Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• FBI requested voter's IP address as part of voter fraud investigation — Axios reported that Trump's FBI requested and received the IP address of an individual who registered online to vote in South Carolina as part of a new strategy by the administration to investigate alleged voter fraud. A former senior Justice Department official said it is both "not typical" and "not appropriate" for the FBI to conduct a "fishing expedition to see private voter data."

Supporting reports

• White House issues fact sheet on declassified intelligence regarding Chinese election interference — The White House Government Transparency Task Force issued a fact sheet on July 30, 2026, presenting declassified intelligence documents approved by the directors of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, NSA, CIA, and DHS. The fact sheet claims that China and proxies acquired voter registration data on as many as 220 million Americans, including non-public data, and cites declassified Intelligence Community definitions of election interference and potential malign uses of such data. The White House states it coordinated with intelligence agencies in preparing the President's July 16 speech on the matter.

Supporting reports

• Trump amplified false petition narrative to national audience — On July 29, Washington Times reporter Kerry Picket asked Trump about the petition, stating that "a good number of 9-11 families have called on New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani to not attend a number of these memorial services." Trump responded that "anybody having to do with 9-11 right now on the victim side, and there are a lot of them. They're very unhappy with what's going on in New York, and they're very unhappy with the mayor." Trump's response was featured on CBS News' X account, which has 9.7 million followers, amplifying the false narrative to a national audience.

Supporting reports

• FCC receives petitions to deny ABC license renewals; ex-officials warn of constitutional violation — The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, received petitions from conservative groups (Media Research Center and Center for American Rights) to deny license renewals for eight ABC-owned television stations. The petitions followed an "extremely unusual" early renewal order issued by the FCC in late April after criticism of ABC by Donald Trump. A coalition of former FCC chairs and senior officials from both parties filed a response warning the proceeding is "unprecedented" and violates the Communications Act and Constitution by seeking to censor speech and send a "chilling message" to broadcasters based on editorial content the administration dislikes.

Supporting reports

• Washington Times conflated total petition signatures with family members — In a July 28 editorial, the Washington Times claimed that "[m]ore than 1,100 family members of 9/11 victims have asked organizers of a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Center attack to exclude New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani." The publication appears to have conflated the total number of petition signatures with the unverified claim that those signers were family members, perpetuating the false narrative despite the lack of evidence for the family-member count.

Supporting reports

• Trump falsely claims tariffs stopped eight wars — President Trump claimed that his tariffs have "stopped eight wars," including a conflict between India and Pakistan. The claim was made without evidence and misrepresented the causes of international disputes and the effects of trade policy.
• Trump claimed he stopped multiple wars through tariff threats — Trump claimed during a Fox & Friends interview that he "stopped 8 wars" and attributed five of them to tariff threats, including a claim that tariff threats prevented a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. The claim lacks substantiation and contradicts the timeline of actual geopolitical events.

Supporting reports

• Trump claims personal control of Strait of Hormuz — President Trump called into Fox News and falsely claimed he personally controls the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping chokepoint. The claim was made during a period of escalating tensions with Iran and Saudi refinery attacks, and contradicted established international law and geopolitical reality.
• Iran's IRGC threatens to bar countries from Strait of Hormuz — Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a warning that any country that touches Iran's frozen assets will be barred from access to the Strait of Hormuz. The threat was made during escalating tensions and represented a potential blockade of global shipping.
• Saudi refineries burning; Jazan refinery shut down — Saudi Arabian refineries were reported burning on July 28, 2026, including a total shutdown of the Jazan refinery. The damage to critical energy infrastructure occurred during the escalating Iran conflict and threatened global oil supply.
• Trump posts "head for an eye" quote on Iran policy — President Trump posted a message quoting Secretary of State Rubio stating Iran is "begging" for a deal, while using the phrase "head for an eye" in reference to Iran policy. The post occurred during escalating military tensions with Iran and signaled an aggressive posture toward potential Iranian retaliation or negotiation.
• Trump threatened destruction of Iranian infrastructure including bridges and power plants — Trump stated in a Fox & Friends interview that if Iran does not make a deal, he will destroy Iranian bridges and power plants, claiming he could eliminate "most of the major bridges" in less than two hours and power plants in one day. He also threatened to destroy a site called "Pickaxe Mountain," claiming he had already destroyed Iranian nuclear sites previously.
• Trump threatens to level Iran's bridges and power plants — President Trump reiterated threats to destroy Iran's bridges and power plants during the escalating conflict. The threat targeted civilian infrastructure and was made publicly, signaling intent to conduct strikes that would harm non-combatants and critical services.
• White House issues release on Trump's Fox & Friends remarks on Iran strategy — The White House published a release documenting President Trump's July 28, 2026 appearance on Fox & Friends, in which he described U.S. military posture toward Iran. Trump stated the U.S. maintains naval control of the Strait of Hormuz, possesses intelligence on Iranian nuclear sites including "Pickaxe Mountain," and has imposed a blockade preventing Iranian shipping. He asserted readiness to conduct strikes on Iranian infrastructure if negotiations fail, stating he could destroy bridges and power plants, and contrasted his approach with prior administrations' policies.

Supporting reports

• CBS News New York republished false petition claims without verification — On July 27, CBS News New York published an article stating "Thousands of 9/11 victims' families are asking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend this year's solemn remembrance ceremony," directly echoing the New York Post's unverified claims. After Popular Information contacted the author, the headline and opening were changed that evening to "Petition asking NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend 9/11 remembrance ceremony purportedly draws thousands of signatures," then changed again on July 28 to "Petition from 9/11 families asks NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend remembrance ceremony"—a version that falsely suggests the petition represents 9/11 families as a group. No editor's note disclosed the corrections.
• CBS News initially reports false claim, then corrects after inquiry — CBS News New York initially reported that "thousands of 9/11 victims' families are asking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend" the 9/11 ceremony, directly echoing the false New York Post headline. After Popular Information contacted CBS for comment, the network removed the false claim and revised the article to state the petition had "purportedly drawn thousands of signatures, including some victims' families"—a more cautious formulation that acknowledged the unverified nature of the claim.
• CBS News removed social media posts about petition without public explanation — On July 28 at 3:08 p.m., the CBS News main Instagram account (3.3 million followers) posted the CBS News New York story about the petition. On the evening of July 29, the video was removed without explanation. CBS News also removed an X post from CBS News New York linking to the story. A CBS News source told Popular Information that the posts were removed after being told "CBS News New York's reporting was inaccurate," but the underlying article remained online. CBS News cited organizational separation between CBS News and CBS News New York to explain why the article was not corrected or removed.

Supporting reports

• Fox Business falsely reported petition signature count as 15,000 — On the July 27 edition of The Evening Edit on Fox Business, anchor Elizabeth MacDonald reported that "9/11 families, more than 15,000 want Mamdani banned from 9/11 ceremonies." This figure was not supported by any version of the petition's actual signature count (which ranged from 1,100 to 3,515 depending on the source's claim) and represented a further distortion of already-inflated numbers as the story spread through right-wing media outlets.
• Fox News amplifies unsubstantiated petition story with editorial commentary — Fox News, owned by Rupert Murdoch (same owner as the New York Post), featured the petition story on air within hours of publication. Fox News pundits Tomi Lahren and Rich Edson offered editorial commentary suggesting Mamdani should not attend the 9/11 ceremony, while Fox Business host Cheryl Casone made unsubstantiated claims that Mamdani "does not have much sorrow about 9/11" and would have supported the 9/11 attackers. These statements were made without verification of the petition's claims or Mamdani's actual positions.

Supporting reports

• Taylor Farms contacts White House seeking delay of cyclospora recall announcement — Taylor Farms representatives contacted the White House requesting a delay in the government's public announcement linking the company to a multi-state cyclospora outbreak affecting thousands. The company argued that federal investigators lacked positive laboratory evidence and expressed concerns about overstated responsibility. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb stated this was "not standard operating procedure," contrasting it with his tenure when the White House was only briefed informally on outbreak investigations, not asked to intervene.

Supporting reports

• New York Post published false headline about 9/11 families petition against Mayor Mamdani — On July 26, the New York Post published a front-page headline claiming "Thousands of 9/11 families demand Mamdani be banned from 25th-Anniversary," reporting 3,515 signatures "most from victims' family members." The online version stated 1,100 signatures "including from at least 300 victims' families." Petition organizer Giovanni Galante later admitted to Popular Information that he maintained no list of victims' families and the 300 figure was an unsubstantiated estimate. The New York Post did not issue a correction but instead quietly edited the article a third time on July 28, attributing inflated estimates (3,000–7,500) to Galante rather than reporting them as fact.
• New York Post publishes unsubstantiated claim about 9/11 families petition against Mamdani — The New York Post ran a front-page story claiming "thousands of 9/11 families" demanded that New York City Council Member Zohran Mamdani be banned from the 25th-anniversary 9/11 commemoration. The article cited a Change.org petition with 1,100+ signatures, claiming "at least 300" were from victims' families. Upon investigation by Popular Information, petition organizer Giovanni Galante admitted there was no verified list of family members and the "300" figure was an unsubstantiated estimate based on assumed social-network spread. As of reporting, nearly 16,000 people had signed; Change.org verified only that signatures came from "real people," not that signatories were 9/11 family members. The story went viral on right-wing media and was amplified by Fox News before being partially corrected by CBS News.
• New York Post concealed correction through silent article edits — After Popular Information revealed the falsity of the petition numbers on July 28, the New York Post did not issue a public correction. Instead, on July 28 at 3:20 PM, the article was altered to attribute inflated estimates (3,000–7,500 victims' family signers) to Galante as his "estimate" rather than presenting them as verified fact. This edit occurred less than 24 hours after Galante admitted to Popular Information that he had no list and his original 300 figure was speculative. The New York Post did not respond to requests for comment about the silent edits.

Supporting reports

• White House used Katy Perry's "Firework" to soundtrack military strikes on TikTok — Singer Katy Perry stated that the White House used her song "Firework" without permission as a backing track for video footage of military strikes posted on the White House TikTok account. Perry stated she did not approve the use, was not asked, and does not condone it. She characterized the use as a "complete violation" of the song's intended message of hope, healing, and inner strength, and objected to her music being "weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence."