Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Attorney General Blanche would not rule out challenging votes — Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to rule out the possibility of challenging some votes, leaving open the option of legal action to contest election results. The refusal to foreclose vote challenges raises questions about the DOJ's commitment to accepting electoral outcomes.

Supporting reports

• Kash Patel declined to confirm or deny plans to visit Moscow — Kash Patel, when asked whether he was planning to go to Moscow and for what purpose, declined to provide specifics, stating: "We're not going to announce where we're gonna go and when we're gonna go, except to tell you that this DOJ is going to go wherever we need to go to mete out justice for the American people." The response avoided direct confirmation or denial of Moscow travel plans.
• Vice President Vance defended Musk's Starlink decisions — Vice President JD Vance was asked whether he agreed with Republicans calling for an investigation into Musk's Starlink decisions. Vance responded that Musk "runs a private corporation" and that it is "completely understandable that he doesn't want to get in the middle of a war without the US govt directing him on what to do," and stated "I don't think this is about Elon."
• Sen. Kevin Cramer expressed concerns about Musk's influence over national security — Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) stated that he had concerns about Elon Musk's influence over national security matters following Ukraine's disruption of Starlink access. Cramer said that "one individual and one company has control over America's ability to protect the domain of space, which is a war-fighting domain," and expressed discomfort with "vendor lock-in" in space assets.
• SpaceX investor Ross Gerber criticized Musk's Starlink decisions on CNN — SpaceX investor Ross Gerber stated on CNN that he is "disgusted" with Elon Musk's decisions regarding Starlink, characterizing them as "strategically horrendous" and "horrible" from a humanitarian perspective. Gerber expressed concern that Musk could restrict Starlink access to the United States if he disagreed with a sitting president, and called for development of competitors to Starlink to ensure national security independence.

Supporting reports

• Congress members vow investigation into Starlink service cuts to Ukraine — Multiple Congress members, including Republicans, announced they will investigate and hold accountable whoever was responsible for cutting Starlink service to Ukraine. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) stated those limiting Starshield "will be fully investigated and will be held fully accountable" and promised "immediate harsh and punitive budget cuts" to responsible agencies.
• Bipartisan lawmakers called for investigation into Elon Musk's Starlink restrictions on Ukraine — The Wall Street Journal reported that bipartisan lawmakers are calling for an investigation into Elon Musk after SpaceX restricted Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite network. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told CNN that Congress must compel Musk to testify and could block federal funding for agencies that played a role in throttling the network. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) stated that national security decisions should be made in the national interest, not based on "the personal whim of an unstable executive."
• Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick stated Congress could block federal funding over Starlink throttling — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told CNN that Congress must investigate the Starlink network restrictions, call witnesses under oath, and get to the bottom of the matter because it is "a very, very serious matter." Fitzpatrick indicated that Congress could block funding for federal agencies or agency heads that played any role in throttling the network.
• Sen. Adam Schiff called for Musk to testify under oath — Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) stated that the Senate must put Elon Musk under oath regarding the Starlink restrictions. Schiff emphasized that national security decisions should be made in the national interest and not based on "the personal whim of an unstable executive."
• Sen. Cramer received briefing on Starshield and called for competition in space — Sen. Kevin Cramer received a briefing from Air Force Secretary Troy Meink on Starshield and told reporters that he wanted Congress and the Pentagon to "pour a lot of resources into making sure there's lots of competition both for satellite production and satellite launch." Cramer stated he was "uncomfortable with the potential vendor lock in space" and that recent events had demonstrated greater concern than cost alone.

Supporting reports

• Preliminary injunction ruling — California Nurses Association v. Mullin (N.D. Cal.) 4:26-cv-10680 — Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a preliminary injunction for the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). The court found they are likely to succeed on their claim that the Unlawful Voter Initiative and Surge violate Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which bars intimidating people for urging or aiding others to vote. It reasoned that the use of admittedly flawed data that sweeps in U.S. citizens, rushed reviews, and publicized deployments of armed officers before the midterms created a fear among voter-outreach members the court found “objectively reasonable,” and it rejected Defendants' arguments that federal officers fall outside the statute or that their investigative authority overrides it. CNA/NNU were determined to be the only Plaintiffs with standing and only on that claim. The court found their members' fear of being wrongly targeted showed a cognizable harm to their voter-assistance and mobilization work, but not to their own voting, so it did not reach the constitutional right-to-vote claim or the § 11(b) claim on intimidation of voters themselves. It also did not reach the APA claims because CNA/NNU had not, at this stage, shown a discrete “final agency action.” In California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin, Defendants are enjoined, through Nov. 3, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. (or poll closing), from conducting election-related field operations and interviews involving people they know, suspect, or should reasonably know or suspect are U.S. citizens, and from conducting such operations against those individuals based wholly on TECS records (entries in a DHS law enforcement database) generated by the Voter Eligibility Matching Policy. The order is stayed until 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2026.
• Federal judge restricts DHS voter investigations in 9 states — On October 22, a federal judge restricted certain Department of Homeland Security investigations into suspected noncitizen voting across nine states, finding that unreliable government data could cause citizens to be wrongly investigated. The judge paused her order until 5 p.m. Eastern time on Friday to allow the administration time to appeal.

Supporting reports

• US Department of Justice sues California to block tabulation of ballots allegedly cast by noncitizens — The US Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit in the Central District of California seeking a court order to prevent the state from tabulating certain ballots in the midterm elections. The suit followed a demand sent to Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday containing a thumb drive with purported names of over 20,000 noncitizens registered to vote, with a 48-hour deadline to verify citizenship. Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber both refused to act on the unverified list, citing lack of methodology and security concerns. The DOJ seeks an injunction requiring California to set aside and independently verify citizenship status of flagged voters before tabulation.
• Justice Department Sues State of California over Voter List — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-15 through Office of the Attorney General. The recorded stage is a complaint filed. The allegations are unadjudicated; this documents the announcement, not the truth of any allegation. The department's own account of it reads: "The Justice Department, working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), today filed a complaint against the State of California over its voter list after determining that more than 20,000 people who are likely aliens are registered to vote in California. Under California law, every registered voter is mailed a ballot. It is unlawful for aliens to vote in federal elections."

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• Eric Deters files defamation lawsuit against Kimberly Guilfoyle and announces plans to depose Don Jr. — Eric Deters, the donor at the center of the Guilfoyle controversy, filed a defamation lawsuit against Guilfoyle and announced plans to depose her and Don Jr. In a video released on October 15, Deters claimed he would present a 16-minute phone conversation that contains information that "might just bring down the entire Trump administration." Deters stated he had supported Trump from the beginning and framed his legal action as an effort to clear his name.
• Eric Deters files defamation lawsuit against Kimberly Guilfoyle; announces recording release — Attorney Eric Deters filed a defamation lawsuit against Kimberly Guilfoyle in circuit court in Kentucky and announced he will release a 16-minute phone recording tomorrow that he claims will damage the Trump administration and potentially end the 2028 Vance-Rubio ticket. Deters is seeking a public apology and $1 million in damages. He stated the recording involves a conversation he had with Guilfoyle from Greece and compared the expected fallout to a major scandal in the Trump administration.

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• Matt Gaetz named as defendant in civil sex trafficking lawsuit — Two women filed a civil lawsuit naming former Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, his associate Joel Greenberg, and others as defendants, alleging that from 2017 through January 2019, the defendants "coordinated recruitment, payments, drugs, and travel to obtain commercial sexual acts." The lawsuit references findings from a 2024 House Ethics Committee report that concluded Gaetz "regularly" paid women and a 17-year-old girl for sex and used illicit drugs while serving in Congress. Gaetz's response denied the allegations were accurate, stating he looked forward to depositions to challenge the claims.

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• Federal judge orders White House to restore press credentials for CNN, MS Now, and Politico — District Court Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction on October 14, 2026, ordering the Trump White House to restore and maintain White House press access for journalists from CNN, MS Now, and Politico. The three outlets had been banned on September 18, 2026, by presidential order citing "fake news." Judge Kelly found the plaintiffs likely to succeed on due process and First Amendment claims, noting that Trump's own public statements admitted the ban was retaliatory for editorial content rather than based on legitimate security concerns.

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• Department of Justice announced investigation of major television networks for antitrust violations — After ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC rallied together in response to Trump's ban of CNN from the White House, the Department of Justice announced it is investigating the five major television networks for breaking antitrust laws. The announcement followed the networks' coordinated public opposition to the journalist ban.

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• Trump banned journalists from White House press room; court ruled violation of free speech and due process — U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee, ruled that Trump had banned more than 70 journalists from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House press room because he wanted more favorable coverage. Kelly ruled the ban violated both free speech and due process protections under the Bill of Rights and that Trump could not ban the organizations from the White House, though he did not address whether the administration could bar reporters from Air Force One or the Oval Office. The Justice Department announced it will appeal the ruling.
• Stay pending appeal decided — Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump (D.D.C.) 1:26-cv-03287 — Judge Kelly issued an opinion and order granting Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction, which keeps in place, while the case proceeds, the relief from the court's earlier temporary restraining order: Defendants other than the President, must restore the White House “hard pass” press credentials of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO employees. The court held that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their Fifth Amendment due process claim because they were not told in advance what conduct could cost them their passes or that revocation was a possible sanction. The court also found Plaintiffs likely to succeed on their First Amendment retaliation and viewpoint discrimination claims. The court concluded that the president likely revoked the passes “because he believes that their reporting is generally inaccurate and biased against him,” rejected Defendants' national security rationale as likely “a post-hoc justification” without support in the record, and denied Defendants' request for a stay pending appeal.
• Federal judge orders White House to restore press credentials for CNN, MS Now, and Politico — District Court Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction on October 14, 2026, ordering the Trump White House to restore and maintain White House press access for journalists from CNN, MS Now, and Politico. The three outlets had been banned on September 18, 2026, by presidential order citing "fake news." Judge Kelly found the plaintiffs likely to succeed on due process and First Amendment claims, noting that Trump's own public statements admitted the ban was retaliatory for editorial content rather than based on legitimate security concerns.

Supporting reports

• Preliminary injunction ruling — Democracy for the Arab World Now, Inc. d/b/a DAWN v. Trump (S.D.N.Y.) 1:26-cv-05957 — Judge Jesse Furman granted in substantial part Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction. The injunction bars all Defendants except President Trump from enforcing IEEPA's civil or criminal penalties against Plaintiffs for the conduct described in their complaint, to the extent that conduct allegedly violates EO 14203's prohibition on providing “services” to or for the benefit of sanctioned persons. Following his earlier ruling in Rona v. Trump , Judge Furman held that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their First Amendment claim. He found that the prohibition is a content-based regulation of their speech-based activities, meaning it restricts speech based on its function or purpose. He also found that it fails strict scrutiny, which requires the government to show a restriction is narrowly tailored to serve a compelling interest. He did not reach Plaintiffs' statutory or APA claims. The court denied Plaintiffs' requests to enjoin the president, declare the order facially unconstitutional, and enter a universal injunction barring enforcement against anyone.
• Federal judge blocks Trump administration sanctions on human rights groups assisting ICC Gaza investigation — US District Judge Jesse M Furman issued a preliminary injunction on October 14, 2026, temporarily blocking the Trump administration from sanctioning two human rights organizations, Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn) and Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide (Taag), for assisting the International Criminal Court's investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza. The groups had challenged a February 2025 executive order imposing sanctions on entities supporting ICC investigations deemed threatening to US or Israeli national security. Furman ruled the order likely violated the groups' First Amendment rights as a content-based speech regulation that cannot survive strict scrutiny.

Supporting reports

• Class action complaint filed — Gonzalez v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security — Seven people formerly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a class action complaint in D.D.C. alleging that ICE has maintained a de facto policy since January 2025 of not returning property—including passports, Employment Authorization Documents, driver's licenses, cell phones, and money—seized from people detained for civil immigration purposes after their release. Plaintiffs allege the policy violates the Fourth Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act and seek class certification, declaratory relief, vacatur of the policy, and an injunction requiring ICE to return property or explain its basis for withholding it.

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• Supreme Court schedules Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota for December argument — The Supreme Court agreed to hear Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota in December 2026. The case, backed by the Trump Justice Department, challenges whether Arizona may cancel voter registrations of individuals deemed noncitizens during the 90-day quiet period before Election Day. The conservative justices noted in a footnote that they will consider the scope of the quiet period in this separate case and did not need to decide it in the earlier ruling.

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• US judge clears way for Trump's children to be subpoenaed in BBC defamation case — According to The Mirror, a US judge cleared the way for Trump's children—Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka, and Jared Kushner—to be subpoenaed for documents and testimony about events surrounding the January 6 Capitol riots in Trump's £7.5 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC. The BBC is pursuing an expanding circle of people with potentially valuable knowledge of Trump's conduct during January 6. Trump attempted to amend his claims to limit the scope of what information the BBC could access, but failed. The BBC's attempts to physically serve the subpoenas have been repeatedly blocked by the Secret Service, but lawyers have been told they can bypass close protection agents by delivering legal demands via registered mail to home and business addresses and through lawyers. The Mirror notes this is a "humiliating setback" for Trump, who launched the lawsuit expecting to put the broadcaster on the defensive after watching US TV bosses hand over millions to settle disputes with him.

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• Disney and ABC challenged FCC's early broadcast license review — Disney and ABC filed a federal court challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's decision to initiate an early review of broadcast licenses for eight ABC-owned television stations, despite the licenses not being due for renewal until 2028–2031. Disney argued the review constitutes retaliation for programming and editorial decisions disfavored by the Trump administration. The FCC stated the review was routine regulatory oversight linked to investigations of the company's practices.

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• Supreme Court guts Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais decision — The Supreme Court issued a decision in Louisiana v. Callais that substantially weakened the Voting Rights Act, removing federal protections that had constrained state redistricting practices. The ruling prompted Republican-controlled legislatures in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee to immediately pursue aggressive congressional redistricting aimed at fragmenting Black voting blocs and concentrating Democratic voters into fewer districts. The decision marked a major shift in voting rights jurisprudence and triggered the subsequent wave of redistricting efforts across the South.
• Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee legislatures pursue aggressive congressional redistricting — Following the Louisiana v. Callais decision, Republican-controlled legislatures in four Southern states moved rapidly to redraw congressional maps with the explicit goal of fragmenting Black voting communities and concentrating them into fewer districts. The redistricting efforts were pursued despite impending primary elections, signaling the priority placed on diluting Black electoral power. The actions represented a coordinated partisan response to the Supreme Court's weakening of federal voting rights protections.

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• Democratic National Committee sues Trump administration over taxpayer-funded campaign ads — The Democratic National Committee filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday, October 8, 2026, challenging the Trump administration's use of taxpayer funds to broadcast campaign ads promoting President Trump. The ads, costing over $12 million, allegedly violate federal law prohibiting use of congressionally appropriated money for "publicity or propaganda." The complaint names Trump, the White House office, the Office of Management and Budget, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection as defendants, alleging they violated the Administrative Procedure Act and misused public funds for self-aggrandizement during the midterm campaign season.

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• Federal judge voids DOJ policy collecting state voter rolls — US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled that the Trump administration's Department of Justice policy of collecting unredacted state voter rolls to cross-check against a federal immigration database violated federal privacy laws and exceeded DOJ authority. The policy, adopted under Trump's election integrity executive order, had already removed US citizens from voter rolls and risked further disenfranchisement. Sooknanan found Congress, not the federal government, controls voter roll maintenance. The lawsuit was brought by Common Cause after roughly 18 states complied with DOJ requests in May, providing voters' names, birth dates, addresses, and partial identification numbers.

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• Judge orders Tennessee to preserve evidence after Christa Pike survives lethal injection — Christa Pike, 50, survived two lethal injections of pentobarbital in Tennessee's execution chamber on September 30, 2026. She was declared brain dead but regained consciousness on Tuesday, October 7, speaking and expressing confusion and anger. Pike remains hospitalized, shackled to her bed despite medical staff requests for restraint removal, with severe arm injuries and pneumonia. On October 8, Judge I'Ashea Myles ordered Tennessee state officials to preserve all evidence from the execution chamber, after Pike's legal team accused the state of concealing evidence relevant to potential future legal challenges.

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• Complaint filed — New Mexico Wildlife Federation v. U.S. Department of the Interior — On October 8, 2026, conservation and border-region organizations filed suit in federal district court challenging the Department of the Interior's April 2025 transfer of approximately 110,000 acres of New Mexico public land to the Department of Defense for border security purposes and the Army's subsequent designation of the land as a restricted national defense area. Plaintiffs allege the land transfer violates the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Constitution's Army Clause, and seek vacatur of both the transfer order and the Army's designation orders, plus injunctions barring further implementation.

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• Complaint filed — Common Cause v. Department of Homeland Security, et al. (S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-08882) — Common Cause, Alabama House candidate Robert Hunter, SEIU Local 32BJ, and its PAC filed suit in the Southern District of New York challenging a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract with a marketing firm to produce and air national television advertisements featuring President Trump. The ads, funded through an Office of Management and Budget reapportionment of Customs and Border Protection appropriations, began airing Sept. 23, 2026, and are labeled "Paid for by the U.S. Government." Plaintiffs allege the ads violate the Purpose Statute and the publicity-or-propaganda ban, constitute arbitrary and capricious agency action, and violate the Fifth Amendment's equal protection guarantee by providing competitive advantage to Trump-aligned candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. Plaintiffs seek declaratory relief, vacatur of the apportionment and contract, a temporary restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunctions, and recovery of expended funds.

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• US Supreme Court hears arguments in Suncor Energy v. Boulder County climate liability case — The US Supreme Court began oral arguments on October 5, 2026, in Suncor Energy Inc v County Commissioners of Boulder County, a case in which fossil fuel companies Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil seek to block state-level climate damage lawsuits. Boulder County officials sued the companies in Colorado state court in 2018 to recover costs of climate-related disasters. The oil companies argue federal law pre-empts state court jurisdiction; Boulder argues the Constitution permits state climate litigation. A ruling is expected in summer 2027. The case could affect dozens of similar climate suits nationwide.

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• Governor Bill Lee suspends Tennessee executions and orders independent inquiry — In a November 2025 deposition, Frank Strada acknowledged that he had not followed several key recommendations from a 2022 Tennessee-commissioned independent report on lethal injection procedures. Specifically, he failed to hire a full-time employee or consultant with pharmaceutical expertise to provide guidance on lethal injection processes and failed to hire a full-time employee or consultant to assist with locating lethal injection drug sources. These omissions left critical gaps in oversight and expertise.

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• Senators Sanders and Merkley and Representative Ocasio-Cortez introduce Ban Flock Act — Senators Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley, along with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, introduced the Ban Flock Act on Friday. If passed, the legislation will prevent federal agencies from using automated license-plate readers. State and local governments that continue using the technology could lose federal grant funding. The bill would also allow individuals to sue the federal government over violations. The legislation responds to documented cases of officers misusing license-plate databases, including searches involving former romantic partners.

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• Trump administration redirects $20 million in DHS funds to pay for pro-Trump midterm campaign advertisements — The Trump administration diverted $20 million from funds Congress appropriated for the Department of Homeland Security to finance advertisements boosting Trump before the midterm elections. This represents a second instance of the administration redirecting congressionally appropriated funds away from their intended purpose to serve administration political objectives.