Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump administration announced plans to attack Venezuelan military installations — The Trump administration made the decision to attack military installations inside Venezuela, with strikes potentially coming at any moment. The decision follows maritime operations that have killed 61 suspected traffickers and represents a shift from sea-based to land-based operations as the administration seeks to expand its military footprint in the region.

Supporting reports

• Trump and Xi agree to rare earths deal and tariff reduction in Busan summit — Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in Busan, South Korea for trade negotiations. They agreed to a one-year rare earths agreement with annual renegotiation, a reduction of Trump's "fentanyl tariff" from 20% to 10% (lowering overall tariffs from 57% to 47%), and reciprocal Chinese measures suspending export controls. China committed to purchasing American soya beans and working to prevent fentanyl production. The meeting lasted 1 hour 40 minutes; Trump described it as a "12 on a scale of one to 10."
• Trump administration announces soybean purchase agreement with China — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that China agreed to purchase 12 million metric tons of soybeans this season and 25 million tons annually for three years. The announcement was made on Fox Business. However, the reported purchase volumes are lower than the 27 million metric tons China purchased in 2024 under the Biden administration, raising questions about the deal's actual value relative to prior arrangements.
• Trump administration reportedly grants China access to rare earth minerals on annual basis — According to reporting cited in the article, the Trump administration's trade deal with China includes provisions granting China year-to-year control over U.S. access to rare earth minerals. These materials are essential for electric vehicles and advanced weapons systems. The arrangement requires the United States to negotiate annually with Beijing for mineral access, creating dependency on Chinese discretion.
• Trump met with China's President Xi; Xi offered minimal engagement and no substantive commitments. — Trump held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the exchange, Xi remained largely silent and unresponsive to Trump's remarks, projecting disengagement. Trump claimed the meeting was successful and announced a trade agreement that included China resuming soybean purchases, suspending rare-earth export restrictions for one year, and the U.S. reducing tariffs on China by 10 percent. However, reporting indicated the agreement largely restored pre-escalation trade conditions rather than achieving Trump's stated objectives on industrial policy or manufacturing overcapacity.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration considers allowing NVIDIA to sell advanced AI chips to China — The Trump administration is reportedly considering permitting NVIDIA to sell its Blackwell AI chip—described as twenty times more advanced than previous generations—to China. Senator Chris Coons warned that this would constitute a strategic mistake, as it would transfer cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to a strategic competitor in exchange for agricultural purchases.
• Trump administration declined to approve Nvidia chip exports to China — During October 2025 trade negotiations with China, the Trump administration refused to permit the export of Nvidia's Blackwell advanced chips to China, despite lobbying by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials argued the sales would threaten national security by boosting China's AI capabilities. Trump decided not to discuss the advanced chips during his October 30 meeting with Xi Jinping, marking a victory for Rubio and other advisers over Huang.

Supporting reports

• Trump directs Pentagon to begin nuclear weapons testing matching Russia and China — Donald Trump posted on Truth Social instructing the Department of War to immediately begin testing nuclear weapons on an equal basis with Russia and China, citing their testing programs as justification. The announcement came less than an hour before Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea to discuss a trade war truce. Trump falsely claimed the US has more nuclear weapons than any other country. Pentagon officials did not immediately respond. Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus announced plans to introduce legislation to stop the testing.
• Russia denies nuclear weapons testing and warns of retaliation — Russia issued a statement denying that it has tested nuclear weapons, contradicting claims made by Trump. Russia warned that it will begin nuclear weapons testing if the United States does so, escalating nuclear rhetoric and raising the stakes for potential weapons testing by either power.
• Trump orders Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing — Minutes before his meeting with Xi Jinping, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had instructed the Department of War to begin nuclear weapons testing "on an equal basis" with China and Russia, citing other countries' testing programs as justification. He did not respond to reporter questions about the decision during the summit.
• Trump announced resumption of nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 33 years. — Trump announced that the United States will resume testing nuclear weapons, instructing the Department of War to begin testing on an "equal basis" with other nations. Trump claimed Russia and China are conducting nuclear tests and that the U.S. must respond in kind. A nuclear proliferation expert stated that no nation except North Korea has tested nuclear weapons since the 1990s and that Trump's characterization of U.S. and Russian stockpile sizes was factually incorrect.
• Trump administration announced plans to resume nuclear weapons testing — Trump announced that the administration plans to resume nuclear weapons testing. When questioned about the announcement, Trump stated that the Pentagon should conduct the testing, though the Department of Energy is the actual agency responsible for nuclear weapons testing operations.

Supporting reports

• Pentagon deploys USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group to Caribbean for expanded anti-cartel operations — The Pentagon announced deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier with dozens of F-18 Super Hornet jets and surveillance aircraft, to the Caribbean coast near Venezuela. The move signals a major escalation in the Trump administration's military campaign against drug cartels, expanding from strikes on boats to planned strikes on land-based targets. Trump confirmed the next phase would target "the land" and directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to notify Congress of plans, though no specific targets or countries were disclosed.