co-founded by Trump and his sons with Steve Witkoff's family in fall 2024, received a central role in a $2 billion investment by Abu Dhabi's MGX fund (backed by the United Arab Emirates) into Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange. The deal involved MGX purchasing $2 billion of WLF's USD1 stablecoin for investment in Binance. This arrangement occurred despite Binance's 2023 guilty plea to money-laundering violations, a $4.3 billion DOJ fine, and internal findings that $1.7 billion in crypto moved through Binance to Iranian entities linked to terrorism.
• Truth Social launches $100,000-per-month early-access scheme for wealthy investors — Trump's Truth Social media business announced a new scheme offering wealthy buyers special early access to Trump's posts for a fee of $100,000 per month, dubbed Truth API. The product would provide institutional investors with high-speed access to non-public presidential communications before public release. Democratic senators Mark Warner, Elizabeth Warren, and Adam Schiff, along with ethics watchdog groups, have raised serious conflict-of-interest and corruption concerns, characterizing the arrangement as insider trading and a step toward normalizing public corruption.
• Trump accepts $400 million plane gift from Qatar — Trump circumvented the Constitution's prohibition on foreign emoluments by accepting a $400 million plane as a gift from Qatar. This arrangement, along with other wealthy foreign backing of Trump family hotel and golf deals abroad, has raised concerns among critics about violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause.
• Businessman under UK money-laundering investigation invested $100 million in Trump crypto — The New York Times reported that a businessman once under investigation in the UK for money laundering became one of the biggest buyers of tokens from Trump's cryptocurrency company, spending $100 million through a newly formed firm. As much as three-quarters of the money ultimately went to a company controlled by Trump and his sons.

Supporting reports

• Truth Social launches $100,000-per-month early-access scheme for wealthy investors — Trump's Truth Social media business announced a new scheme offering wealthy buyers special early access to Trump's posts for a fee of $100,000 per month, dubbed Truth API. The product would provide institutional investors with high-speed access to non-public presidential communications before public release. Democratic senators Mark Warner, Elizabeth Warren, and Adam Schiff, along with ethics watchdog groups, have raised serious conflict-of-interest and corruption concerns, characterizing the arrangement as insider trading and a step toward normalizing public corruption.

Supporting reports

• Treasury and FinCEN eliminated beneficial ownership reporting requirement — The Treasury Department and FinCEN announced a final rule permanently eliminating the requirement for U.S. companies and individuals to report beneficial ownership information. FinCEN also announced it will delete all beneficial ownership information already collected. The beneficial ownership reporting requirement, enacted in 2020, was designed to prevent drug traffickers, Russian and Chinese kleptocrats, and international criminals from hiding money in anonymous shell companies. Former Congressman Tom Malinowski stated the move is likely illegal, as the administration is making its own rules to circumvent a law passed by Congress.
• Treasury Department repeals beneficial ownership reporting requirement — The Treasury Department officially repealed the requirement for U.S. companies and individuals to report beneficial ownership information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), implemented under the Biden administration pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act passed by Congress in 2020. The repeal also exempts Americans who obtained FinCEN IDs from updating or correcting information and eliminates the requirement for foreign companies to report Americans who helped them register to do business in the U.S. The original law was authored by then-Senator Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State, who had called it "the most significant anti-corruption and money laundering law in decades."

Supporting reports

• Complaint filed: Intercept Media, Inc. v. Trump (S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-06867) — Intercept Media, Inc. and Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York challenging President Trump's use of Truth Social to announce official government business and Trump Media & Technology Group's "Truth API," a subscription service charging up to $100,000 per month for early access to presidential posts. Plaintiffs allege they cannot subscribe for financial and editorial-independence reasons and thus face delayed access to official announcements relative to paying subscribers. The complaint asserts violations of the First Amendment right to receive public officials' statements on equal terms, First Amendment limits on government restriction of access to designated public forums, First and Fifth Amendment unconstitutional-conditions doctrine, and Fifth Amendment equal protection. Plaintiffs seek declaratory judgment and an injunction barring defendants from posting official government information exclusively on Truth Social through the paid early-access API.
• Trump sued over Truth API subscription service selling early access to market-sensitive posts — The Intercept and Freedom of the Press Foundation filed suit in US District Court for the Southern District of New York against Trump, two aides, and the Executive Office of the President, challenging "Truth API," a paid data feed launched August 1 by Trump Media & Technology Group. The service charges $100,000/month (or $60,000/month for three-year commitments) for early access to posts from Trump and nine other senior officials' accounts on Truth Social. The complaint alleges the arrangement is corrupt and unconstitutional, allowing Trump—who remains Truth Media's largest shareholder—to personally profit from selling privileged access to information generated in his official capacity. The suit seeks to declare the service unlawful and bar the administration from using Truth Social as an exclusive venue for official announcements while selling preferential access.

Supporting reports

• Court Accountability analysis reveals Alito gained up to $2.9m from oil and gas assets since 2005; watchdog calls for recusal from Suncor v Boulder case — Court Accountability, a judicial watchdog group, released a financial analysis showing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito gained between $390,000 and $2.9 million from oil and gas holdings between 2005 and 2024. The analysis examined Alito's disclosed assets, including mineral rights in Oklahoma and inherited ExxonMobil stock. The findings emerge as the Supreme Court prepares to hear Suncor Energy and Exxon's case challenging federal law on climate accountability lawsuits. Court Accountability and other groups called for Alito's recusal; he and the Court rejected those calls.

Supporting reports

• Park Service redirected $323 million to Trump White House projects — Internal Park Service records obtained by Meidas reporter Scott Macfarlane reveal that more than $323 million have been made available for upgrades and projects on White House grounds in 2026, a dramatic increase of nearly 5,000 percent from the $7.5 million spent on such projects in 2024. The records show corresponding multi-million-dollar reductions in funding for major national parks including Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon. Tim Whitehouse of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility characterized the reallocation as using the National Park Service as "a piggy bank for Trump's vanity projects."
• Trump administration diverts $323 million from National Park Service to White House renovations — More than $323 million has been funneled from the National Park Service to Trump's vanity projects on the White House grounds, according to reporting by Scott MacFarlane on August 11. This represents a nearly 5,000% increase over the $7.5 million spent at the White House in 2024, the final year of the Biden presidency. The diversion occurs even as Trump's own Interior Secretary Doug Burgum estimates a $30 billion backlog of deferred maintenance in the parks themselves. An additional $100 million has been allotted to the National Mall this year. The $423 million allocated for White House and National Mall projects in 2026 exceeds the combined funding for Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Mammoth Cave, Zion, Joshua Tree, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Statue of Liberty complex.

Supporting reports

• Ken Paxton's undisclosed cellular tower income under scrutiny — New York Times reporting reveals that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, locked in a close Senate race, has received between $100,000 and $1 million every 18 months from a cellular tower company. At least one tower controlled by the company was erected on property of a hospital where Paxton served as a board member. Industry experts stated that a hospital board must review and approve land leases to cell tower companies, but it is unclear whether Paxton voted on or participated in discussions regarding the contract between the hospital and his company. The income source has not been previously disclosed and raises questions about potential conflicts of interest.

Supporting reports

• Jared Kushner purchased disputed Albanian property — A Kushner-backed development group purchased a Mediterranean resort property in Albania for over $120 million from Artur Shehu, a suspected gangster who fled to Miami after a gunfight at his bar. Local villagers had written to Kushner contending the property was stolen from them in the 2000s and that they were locked in nearly two decades of court disputes with Shehu. Two months after the purchase, Albanian prosecutors sought Shehu's arrest for allegedly playing a lead role in an international drug-smuggling operation and money laundering through stolen property, including the peninsula in question.
• Kushner's Albania resort development faces corruption investigation — Kushner's 2024 plan to develop Sazan Island and a nearby peninsula in Albania into a luxury resort with 10,000 hotel rooms has faced ongoing protests and investigation by Albania's corruption watchdog. In June 2026, Albanian prosecutors accused the man from whom Kushner's development group purchased the land—Artur Shehu—of leading an international drug-smuggling operation and using forged ownership documents to acquire the peninsula property, which he then sold to Kushner's group for $120 million.

Supporting reports

• Hegseth blames Deputy Secretary Feinberg for weapons shortage crisis — According to Washington Post sources, Defense Secretary Hegseth responded to Trump's confrontation by blaming Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, a private equity billionaire overseeing the newly created Economic Defense Unit (EDU). The EDU directs government investment in private sector defense contractors and has negotiated deals for the government to take equity stakes in those businesses while Feinberg simultaneously pushes Congress to pass a $1.5 trillion military budget.

Supporting reports

• Senate confirms Todd Blanche as attorney general — The US Senate voted 50-49 to confirm Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal attorney, as attorney general. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cast the deciding vote after two Republicans (Collins, Murkowski) opposed the nomination. Blanche had been serving in an acting capacity and faced pushback over a proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" and tax immunity provisions for Trump, his sons, and businesses. Cornyn and Tillis secured written assurances the fund would not proceed, enabling narrow confirmation.
• Todd Blanche confirmed as US Attorney General — The Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as US Attorney General. Legal scholar Sherrilyn Ifill characterized the confirmation as signaling the collapse of the rule of law and the beginning of an accelerated program to suppress dissent. The confirmation occurred amid ongoing concerns about the use of the Justice Department as a political instrument.
• Senate confirmed Trump's former criminal defense lawyer Todd Blanche as attorney general — The Senate narrowly voted to confirm Todd Blanche, Trump's former criminal defense lawyer, as attorney general on August 8. As acting attorney general, Blanche greenlit the second indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, reauthorized the use of firing squads for death penalty executions, and signed off on a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" (now supposedly rescinded). The confirmation marks a significant shift in DOJ leadership toward Trump's personal interests.
• Senate Republicans confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General — At 4:00 a.m. on August 9, 2026, just before a five-week recess, Senate Republicans confirmed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the permanent position of Attorney General of the United States. Blanche, who served as President Trump's personal criminal lawyer, becomes the top law enforcement officer of the country. Some Republicans, including 92-year-old Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley, expressed enthusiasm for the nomination. Others expressed skepticism but stated they believed confirming Blanche was preferable to allowing Trump to select an alternative candidate.
• Todd Blanche sworn in as attorney general by Trump defense lawyer Emil Bove — On August 10, Todd Blanche took the oath of office as attorney general, administered by federal appeals court judge Emil Bove, a Trump defense lawyer who later became deputy at the Department of Justice. The ceremony excluded the press but included FBI director Kash Patel and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Retired conservative judge J. Michael Luttig characterized Blanche as "the symbol of Donald Trump's corruption of the rule of law" and called his confirmation "a shameful act of acquiescence" by Senate Republicans.
• Todd Blanche sworn in as US attorney general — Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal criminal defense lawyer, was sworn in as US attorney general on Monday following a narrow 50-49 Senate confirmation vote on Saturday. Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since April. He previously represented Trump in criminal cases before joining the administration as deputy attorney general in early 2025. His tenure has included the departure of over 200 prosecutors and agents who worked on Trump-related investigations.

Supporting reports

• Senators delay hemp product ban at administration request benefiting Wiles family — Trump signed a ban on intoxicating hemp products into law last year. Senators are now working at the administration's request to delay the ban's implementation. The son-in-law of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who is the CEO of companies selling such hemp products, stands to benefit from the delay, according to the New York Times.

Supporting reports

• Freedom 250 sponsors failed to disclose donations to state fair — Sponsors of Freedom 250's Great American State Fair failed to properly disclose their donations, according to a NOTUS analysis of federal lobbyist contribution reports. Major corporations including Lockheed Martin, ExxonMobil, and UnitedHealth Group did not make required disclosures. The violations could breach federal lobbying law.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge temporarily halts financial records disclosure order in Trump v. BBC libel case — US District Judge Roy Altman issued a temporary stay of a discovery order requiring Donald Trump to produce detailed financial records to the BBC in an ongoing libel lawsuit. Trump's legal team sought the suspension, arguing the BBC's demand for information about his business empire was "shockingly broad" and politically motivated. The judge indicated that if Trump successfully narrows his claims to reputational harm alone, the BBC's need for financial records might diminish. The BBC countered that Trump's business value remains relevant and that his $10 billion damages claim would be difficult to justify without financial evidence.

Supporting reports

• Trump legal team seeks to block court order requiring financial disclosure to BBC — Donald Trump's legal team filed an emergency motion on Wednesday to temporarily halt a Miami court order requiring the president to disclose detailed financial records to the BBC by August 6, 2026. The disclosure was ordered as part of Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster over a 2024 documentary on the January 6 Capitol attack. Trump's attorneys argued the BBC's document demands were "shockingly broad" and politically motivated, and requested the lawsuit be narrowed to focus only on "reputation harm" rather than financial impact.
• Trump pursues $10 billion defamation suit against Wall Street Journal — On Wednesday, Trump's legal team moved to advance a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal to trial. The suit stems from the Journal's reporting on a letter Trump allegedly included in a birthday book for Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, which the president characterized as "bawdy." The action is part of a broader pattern of Trump litigation against media outlets publishing critical coverage.
• Emergency Motion Filed in Trump's Suit Against BBC — Trump's family trust has filed an emergency motion to block a court order requiring the disclosure of financial records in his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC. The motion comes after months of delays in the case, with a Trump-appointed judge pausing the order for financial disclosure.
• Federal Judge Freezes Discovery in Trump's Defamation Suit — A federal judge has frozen discovery in former President Trump's defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. This decision prevents Trump from deposing Rupert Murdoch while the court considers dismissing the case. The lawsuit stems from the Journal's reporting on a letter allegedly linked to Trump in Jeffrey Epstein's birthday album.
• Federal judge temporarily halts financial records disclosure order in Trump v. BBC libel case — US District Judge Roy Altman issued a temporary stay of a discovery order requiring Donald Trump to produce detailed financial records to the BBC in an ongoing libel lawsuit. Trump's legal team sought the suspension, arguing the BBC's demand for information about his business empire was "shockingly broad" and politically motivated. The judge indicated that if Trump successfully narrows his claims to reputational harm alone, the BBC's need for financial records might diminish. The BBC countered that Trump's business value remains relevant and that his $10 billion damages claim would be difficult to justify without financial evidence.