Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump administration denies White House access to CNN and MS Now journalists despite federal court order — On Thursday evening, the Trump administration barred journalists from CNN and MS Now from covering a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping, hours after U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued an overnight order requiring the administration to restore press credentials to the three banned outlets (CNN, MS Now, Politico). CNN was permitted only a photojournalist and audio technician, excluding editorial staff. MS Now reporter Laura Barrón-López was denied credentials entirely. The administration had revoked the outlets' hard passes on Saturday, citing "fake news," but Kelly ruled the revocation violated due process and likely breached First Amendment protections.
• White House blocked CNN and MS NOW from state dinner with Chinese leader Xi Jinping — On the evening of September 25, CNN and MS NOW were blocked from full access to the White House state dinner with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The White House told CNN it could send only an audio producer and a cameraman, not a reporter or producer. CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes stated the outlet was "specifically denied access" and that the White House was "not letting in the CNN editorial presence."

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• Trump posted digitally altered image on social media showing him with Xi Jinping — Trump posted an image on his social media account showing himself and Xi Jinping standing together on a red carpet in front of an airplane labeled Air China, with a military aircraft flying over a circle of stars and "Only Trump" superimposed in blackletter font. Journalist Aaron Rupar of Public Notice identified the image as digitally altered, with the chief officer of protocol Monica Crowley's image replaced by what appears to be Trump aide Natalie Harp.

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• Federal judge orders Trump administration to restore White House press credentials to banned outlets — U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued an early-morning order on Thursday requiring the Trump administration to restore press credentials to journalists from CNN, MS Now, and Politico for a 14-day period. The judge found the administration likely violated due process and First Amendment protections when it revoked the outlets' hard passes on Saturday without advance notice or opportunity to be heard. Kelly ruled the standards cited by the White House were "so vague" as to be constitutionally inadequate and expressed skepticism that national security was the actual motivation, noting Trump's content-based statements about the ban. A hearing on a preliminary injunction was scheduled during the 14-day restoration period.
• Federal judge ordered White House to restore press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters — U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day restraining order requiring the White House to immediately restore press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters after Trump banned them. The judge found the news organizations were likely to succeed on their claim that their passes were revoked without due process. When reporters attempted to cover Trump's event with Chinese President Xi, they were initially denied access in defiance of the court order, prompting attorneys to file an emergency motion. The White House eventually admitted the reporters after other media outlets joined a boycott.
• U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted media outlets' request to block Trump's White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico — After a hearing on Trump's Friday ban of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House campus, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly (appointed by Trump in 2017) granted the media outlets' request for a temporary restraining order, finding that the administration's national security justification was pretextual. Kelly noted that the stories the White House objected to were "routine" and that one was based on a White House press call. Kelly ordered the credentials of 78 journalists restored immediately.

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• White House denied access to reporters in defiance of court order — Despite the federal court's overnight restraining order, White House staff denied access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters when they arrived to cover Trump's event with Chinese President Xi on the morning of September 24. The denial occurred in direct defiance of the judicial order. Attorneys for the media companies filed an emergency motion requesting an expedited hearing, which was granted and scheduled for 12:45 p.m. The White House eventually admitted the reporters just before the emergency hearing was set to begin.
• White House continued to deny CNN, Politico, and MS NOW access despite court order — Despite Judge Kelly's order restoring journalist credentials, the White House continued to deny reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW access to the White House campus on the morning of September 25. The outlets' lawyers requested an emergency hearing, citing repeated violations of the court's order. After the judge ordered the administration to respond, the reporters were allowed back into the area.

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• California and 11 state attorneys general settled antitrust lawsuit against Paramount without requiring meaningful concessions — On September 23, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general settled a lawsuit to block Paramount, controlled by the Trump-supporting Ellison family, from acquiring Warner Bros. According to Popular Information, the settlement did not require Paramount to divest important assets or make any meaningful concessions, representing a capitulation by the state officials.
• California and 11 states drop antitrust lawsuit against Paramount-Warner Bros. merger without securing meaningful concessions — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic state attorneys general withdrew their antitrust lawsuit challenging Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. on September 23, 2026. The lawsuit, filed July 13, had secured a temporary restraining order blocking the merger and placed Paramount in a weakened negotiating position. The settlement, formalized in a consent decree, required no asset divestiture and included only nominal commitments: an "Editorial Independence Board" controlled entirely by David Ellison's family (which will hold 77.5% voting shares), and a pledge to release 30 films annually—a commitment Ellison had already made voluntarily months earlier. The settlement also exempts Paramount from obligations during strikes, labor disruptions, or economic recessions.

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• David Ellison reportedly pledged to reshape CNN editorial direction to secure Trump administration support for merger — According to reporting in the article, David Ellison told Trump administration officials that "he'd make sweeping changes to CNN" as part of his campaign to win Trump's support for the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. This statement, made prior to the settlement, indicates that editorial changes at CNN were explicitly tied to securing political backing for the transaction. The article also notes that since Ellison took over CBS News in August 2025, the network's news coverage has shifted to the right.
• Paramount-Warner Bros. merger consent decree establishes Editorial Independence Board with no independent authority — The settlement between state attorneys general and Paramount includes creation of an "Editorial Independence Board" tasked with monitoring editorial independence at CBS News and CNN. However, all five board members are selected by the combined entity's board of directors, which is fully controlled by David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison (77.5% voting shares). The board has no enforcement power and can only "resolve disputes" regarding alleged violations of editorial principles, with no mechanism specified for how such resolution occurs. The structure ensures that an Ellison-controlled board selects monitors of Ellison's editorial conduct.

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• Trump administration bans CNN, MS Now, and Politico from White House — The Trump administration banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico from White House access. In response, competing television networks suspended shared coverage of the president's events, creating rare solidarity among rival outlets. The ban prompted former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson to call on journalists to collectively resist what she characterized as an "outright onslaught" from the administration, including Trump's documented pattern of insulting female reporters with derogatory language.
• White House revoked press credentials for CNN, Politico, and MS NOW — The White House revoked press credentials for CNN, Politico, and MS NOW after aide Natalie Harp reportedly showed Trump stories that angered him. The revocation followed the aide's curation of news coverage, suggesting retaliation for unfavorable reporting. This action restricts press access to the White House and signals potential use of credential revocation as a tool to punish critical coverage.

Supporting reports

• Federal lawsuit filed challenging White House press ban — On September 21, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a federal lawsuit challenging the White House's ban on their journalists. The organizations argue that the exclusions violate First Amendment rights and are retaliatory based on their reporting. The Trump administration contends that White House access is a privilege tied to national security, not a constitutional right. Federal Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, is scheduled to hear the news organizations' emergency request for temporary restoration of access on September 23 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
• CNN, MS Now, and Politico file federal lawsuit challenging White House journalist ban — Three news organizations filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration seeking a temporary restraining order to block enforcement of the journalist ban and restore press credentials. The lawsuit argued the ban violated First Amendment rights to free press and access to government information. The suit came after Secret Service confiscated press badges from reporters on Saturday following Trump's announcement of the ban via Truth Social.
• CNN, MSNBC, and Politico file lawsuit challenging media ban — On September 21, CNN, MSNBC, and Politico filed a federal lawsuit against Trump, communications director Steven Cheung, Secret Service director Sean Curran, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, alleging violations of the First and Fifth Amendments. The lawsuit characterizes the ban as retaliation for negative news coverage and states that Trump banned the outlets because he deemed their reporting "negative" and to chill future reporting about his administration. The plaintiffs seek restoration of their press credentials for White House coverage.
• Judge Timothy Kelly assigned to media ban lawsuit — U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, appointed to the bench by Trump in 2017, was assigned to hear the lawsuit filed by CNN, MSNBC, and Politico challenging the White House media ban. Judge Kelly ordered the government to respond to the lawsuit by the following day and scheduled a hearing for Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Trump responded by complaining that the outlets "have drawn a great Judge, for them, a man who ruled in favor of Jim Acosta" in 2018, and vowed to appeal any adverse ruling.
• CNN, MS Now, and Politico sue Trump administration over White House press badge revocation — Three major news organizations filed a federal lawsuit in US District Court for Washington DC on Monday, September 21, seeking to regain White House access after their journalists' credentials were revoked on Saturday. The revocation followed Trump's announcement via Truth Social that the outlets would lose access due to their coverage. The plaintiffs argue the ban violates the First Amendment and Fifth Amendment, claiming retaliation based on viewpoint and lack of due process. They seek a temporary restraining order to immediately restore access while litigation proceeds.
• Complaint filed: Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump (D.D.C. 1:26-cv-03287) — CNN, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), and POLITICO, along with three of their White House correspondents, filed a complaint in D.D.C. challenging President Trump's Sept. 18, 2026 ban on the three news organizations from White House grounds. The ban was announced as retaliation for "FAKE NEWS" reporting and took effect Sept. 19, 2026, when Secret Service officers denied entry and confiscated press credentials. Plaintiffs allege violations of the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause (deprivation of liberty and property interests without notice or hearing) and the First Amendment (unlawful retaliation against protected speech and viewpoint discrimination). They seek declaratory and injunctive relief, including immediate restoration of credentials and access.
• MS NOW, CNN, and Politico filed lawsuit against Trump's White House press ban — Three major news outlets filed a federal lawsuit challenging Trump's total ban on their access to the White House. The lawsuit argues the ban violates the First Amendment and constitutional principles protecting press credentials and access. The outlets contend that while presidents may disagree with coverage, the Constitution protects news organizations' liberty and property interests in press credentials and the access they afford for public benefit.

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• White House launches "Trump TV" feed as alternative to independent news coverage — After major networks suspended pool coverage in protest of the journalist ban, the White House promoted its own online video feed branded "Trump TV," featuring administration-selected content with messaging emphasizing direct delivery "straight from the Trump Administration" without "noise." The feed was positioned as an alternative to independent news coverage, allowing the administration to control the narrative and distribution of presidential imagery and announcements.
• White House launches "TRUMP TV" streaming channel — On September 21, the White House YouTube channel announced the launch of "TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station" scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. The channel disabled the comment feature, preventing viewer interaction or criticism. The launch followed Trump's ban on major news outlets and the networks' refusal to provide press pool coverage, representing an attempt to bypass traditional media and deliver unfiltered messaging directly to the public.
• White House launches Trump TV streaming channel — Hours after the September 21 lawsuit was filed, the White House launched Trump TV, a 24-hour YouTube stream featuring presidential speeches and administration highlights. The channel provides government-selected programming as an alternative to independent news coverage. Unlike independent journalism, Trump TV's content is curated by the Trump administration and does not include investigation of official claims, questioning of officials, or reporting of information absent from official communications.

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• White House promotes official mobile application for news distribution — The White House promoted "The White House App" on social media, advertising it as a way to "[g]et real-time updates and live events streamed DIRECTLY to your phone. No noise. Just the news that matters most—straight from the Trump Administration." The promotion occurred after Trump banned major news outlets and launched a government-controlled television channel. Users responded critically, with comments expressing concerns about government surveillance and the app functioning as propaganda or spyware.
• White House App Hits No. 1 in News and Cracks App Store Top 20 as Americans Tune Out Fake News — The White House published this release on 2026-09-23 through its releases channel.

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• Trump administration establishes NIH grant-veto board aligned with presidential agenda — The Trump administration is establishing an executive order creating an external board to approve National Institutes of Health grant funding. The board, to include OMB Director Russell Vought and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, would require unanimous decisions and could veto biomedical research grants deemed misaligned with Trump's political priorities. This breaks with the NIH's traditional merit-based evaluation process. The move follows administration accusations that the NIH funds "woke" initiatives and comes amid a class-action lawsuit by researchers alleging First Amendment violations through ideological censorship of grant awards.
• Trump directed budget director to create political appointee board for NIH grants — Trump directed his budget director Russ Vought to draft an executive order creating a board of political appointees to decide which grants the National Institutes of Health should fund. This represents another attempt to cut Harvard's funding and place political control over the nation's $48 billion in congressionally-appropriated biomedical research funding. Congress this month signaled disapproval of an earlier Vought plan to give political appointees control of health grants by including a provision in a stopgap funding bill that temporarily blocks the administration from implementing that earlier plan. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins personally rejected Vought's plan.

Supporting reports

• Trump announced ban of CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — Trump announced that CNN, MSNBC, and Politico are banned from the White House "effective immediately," accusing them of reporting what he calls "fake news." Reuters reported that Trump said the ban could extend to additional news organizations. Trump told reporters "I don't want them here" and said he would take the ban "as far as you can." The administration has not explained how the restriction would work, and the Associated Press reported that journalists from the affected outlets remained on White House grounds Friday afternoon.
• Trump bans MS Now, CNN, and Politico reporters from White House grounds — President Trump ordered the removal of reporters from MS Now, CNN, and Politico from White House grounds, effective immediately, citing what he claimed was constant "fake news" reporting. On Saturday morning, journalists from these outlets were denied access and had their press passes confiscated by the Secret Service at security gates. Trump stated the decision was "cumulative" over two years and said he was considering banning additional outlets. The White House Correspondents' Association and press freedom advocates condemned the action as unconstitutional.
• Secret Service confiscates press badges and denies White House access — On September 19, reporters from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico attempting to enter the White House press complex were denied entry by security personnel, and Secret Service agents confiscated their press credentials. This enforcement action followed Trump's announcement the previous day banning the three outlets from White House facilities.
• Trump banned CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — Trump issued a directive banning CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House. The ban surprised many senior Trump staffers, who learned of it only through Trump's Truth Social post while Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was out of town. The press shop was initially blindsided and unsure how to respond. A source close to the White House confirmed the ban is "real and permanent as far as POTUS is concerned." Discussions were already underway about adding more news organizations, with Trump specifically citing the New York Times and Washington Post as possible additions.

Supporting reports

• Trump bans CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — President Trump announced via Truth Social that he is immediately banning CNN, MS Now (MSNBC), and Politico from the White House, citing their coverage as "fake news." At an Oval Office event, Trump defended the ban, stating he does not believe courts should allow "fake news" to be written. He suggested additional media outlets could face similar bans. CNN, Politico, and the White House Correspondents' Association condemned the action as unconstitutional, while legal experts noted the White House press pool is a public forum under the First Amendment.
• Trump bans CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from White House — Trump announced an immediate ban of CNN, MSNOW (formerly MSNBC), and Politico from White House access, citing their reporting as "fake news." Trump alleged that Politico received an "$8 Million Dollar subscription" from the U.S. government under the Biden administration and characterized this as corruption. He stated that other "Fake News Media Outlets" would follow. Trump framed the ban as a response to outlets' coverage of the presidency and administration.
• Trump defends White House media ban citing First Amendment question — When asked how he justifies banning CNN, Politico, and MSNOW from the White House given that every president takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, including the First Amendment, Trump responded: "Because they're fake news." Trump did not address the constitutional question raised.

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• Trump administration vaccine-skeptical policies linked to measles deaths; CDC autism page altered — Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican chair of the US Senate health committee, publicly blamed the Trump administration's vaccine-skeptical approach for three confirmed measles deaths in Pennsylvania (with a fourth under review) during the worst US measles outbreak in over three decades. Cassidy challenged Trump's surgeon general nominee Nicole Saphier to directly state that vaccines do not cause autism. The article also reveals that after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became health secretary, the CDC's "Autism and Vaccines" webpage was altered—an asterisk was added to the headline "Vaccines do not cause Autism," undermining scientific consensus despite Kennedy's prior assurance to Cassidy that the CDC would maintain clear statements refuting the vaccine-autism link.

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• ACLU and researchers file class-action lawsuit challenging Trump administration's use of keyword list to block NIH grants — Researchers and civil-rights groups filed a class-action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court on September 16, 2026, challenging the Trump administration's use of a 235-keyword list (including terms like "gender" and "racist") to block and cancel National Institutes of Health grants. The suit argues the administration is violating the First Amendment by censoring scientific research on topics including health equity and climate change. The administration had canceled thousands of grants in 2025; more than 4,500 have since been restored. The lawsuit seeks to cover all researchers whose grants remain disrupted or who faced delays, denials, or forced renegotiations.

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• Commerce Secretary Lutnick posts security video of Kennedy Center debris to justify Trump renovation — U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick posted a security video on Monday appearing to show debris falling in the Kennedy Center's grand foyer, claiming "the entire building is in this kind of shape" and asserting that only Trump "can deliver the renovation on time and on budget." Trump then shared the post on Truth Social. Lutnick's wife, Allison, is a member of Trump's appointed board at the Kennedy Center.

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• Trump threatens to block Kennedy Center renovation unless his name is added to building — President Trump threatened to block a $257 million renovation of the Kennedy Center unless federal courts allow his name to be inscribed on the building's exterior. Trump's board voted to close the performing arts center citing safety concerns. A federal judge had previously ruled that only Congress can authorize renaming the Kennedy Center, and ordered Trump's name removed from the facade in June. Trump conditioned the renovation on overturning the court decision, stating the project "will not take place" if courts rule against adding his name.
• Commerce Secretary Lutnick posts security video of Kennedy Center debris to justify Trump renovation — U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick posted a security video on Monday appearing to show debris falling in the Kennedy Center's grand foyer, claiming "the entire building is in this kind of shape" and asserting that only Trump "can deliver the renovation on time and on budget." Trump then shared the post on Truth Social. Lutnick's wife, Allison, is a member of Trump's appointed board at the Kennedy Center.

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• Palo Alto cybersecurity company disclosed AI-driven WeChat worm — A Palo Alto-based cybersecurity company disclosed an AI-developed computer worm capable of compromising over one billion WeChat accounts, demonstrating the capability of AI to create large-scale cyberattacks. The company posted a video demonstration showing how the exploit could read and send messages and act on victims' behalf, though the company did not specify which AI model was used.

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• Jimmy Kimmel-James Talarico interview posted to YouTube after FCC threat to ABC. — An interview between Jimmy Kimmel and James Talarico, which was not aired on ABC's network television, was posted to YouTube after the FCC threatened ABC. The interview has accumulated 8.1 million views on the platform.

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• White House posts bald eagle attacking Canada goose image amid trade tensions — The White House posted a photograph on social media in late August 2026 showing a bald eagle standing atop a dead Canada goose, apparently as a symbolic message during failed trade talks and rising US-Canada tensions. The image, viewed millions of times, was used to convey that the United States could not be challenged by Canada. The post occurred amid broader trade disputes between the two nations.

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• DOGE accessed and shared sensitive Social Security Administration data — A documentary about Elon Musk by filmmaker Alex Gibney reports that under Musk, DOGE had access to federal IT systems. A whistleblower warned that members of DOGE accessed and shared sensitive data from the Social Security Administration, representing a breach of federal data security and privacy protections.

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• Grindr app experiences outages during Republican convention in Dallas — The LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr reportedly went down as the Republican National Committee's midterm convention began on September 9 in Dallas. According to Downdetector, the app reported multiple outages coinciding with the event's start, with the highest concentration of reported outages in the Dallas area.

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• 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.

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• White House launches arcade game promoting Trump administration policies — The White House launched an arcade game Thursday featuring games including "Build the Wall," instructing players to "Protect the border from the coming horde," and "Rio Run," a Snake-style game in which a Trump-like character moves through the Rio Grande gathering figures representing border crossers. Other games promote administration policies on legislation, school food standards, and Trump Accounts.

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• 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.