Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump announced ban of CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — Trump announced that CNN, MSNBC, and Politico are banned from the White House "effective immediately," accusing them of reporting what he calls "fake news." Reuters reported that Trump said the ban could extend to additional news organizations. Trump told reporters "I don't want them here" and said he would take the ban "as far as you can." The administration has not explained how the restriction would work, and the Associated Press reported that journalists from the affected outlets remained on White House grounds Friday afternoon.
• Trump bans MS Now, CNN, and Politico reporters from White House grounds — President Trump ordered the removal of reporters from MS Now, CNN, and Politico from White House grounds, effective immediately, citing what he claimed was constant "fake news" reporting. On Saturday morning, journalists from these outlets were denied access and had their press passes confiscated by the Secret Service at security gates. Trump stated the decision was "cumulative" over two years and said he was considering banning additional outlets. The White House Correspondents' Association and press freedom advocates condemned the action as unconstitutional.
• Secret Service confiscates press badges and denies White House access — On September 19, reporters from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico attempting to enter the White House press complex were denied entry by security personnel, and Secret Service agents confiscated their press credentials. This enforcement action followed Trump's announcement the previous day banning the three outlets from White House facilities.
• Trump banned CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — Trump issued a directive banning CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House. The ban surprised many senior Trump staffers, who learned of it only through Trump's Truth Social post while Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was out of town. The press shop was initially blindsided and unsure how to respond. A source close to the White House confirmed the ban is "real and permanent as far as POTUS is concerned." Discussions were already underway about adding more news organizations, with Trump specifically citing the New York Times and Washington Post as possible additions.

Supporting reports

• Complaint filed: NAACP v. Department of Homeland Security et al. (D.D.C. 1:26-cv-03263) — Nine civil rights organizations and labor unions, including the NAACP, Mi Familia en Acción, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates, National Urban League, and MN8, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, DOJ, the FBI, and associated officials. The complaint alleges that the Trump administration's rescission of a DHS policy limiting immigration arrests near polling places, combined with rhetoric declining to rule out deploying armed agents near voting locations during the 2026 midterms and expansion of the "Unlawful Voter Initiative" (cross-referencing voter rolls against immigration databases in at least nine states), violates Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act by intimidating voters and persons aiding voters. Plaintiffs seek a declaration of violation and an injunction against unlawful voter intimidation.

Supporting reports

• Trump signs Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law — President Trump signed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act on Friday, September 18, 2026, two days after the House passed it in a bipartisan 262-159 vote. The legislation imposes sweeping sanctions on Russia targeting its oil and natural gas revenues, political and military officials, shadow tankers, and foreign networks supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. Critically, the bill grants Trump broad discretionary power to impose tariffs up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy and those helping Moscow evade sanctions, and to waive sanctions provisions at his discretion. Democrats criticized the legislation for giving the president excessive unilateral authority over tariff implementation.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffs on foreign countries — The U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump's far-reaching tariffs on nearly every other country as part of a series of recent judicial defeats. The ruling was among multiple decisions this term in which the Court blocked or reversed Trump administration policies on tariffs, birthright citizenship restrictions, and Federal Reserve governance.

Supporting reports

• Senate blocked Clarity Act crypto legislation on 49-50 vote — The Senate voted 49-50 to block the Clarity Act from advancing. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) had released a revised version claiming to include additional ethics requirements for Trump, but the new version did not actually limit Trump's business interests. Trump stands to benefit significantly from permissive crypto regulation, having earned approximately $1.4 billion through his family's crypto ventures in 2025.

Supporting reports

• Trump sought stock-purchasing ban for lawmakers excluding himself — Trump is seeking to pass legislation that would impose a stock-purchasing ban on lawmakers while explicitly excluding himself from any restrictions. A Bloomberg analysis found that in the first 17 months of his second term, Trump or his money managers made nearly 28,700 trades—more than every single member of Congress combined—demonstrating the asymmetry of the proposed rule.

Supporting reports

• Trump dismisses Rep. Salazar's immigration criticism — When asked about Representative Maria Elvira Salazar's (R-FL) video criticizing Trump's immigration policy, Trump responded: "Without me she wouldn't have gotten elected. She got a little bit soft on the border." Trump's comment dismissed her concerns and implied that her political viability depends on his support.

Supporting reports

• Trump bans CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — President Trump announced via Truth Social that he is immediately banning CNN, MS Now (MSNBC), and Politico from the White House, citing their coverage as "fake news." At an Oval Office event, Trump defended the ban, stating he does not believe courts should allow "fake news" to be written. He suggested additional media outlets could face similar bans. CNN, Politico, and the White House Correspondents' Association condemned the action as unconstitutional, while legal experts noted the White House press pool is a public forum under the First Amendment.
• Trump bans CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from White House — Trump announced an immediate ban of CNN, MSNOW (formerly MSNBC), and Politico from White House access, citing their reporting as "fake news." Trump alleged that Politico received an "$8 Million Dollar subscription" from the U.S. government under the Biden administration and characterized this as corruption. He stated that other "Fake News Media Outlets" would follow. Trump framed the ban as a response to outlets' coverage of the presidency and administration.
• Trump defends White House media ban citing First Amendment question — When asked how he justifies banning CNN, Politico, and MSNOW from the White House given that every president takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, including the First Amendment, Trump responded: "Because they're fake news." Trump did not address the constitutional question raised.

Supporting reports

• Trump makes statement about Jewish and Black voters — During the same press gaggle with the South Dakota governor, Trump stated: "How a Jewish person could vote for a Democrat is not even believable. It is not possible that somebody who is Jewish, that somebody who is Black, could vote for a Democrat." The statement was made in a public setting with media present.

Supporting reports

• Ilhan Omar introduces Make ICE Pay Act to redirect $140bn in immigration enforcement funding — U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar introduced the Make ICE Pay Act on September 17, 2026, which would block nearly $140 billion in funding previously designated for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill redirects those funds to states, local governments, nonprofits, and small businesses harmed by Trump's immigration enforcement crackdowns, including Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, which resulted in nearly 4,000 arrests, two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens, and approximately $700 million in community damage. Grants could fund economic relief, educational assistance, psychosocial support, and investigations into enforcement abuses.

Supporting reports

• Trump demands his name on Kennedy Center building, withholds renovation funds — Trump stated that the Trump Administration should receive recognition for fixing and subsidizing the Kennedy Center, claiming the building would "close and get ripped down" without his involvement. A Community Note fact-check revealed that Congress recently allocated $257 million for Kennedy Center renovations, but the funds remain unused because Trump is withholding the money amid a legal battle to add his name to the building. Trump was photographed aboard Air Force One looking at a placard reading "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED."

Supporting reports

• Trump threatens to withhold disaster aid to North Carolina unless Senate nominee Whatley wins — At a rally in North Carolina for Senate nominee Michael Whatley, Trump stated he would withhold federal disaster relief to the state unless Whatley is elected. Trump said "If Michael loses, I'm not sending it," referring to disaster aid for recovery from Hurricane Helene. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein responded that this is "no way to respond to a tragic disaster, no way to run a country, no way to campaign for office," noting the state has requested $10 billion in federal funding for recovery efforts.
• Trump conditioned FEMA disaster funding on political loyalty — During a North Carolina rally on Wednesday, President Trump stated that he would withhold additional FEMA disaster funding unless a specific political candidate (Michael Whatley) won his election. Trump said: "Now if Michael loses, I'm not sending it. No, I'm only kidding. You're getting it." The statement, even if framed as a joke, explicitly conditions federal disaster relief on electoral outcomes and political loyalty.

Supporting reports

• ICE detains exiled Nicaraguan journalist Luis Galeano in Florida — Luis Galeano, a veteran Nicaraguan journalist who fled his country in 2018 after police raids and arrest warrants, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while driving for Lyft in Florida on Monday. Galeano has had a pending asylum application for approximately seven years, holds a work permit and social security number, and continues reporting critically on Nicaragua's Sandinista government online. As of Wednesday, he was held at Krome detention center in Miami with an immigration court date scheduled for October 2. His detention has drawn criticism from press freedom organizations and some US lawmakers, who note the contradiction of detaining a journalist persecuted by an authoritarian regime the US government simultaneously condemns.

Supporting reports

• Family of Tierra Walker sues Ken Paxton for wrongful death related to denied abortion — Attorneys for the family of Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old San Antonio woman who died in December 2024 while 20 weeks pregnant with pre-eclampsia, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Bexar County District Court on Tuesday. The suit names Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, individual doctors, and state health officials, alleging deliberate indifference and medical mistreatment. The family claims Walker and her relatives requested an abortion as her condition worsened, but doctors refused to provide it. The lawsuit also challenges Texas's abortion ban as unconstitutional.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge blocks DHS from issuing warning notices threatening prosecution for ICE criticism — Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Department of Homeland Security may not issue "warning notices" threatening prosecution against citizens for criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ruling arose after David Streever, a New York resident, received such a notice in June 2026 following a January email to then-ICE Director Todd Lyons in which Streever called Lyons a "monstrous human being" and warned his conscience would "eat himself alive." Federal agents delivered the notice to Streever's home and later to a hotel where he was staying with his daughter. The court found the notice violated Streever's First Amendment rights.

Supporting reports

• ACLU and researchers file class-action lawsuit challenging Trump administration's use of keyword list to block NIH grants — Researchers and civil-rights groups filed a class-action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court on September 16, 2026, challenging the Trump administration's use of a 235-keyword list (including terms like "gender" and "racist") to block and cancel National Institutes of Health grants. The suit argues the administration is violating the First Amendment by censoring scientific research on topics including health equity and climate change. The administration had canceled thousands of grants in 2025; more than 4,500 have since been restored. The lawsuit seeks to cover all researchers whose grants remain disrupted or who faced delays, denials, or forced renegotiations.

Supporting reports

• Complaint filed — Salles v. National Institutes of Health — Seventeen individual researchers filed a class action complaint in the Northern District of California challenging Trump administration executive orders affecting federal grantmaking. The orders terminated DEI programs, barred funds for "gender ideology," required DEI certifications, directed agencies to terminate or modify grants to advance administration priorities, and made peer-review recommendations advisory rather than binding. Plaintiffs allege NIH implemented these policies through internal directives that screened grants and applications, imposing "government-wide ideological litmus tests." The complaint names NIH, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, HHS, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the DOGE Service as defendants, and seeks class certification, declaratory judgment, injunctive relief restoring terminated grants, and vacatur of the challenged policies.

Supporting reports

• Amazon under Carney's leadership expanded lobbying presence to 180 registered lobbyists across 44 states — Under Jay Carney's leadership as Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs, Amazon dramatically expanded its state-level lobbying infrastructure. By 2020, Amazon had registered at least 180 lobbyists across 44 U.S. states, up from at least 62 lobbyists in 27 states in 2014, the year before Carney arrived. Carney had initially criticized Amazon's lobbying efforts as "frugal" and "narrow," and under his direction the company implemented a program called "Watering the flowers" designed to cultivate relationships with elected officials at all levels—from governors and senators to local officials and economic development teams—to create a "well-tended 'garden' of pro-Amazon policymakers."
• Jay Carney led Amazon's campaign to defeat privacy and AI regulation across 20+ states — During his seven-year tenure as Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs at Amazon (reporting to Jeff Bezos), Jay Carney orchestrated a coordinated lobbying campaign to defeat privacy protections and AI regulation across multiple states. According to internal documents obtained by Reuters, Carney's mission included "defeating restrictions on artificial intelligence and biometric technologies" and "killing or amending privacy bills in over 20 states." In Washington state, Amazon lobbyists—under Carney's direction—weakened a biometrics regulation bill by inserting alternative language that exempted voice recordings, protecting Amazon's Alexa voice assistant from regulation. Amazon's internal documents celebrated that the revised bill would have "little, if any, direct impact on Amazon's practices."

Supporting reports

• House Speaker Johnson cancels Thursday votes and calls early recess before midterm election — House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the cancellation of votes scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2026, sending lawmakers home one day early ahead of the midterm election recess. The cancellation avoids a vote on Republican Thomas Massie's resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which Democrats say would pass on a bipartisan basis. Johnson cited the House's legislative productivity and desire for members to return to districts, but declined to address pending AI regulation legislation despite requests from over 100 House Democrats for an extended session to craft safeguards.

Supporting reports

• US Congress passes Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 — The US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 in a 262-159 vote on the final day before congressional recess. The bill authorizes President Trump to impose tariffs up to 100% on top purchasers of Russian energy (including China), mandate new sanctions on Russian officials and networks evading sanctions, and target Russia's shadow tanker fleet. The Senate had passed it 86-11 the previous month. The House vote faced last-minute opposition from isolationist Republicans and Democrats concerned the bill grants excessive tariff authority to the president that could be weaponized against US allies.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration begins border wall construction in Big Bend region despite local opposition — The Trump administration's Customs and Border Protection agency began construction on a 30-foot steel bollard border wall in Hudspeth County, Texas on September 15, 2026, without prior public announcement. CBP is pressing landowners to grant permission, offering signing bonuses to avoid eminent domain disputes. The agency faces bipartisan backlash from local leaders, landowners, and environmental advocates over plans to expand the wall through the remote Big Bend region, including national parks and areas containing millennia-old rock art.

Supporting reports

• DHS created thousands of potentially unreliable Tecs records on voters based on unverified data — A whistleblower disclosed that the Department of Homeland Security created thousands of records in the Tecs law enforcement database against California residents based on data officers had reason to believe was unreliable or inaccurate. In some cases, DHS provided officers with names and voting dates that did not match state voter registration records. Officers were instructed to create files despite these contradictions and without access to corroborating information, potentially resulting in tens of thousands of erroneous records affecting residents' legal status.

Supporting reports

• DHS Office of Inspector General publishes report documenting inhumane conditions and illegal cage confinement at Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility — The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General released a report documenting systematic human rights violations at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility, operated by Ron DeSantis's administration. Inspectors found detainees confined in metal cages measuring 18 square feet—less than half ICE's own 37-square-foot minimum standard—for up to two hours at a time. The report documented 79 instances of cage confinement between July 2025 and January 2026, along with overcrowding, inadequate water access, inoperable phones, and poor food hygiene. The facility closed in June 2026 after one year of operation.
• DHS inspector general released detention camp violations report — The Department of Homeland Security inspector general released a report documenting systematic violations at the now-closed "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility in the Florida Everglades. The facility failed in six categories: medical care, food service, personal hygiene, recreation, environmental health and safety, and special management units. Detainees were confined to overcrowded cells, allowed showers only three times weekly, and some were locked in small metal cages with approximately 18 square feet of space for up to two hours. The inspector general found the confinement practices "unprecedented" and "highly unconventional."

Supporting reports

• DHS officers instructed to conduct potentially illegal voter database searches without personal liability protection — Department of Homeland Security lawyers told officers investigating voter fraud they would not face personal liability for violating state laws when accessing voter registration databases, according to a whistleblower disclosure. Officers were instructed to search state voter databases and create federal records on suspected non-citizen voters despite concerns about data reliability and the legality of misrepresenting themselves on state websites. The effort, part of the Trump administration's ramped-up investigation into non-citizen voting ahead of midterm elections, has produced only a handful of cases despite non-citizen voting being extremely rare.

Supporting reports

• Clarity Act allows Trump to retain crypto holdings through blind trust loophole — The revised Clarity Act permits "covered individuals" to hold a "significant financial interest" (defined as $15,000 or more) in crypto companies by placing equity in a "blind trust." Trump holds approximately 38% of World Liberty Financial through an LLC and maintains token holdings in the company. The legislation does not require Trump to divest his equity stake; instead, it allows him to place it in a blind trust. Because World Liberty Financial is not publicly traded and Trump would know the identity of the company being placed in trust, the blind trust mechanism carries minimal practical significance as a conflict-of-interest safeguard.