Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump claims Ukraine war promise was made "figuratively" and "in jest" — Trump was pressed by TIME on his campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. Trump responded that he made the statement "figuratively" and "as an exaggeration, because to make a point," and claimed it was said "in jest." The bulletin notes that Trump made this promise repeatedly in campaign statements without joking tone and has now contradicted his earlier assurances to voters.

Supporting reports

• Trump campaign uses unsubstantiated DOGE cuts for political fundraising — The Trump campaign has sent fundraising emails to supporters suggesting they may receive $5,000 "DOGE rebate checks," based on claimed budget cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency. However, DOGE has not generated any actual reduction in federal spending, and the claimed cuts lack itemized verification. The campaign is using speculative and unsubstantiated fiscal claims as a political fundraising tool.

Supporting reports

• Trump demanded Fox News fire its pollster — Trump called on Rupert Murdoch to fire Fox News's pollster after a poll showed Trump's approval rating at 44 percent at the 100-day mark. Trump criticized the pollster for getting him and MAGA "wrong for years" and also called for changes at the Wall Street Journal. The Fox poll showed 72 percent of Americans believe tariffs make products more expensive, and 55 percent believe tariffs hurt the economy.

Supporting reports

• Trump claimed China meetings occurred without specifics — When a reporter told Trump that China was saying trade talks are not happening, Trump responded "They had a meeting this morning. We've been meeting with China. I think you have your reporting wrong." When asked who "they" refers to, Trump said "It doesn't matter who 'they' is." Trump provided no specific details about the meetings, participants, or substance.
• China denied active trade negotiations with U.S. — China's Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yadong and Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun both denied that trade negotiations with the United States are occurring, contradicting Trump's claim that officials in his administration were actively negotiating a new trade deal with China. He Yadong stated claims about progress are "groundless" and called for the U.S. to cancel unilateral tariff measures. Guo Jiakun reiterated China's position: "If we fight, we will fight to the end; if we talk, the door is wide open."
• Trump administration announces South Korea trade deal; economists note existing agreement — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trump announced that their first trade deal will be with South Korea. Economist Justin Wolfers explained on CBS that the U.S. already has a free trade agreement with South Korea that has been in place for nearly 20 years, with almost all trade already tariff-free. Wolfers characterized the announcement as a public relations effort to paper over problems created by the Trump administration's tariff policies.
• Trump claims 200 trade deals made; contradicts Navarro's 90-in-90 pledge — Trump claimed in a TIME interview that he has made 200 trade deals, contradicting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Peter Navarro's public pledge 14 days prior to complete 90 trade deals in 90 days. When asked why he has not announced these deals, Trump stated he would do so "over the next 3-4 weeks." Analysts noted this timeline is longer than his typical "2 weeks" promise, suggesting the deals may not materialize.
• Trump claims Xi Jinping called to negotiate trade deal; China denies — In a TIME interview, Trump claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping has called him multiple times to negotiate a trade deal. When pressed for specifics, Trump provided vague responses. China's government denied that any such calls occurred. As Trump boarded Air Force One for Rome, he reiterated the claim but refused to provide details, stating only that he would announce deals "over the next 3-4 weeks."
• Trump asserts tariff negotiations with China; China denies — On Friday, Donald Trump claimed in an interview that tariff negotiations were underway with China, repeating the assertion en route to Rome for Pope Francis's funeral. China's foreign ministry immediately denied the claim, stating the US "should stop creating confusion." The following day, China's foreign minister Wang Yi criticized countries engaging in "bullying pressure and coercive transactions" and trade wars, without directly naming the US but in clear reference to Trump's tariff actions.
• Trump claimed ongoing China trade negotiations while China denied any talks — President Trump stated on Tuesday that he was negotiating with China and that the 145% tariff rates he had imposed would soon come down "substantially," and on Wednesday said "everything's active" in negotiations. However, China's foreign ministry spokesperson stated that "China and the U.S. are not having any consultation or negotiation on tariffs, still less reaching a deal," and China's commerce spokesperson said any claims about progress were "groundless" and had "no factual basis." When asked about China's denial, Trump claimed "they had a meeting this morning" but refused to identify who "they" were.
• Trump misrepresents trade negotiations with China — President Trump claimed that negotiations with China regarding tariffs were ongoing, despite a spokesperson from China's foreign ministry stating that no consultations were taking place. This misrepresentation reflects Trump's ongoing struggle to manage international trade relations effectively.

Supporting reports

• RFK Jr. proposes autism study using private medical records and health registry — Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced plans for a large-scale autism study drawing on private medical records from federal and commercial databases, plus a new health registry to track autistic Americans. Simultaneously, a leaked HHS draft proposes cuts to disability services, education, and research. Kennedy has also claimed autism "destroys" families and does not contribute to society—claims contradicted by research showing genetics underlie 95% of autism cases and that diagnostic increases reflect improved awareness, not an "epidemic."
• Musk accessed and collected government data on U.S. individuals — Elon Musk, overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency, has been scooping up data from various government agencies about individuals in the U.S. This data collection represents a "treasure trove" that could be used for shaping society, garnering government contracts, raising money through sale, or blackmailing individuals. The collection occurred following Tesla's earnings plunge of 71% in the first quarter.
• NIH collecting Americans' private medical records without explicit consent for autism study — Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Jay Bhattacharya announced that the NIH is collecting Americans' private medical records from federal and commercial databases, including from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Service, pharmacy medication records, and smartwatch/fitness tracker data, to support Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s pledge to identify autism causes by September. The NIH is also in talks with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to access additional databases.
• NIH collects private medical records for autism study — The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it is collecting private medical records from various sources, including federal and commercial databases, to study the causes of autism. This initiative has raised concerns about privacy and the handling of sensitive health information.

Supporting reports

• Appeal filed — Abramowitz v. Lake (D.D.C.) 1:25-cv-00887 — Judge Royce Lamberth granted the Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction, issuing the order alongside Widakuswara v. Lake to facilitate appellate review. In granting this motion, Judge Lamberth blocked Defendants from dismantling VOA. Defendants appealed this order to the D.C. Circuit on April 24.
• Preliminary injunction ruling — Widakuswara v. Kari Lake (D.D.C.) 1:25-cv-01015 — Judge Lamberth issued an order that granted in part and denied in part Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction. The memorandum opinion explains the court ordered Defendants to take all necessary steps to return USAGM employees and contractors to their status prior to the EO, restore the grant funding to Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and restore VOA programming. The motion was denied to the extent it relates to RFE/RL and OTF.
• Federal judge ordered Trump administration to restore Voice of America and other news services — U.S. District Judge Carl Lamberth issued a ruling requiring the Trump administration to restore Voice of America and several other federally funded news services that had been shut down. The court found that VOA is funded by Congress, which mandated it provide news to a global audience, and ruled the administration's attempt to disband it constitutes "a direct affront to the power of the legislative branch." The decision may affect other unilateral agency abolitions undertaken by the administration.

Supporting reports

• DOGE inflates spending-cut claims without itemized support — The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) updated its official website on April 20, 2025, to claim $160 billion in spending cuts, up from $155 billion, but provided no new itemized documentation for the $5 billion increase. Analysis by Musk Watch's DOGE Tracker found that only $12.6 billion in cuts are verifiable against original government sources, while the claimed total of $160 billion far exceeds the $61.5 billion itemized on the website. The discrepancy suggests DOGE is publicly inflating budget-cut figures without substantiation.

Supporting reports

• White House edits New York Times headline and posts false claims about Abrego Garcia — After Senator Chris Van Hollen visited Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador on April 18, the White House posted on social media an image of a New York Times headline edited with red pen to falsely label Abrego Garcia as an "MS-13 ILLEGAL ALIEN" and claimed he would never return to the United States. The White House also posted a digitally altered image of a hand with fabricated "MS-13" tattoos superimposed on the knuckles, falsely attributing it to Abrego Garcia and claiming courts had found him to be an MS-13 member—claims contradicted by court records and expert analysis.
• White House tweeted doctored photo of migrant with altered gang tattoo — The White House tweeted a picture of Trump holding a doctored photo of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia's hand, which was digitally altered to add 'MS-13' on his knuckles. The image was fabricated to falsely associate the migrant with gang membership, representing a deliberate use of misinformation by the administration to inflame public sentiment against immigrants.