Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Federal grand jury indicts James Comey — A federal grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey in September 2025 for making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding related to his 2020 testimony about the Russia inquiry. Career prosecutors objected to the indictment. Senate Democrats characterized it as part of a broader campaign to weaponize the justice system against the president's critics.

Supporting reports

• ICE deported man to Costa Rica in vegetative state; he died weeks later — Randall Gamboa Esquivel, a 52-year-old Costa Rican national, was detained by ICE in December 2024 after unlawfully re-entering the U.S. He was held at Webb County and Port Isabel detention centers in Texas for nearly 10 months. Medical records show he was hospitalized in June 2025 with "altered mental status," diagnosed with sepsis, rhabdomyolysis, protein malnutrition, and toxic encephalopathy. In September 2025, the Trump administration deported him via air ambulance to Costa Rica in a vegetative state. He died five weeks later on October 26, 2025. His family reports he left the U.S. in good health but returned with ulcers, severe deterioration, and no explanation from ICE or consular authorities.

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• ICE detention of Jamaican-born US Army veteran Godfrey Wade for deportation — Godfrey Wade, a 65-year-old Jamaican-born decorated US Army veteran with multiple commendations and college degrees, was arrested for driving without a license in September 2025 and subsequently taken into ICE custody. He remains detained at Stewart detention center in Georgia under the Trump administration's "mass deportation" program. The Trump administration rescinded the Biden-era ICE directive that had protected non-citizen veterans, exposing Wade and tens of thousands of other non-citizen military members to deportation proceedings.

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• Operation Midway Blitz launched in Chicago — The Trump administration launched "Operation Midway Blitz" in early September, deploying hundreds of federal agents to Chicago to crack down on immigrants characterized as criminal and to intimidate the largely Democratic-voting population. The operation has included aggressive raids in neighborhoods like Rogers Park, targeting individuals such as street vendors.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration's "Operation Midway Blitz" immigration raid in Chicago targets immigrants without criminal records — Federal agents conducted "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood beginning in September 2025, detaining 614 immigrants. Federal court records show 97% of those arrested had no criminal conviction, contradicting the Trump administration's public claims that sweeps target the "worst of the worst" criminals. Only 16 detainees had significant criminal histories; the rest faced no criminal charges. The data was submitted to federal court in a lawsuit alleging DHS violated a 2022 consent decree limiting warrantless arrests of migrants.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court ruling permits race and ethnicity as enforcement factors in immigration stops — In September 2025, the Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing immigration enforcement agents in southern California to interrogate anyone they suspected of being in the country illegally, explicitly noting that perceived race or ethnicity can be a relevant factor in such determinations. Legal experts note this ruling may complicate challenges to racial profiling under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Supporting reports

• George Mason University demands removal of pro-Palestinian student video citing IHRA antisemitism definition — George Mason University ordered Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to remove a social media video describing Israel as a "genocidal Zionist state" and the US as "the belly of the beast," citing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism the university recently adopted. The university claimed the video violated the definition by implying all Jews are genocidal and by using phrases it interpreted as antisemitic. SJP has threatened to sue, arguing the removal constitutes unconstitutional censorship of protected political speech on a matter of public concern.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration pledges crackdown on left-wing activists following Charlie Kirk assassination — Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September 2025, President Trump and top White House officials including JD Vance and Stephen Miller publicly vowed a "no-holds barred crackdown" on left-wing activists. Trump stated "We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them." The government subsequently focused enforcement on "antifa," which prosecutors and officials characterized as a terrorist organization despite it being an ideology rather than a formal organization.

Supporting reports

• Trump establishes federal anticrime taskforce in Memphis via executive order — In September 2025, President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Memphis Safe Task Force, a federal law enforcement initiative deployed to Memphis amid claims of crime surges in Democratic-run cities. The taskforce, led by the DEA and US Marshals Service, has operated for ten months alongside Tennessee National Guard patrols authorized by Governor Bill Lee. Local activists have challenged the deployment in state and federal court without success. The taskforce has been involved in four officer-involved deaths in the last two months.

Supporting reports

• World Liberty Financial crypto token launches to public trading — Trump's World Liberty Financial crypto token began public trading on September 1 at $0.30 per share, declining 24.2% to $0.212 within the first 24 hours. Eric Trump announced the launch in Japan, describing it as setting "a new standard for financial freedom." The bulletin characterizes the venture as Trump's "biggest grift of all-time," with Trump positioned to profit several billion dollars regardless of investor outcomes.
• Trump launches World Liberty Financial token trading with regulatory favoritism and undisclosed conflicts of interest — On September 1, 2025, the World Liberty Financial (WLFI) cryptocurrency token began public trading, marking the culmination of a scheme by Trump and his sons to monetize the presidency. Trump personally owns 15.75 billion WLFI tokens and receives 75% of initial sales proceeds. The token was structured to evade SEC securities laws by restricting resale and claiming governance voting rights held exclusively by insiders. Trump's administration has dismantled crypto enforcement units, nominated a crypto-industry advocate (Paul Atkins) as SEC chair, and halted prosecution of crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun—who invested $75 million in WLFI—in exchange for a settlement. Trading platforms including Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken listed WLFI after Trump dropped prosecutions against them.
• Justice Department disbands crypto crimes investigation unit — The Trump administration disbanded the Justice Department unit responsible for investigating cryptocurrency crimes. According to an internal memo, the unit will henceforth focus exclusively on protecting crypto investors and companies from hackers and other threats, rather than investigating criminal activity by crypto actors. This elimination of federal crypto crime investigation capacity removes a key enforcement mechanism that could constrain illegal activity in the sector where Trump holds massive personal financial interests.
• Trump administration drops prosecutions against major crypto exchanges in exchange for WLFI listings — Trump dropped prosecutions against three major cryptocurrency exchanges—Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken—enabling them to list the World Liberty Financial token on its first day of trading. The article states: "Trump, however, ingratiated himself with these platforms by dropping prosecutions against companies like Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken. All three of these companies listed WLFI on its first day of trading." This quid pro quo arrangement—prosecutorial leniency in exchange for preferential treatment of the president's personal financial asset—directly links law enforcement discretion to the president's financial interests.
• Trump's cryptocurrency holdings valued at $5 billion, creating conflict of interest — Trump's interest in a cryptocurrency venture was valued at approximately $5 billion on paper, exceeding the combined value of all his other assets. Fox Business host Stuart Varney characterized the arrangement as a "clear conflict of interest," noting that crypto-friendly legislation from the president would directly benefit his personal and family financial interests. The deal would not be occurring absent Trump's presidential position.
• SEC drastically cuts crypto enforcement unit staffing — Following Paul Atkins's confirmation as SEC chairman in April 2025, the agency drastically reduced staffing in its crypto enforcement unit. This reduction in enforcement capacity directly correlates with the launch of World Liberty Financial and the removal of regulatory obstacles to Trump's cryptocurrency scheme. The staffing cuts eliminate the agency's ability to investigate or prosecute crypto-related securities violations.
• Eric Trump launches American Bitcoin cryptocurrency mining company — Eric Trump launched American Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency mining company, on September 3, 2025. According to reporting by Kyle Khan-Mullins and Dan Alexander of Forbes, Eric Trump is now worth at least $3.2 billion as a result of this venture and related Trump family cryptocurrency activities, including the Monday launch of WLFI cryptocurrency which netted the family approximately $5 billion on paper.
• Trump meets with tech executives including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg at White House — Trump held a White House meeting with multiple technology executives including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, ostensibly tied to Melania Trump's AI safety initiative. The meeting focused on securing electricity and water resources from the government for tech companies' AI infrastructure development. The gathering prompted significant backlash from MAGA influencers and conservative figures who view Gates and Zuckerberg as enemies of Trump and the MAGA movement.

Supporting reports

• Citrone purchased Argentine bonds days before Bessent's rescue announcement — Hedge fund manager Rob Citrone, who manages $2.8 billion in assets and holds substantial Argentine investments, purchased additional Argentine bonds in early September 2025, days before Treasury Secretary Bessent announced the $20 billion rescue package. Citrone's timing positioned him to profit directly from the currency stabilization that followed Bessent's announcement, which increased the value of Argentine assets including bonds and the peso.

Supporting reports

• Federal Trade Commission settles with Amazon over dark-pattern enrollment practices — The Federal Trade Commission announced a $2.5 billion settlement with Amazon to resolve allegations that the company used deceptive user interfaces to enroll millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their consent and made cancellation deliberately difficult. FTC documents obtained in trial preparation showed Amazon executives and employees knowingly discussed these unlawful practices. As part of the settlement, Amazon must end specific dark-pattern tactics, including requiring consumers to click "No, I don't want free shipping" to opt out of Prime enrollment. The settlement allocates $1.5 billion in refunds to affected consumers.

Supporting reports

• General Services Administration approves federal agencies to purchase xAI's Grok chatbot — In September 2025, the General Services Administration granted federal agencies approval to purchase and use Grok, xAI's chatbot. The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly used customized versions of Grok since at least May 2025. xAI has also sought to hire several employees with top-secret security clearances, signaling plans to expand its government work.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration withdraws passenger flight compensation rule — The Department of Transportation, under Secretary Sean Duffy, withdrew a proposed rule that would have required U.S. airlines to provide cash compensation ($200–$775) to passengers for significant flight delays or cancellations caused by the airline. The rule, formally proposed in December 2024 under the Biden administration, would have mirrored European Union protections in place since 2005. The withdrawal was announced via a brief Federal Register entry citing "Department and administration priorities." Airlines for America, representing major carriers, praised the decision as eliminating "unnecessary and burdensome regulations."

Supporting reports

• Trump administration exercises unprecedented control over U.S. Steel through "golden share" — The Trump administration has exercised its newly acquired "golden share" in U.S. Steel following the company's acquisition by Nippon Steel. In September, after U.S. Steel announced plans to shut down the Granite City plant in Illinois, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called CEO Dave Burritt and told him the administration would not allow operations to cease, threatening to invoke the golden share if production did not continue. A KeyBanc analyst described the incident as demonstrating that U.S. Steel had "sold their souls to the govt" and could not act independently.

Supporting reports

• Trump and Lutnick secured Kazakhstan tungsten deal with undisclosed Trump family financial involvement — Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met with Kazakhstan's president at the St. Regis Hotel in New York in September 2025, during which Trump joined by phone to seal a deal giving an American company access to one of the world's largest untapped tungsten reserves. The Trump administration approved preliminary applications for $1.6 billion in federal financing for the company, now called Kaz Resources. Within weeks, Dominari Securities—partly owned by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump and housed at Trump Tower—took a 20% stake in a corporate entity related to the project. Cantor Fitzgerald, controlled by Lutnick's family and overseen by his sons, helped raise $210 million in new capital for a related entity. The Kazakh deal was signed six days after the Trump sons' investment. The arrangement is one of at least 14 companies in which one or both families have financial ties and that are actively working with the federal government on critical mining deals.

Supporting reports

• Federal class-action lawsuit filed alleging Amazon Prime Day uses fraudulent pricing tactics — Two customers filed a federal class-action lawsuit in Washington State against Amazon in late September, alleging the company deploys deceptive pricing practices during Prime Day sales. The complaint cites specific examples—such as the Ninja Air Fryer Pro XL listed at a "33% discount" from a price ($179.99) it had never actually sold at before Prime Day—and claims Amazon violates Washington consumer protection laws by making false "percent off" claims and featuring products at artificially inflated baseline prices. The lawsuit alleges "fraudulent advertising" and "unfair or deceptive acts or practices."

Supporting reports

• Rep. Adelita Grijalva won special election but was not sworn in during government shutdown — Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) won her special election in September 2025 and was the 218th required signature for the Epstein Files Transparency Act discharge petition. However, Speaker Johnson kept the House out of session during a 40+ day government shutdown, preventing her from being sworn in and signing the petition. She was finally sworn in on November 12, 2025, and signed the petition within minutes.

Supporting reports

• Alexander Acosta testifies to House oversight committee on Epstein plea deal rationale — Former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta testified before the House oversight committee in September 2025 (transcript released October 17) defending the 2008 non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein. Acosta argued that a federal trial would have been a "crapshoot" due to victim reluctance to testify and inconsistencies in their accounts. He stated prosecutors prioritized securing Epstein's incarceration and sex-offender registration over risking acquittal. Acosta denied Trump involvement in the deal. Separately, Rep. Robert Garcia demanded Attorney General Pam Bondi end obstruction of the committee's Epstein investigation.

Supporting reports

• Federal court ruling on CDC probationary employee terminations — In September 2025, a federal judge ruled that the CDC's February terminations of probationary employees "went too far," finding them illegal. Some employees were reinstated and placed on administrative leave. However, the same judge's ruling, which specifically prohibited reorganization or termination of affected employees, was violated when those same employees received RIF notices in October.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court overturned federal court order halting ICE racial profiling in Los Angeles — In July 2025, a federal court ordered federal agents to halt indiscriminate raids and racial profiling in Los Angeles. In September 2025, the Supreme Court overturned that ruling. The ACLU and immigrant rights groups have since submitted an amended legal complaint challenging the decision. The reversal left communities without judicial protection against profiling tactics.
• Supreme Court rules against racial profiling challenge in immigration enforcement case — In September 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority sided against Los Angeles-area plaintiffs challenging "roving" ICE immigration patrols. The plaintiffs alleged that stops based on race, language, employment status, or location violated Fourth Amendment protections. The ruling effectively legalized racial profiling in immigration enforcement, according to critics. Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurring opinion asserted that people with legal status would only be "briefly" questioned, a characterization contradicted by subsequent reporting of traumatic detentions of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
• Supreme Court ruling permits race and ethnicity as enforcement factors in immigration stops — In September 2025, the Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing immigration enforcement agents in southern California to interrogate anyone they suspected of being in the country illegally, explicitly noting that perceived race or ethnicity can be a relevant factor in such determinations. Legal experts note this ruling may complicate challenges to racial profiling under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Supporting reports

• IRS granted tax-exempt status to Trump Mount Rushmore memorial charity — In September 2025, the IRS granted tax-exempt status to the Donald Trump Mount Rushmore Memorial Legacy, designating it as a charity that can accept tax-free donations. The move allows the creation of a tax-advantaged vehicle for raising funds ostensibly for a memorial to Trump on Mount Rushmore, while Trump controls the IRS.

Supporting reports

• Harvard University wins frozen-funds lawsuit against Trump administration over Title VI enforcement — A federal judge ruled in September 2025 in favor of Harvard University in its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's withholding of billions of dollars in federal funding. The judge found that the administration "used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities" and had applied Title VI protections for Jewish students in a manner that violated the university's First Amendment obligations and due process.
• Federal judge orders Harvard funding restoration, rules termination unlawful — A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated approximately $2.6 billion in federal grants to Harvard University and ordered the administration to reverse the funding cuts. The judge found the termination constituted illegal retaliation after Harvard refused White House demands to change its policies and governance. In a separate ruling, the judge had already barred the administration from halting Harvard's enrollment of international students.

Supporting reports

• Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show following FCC pressure — In September 2025, Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show on ABC following pressure from Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr over Kimmel's comments made after the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The suspension triggered significant subscriber cancellations: Disney+ lost approximately three million subscribers and Hulu lost 4.1 million in September, compared to previous monthly averages of 1.2 million and 1.9 million respectively. Kimmel returned to the air after five days.
• FCC Chairman Carr threatened ABC over Kimmel's commentary on Charlie Kirk — In September 2025, FCC Chairman Carr appeared on a podcast with MAGA influencer Benny Johnson and implied that ABC could face punishment after Jimmy Kimmel made a comment about the murder of Charlie Kirk. Carr stated, "These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." Within hours, ABC suspended Kimmel; the suspension was reinstated about a week later.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration's "Operation Midway Blitz" immigration raid in Chicago targets immigrants without criminal records — Federal agents conducted "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood beginning in September 2025, detaining 614 immigrants. Federal court records show 97% of those arrested had no criminal conviction, contradicting the Trump administration's public claims that sweeps target the "worst of the worst" criminals. Only 16 detainees had significant criminal histories; the rest faced no criminal charges. The data was submitted to federal court in a lawsuit alleging DHS violated a 2022 consent decree limiting warrantless arrests of migrants.