Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• 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.

Supporting reports

• 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.

Supporting reports

• 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.

Supporting reports

• 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.

Supporting reports

• Trump states he could have prosecuted political opponents but chose restraint, then asserts presidential power is absolute — From the Oval Office on October 7, 2026, Trump told reporters he could have taken "very bad things" against Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama but refrained out of respect for the presidency. He then stated "I can do whatever I want, if I want," asserting that despite two impeachments and actions by political opponents, he views the presidency as a "very sacred position" and retains unlimited executive authority.

Supporting reports

• Trump issues Executive Order 14435 deferring diesel fuel excise taxes through December 31, 2026 — President Trump signed Executive Order 14435 on October 5, 2026, directing the Secretary of the Treasury to defer diesel fuel excise tax payments and provide penalty relief for farmers, truckers, and related workers through December 31, 2026, citing restricted global diesel supply and rising prices. The order instructs the Treasury Secretary to determine eligibility under 26 U.S.C. 7508A, directs the IRS to waive penalties for dyed diesel fuel use on highways, and tasks the Secretaries of Agriculture and Transportation with facilitating implementation. The order also directs the Treasury to explore legislative avenues for permanent tax forgiveness of deferred amounts.

Supporting reports

• 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.

Supporting reports

• Senate Democrats signal they will not confirm Trump Supreme Court nominees if they win control — Sen. Chuck Schumer put Trump on notice that if Democrats win control of the Senate, they do not intend to put MAGA judges on the courts. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said he does not think a Democratic-led Senate would confirm a Trump pick for the Supreme Court, stating: "Given the history of Trump nominees, I think it is slim to none that we would support a nominee from this admin. Because we've seen this movie, we know how it ends, which is a politician in robes who is following Trump's orders on most major questions." Some Democrats argue there should be no question of confirming a Trump pick after Sen. Mitch McConnell held a seat open for 10 months under Obama to let a Republican president fill it instead. Sen. Ruben Gallego stated: "No, we've got to do exactly what McConnell did to us. To even the scales." However, Gallego said he does not want to see the practice continue after Democrats even things out.

Supporting reports

• Trump issues executive order deferring diesel fuel excise taxes through December 31, 2026 — President Trump issued an executive order directing the Secretary of the Treasury to defer diesel fuel excise tax payment obligations and provide penalty relief for farmers, truckers, and related workers through December 31, 2026. The order cites restricted global diesel supply and rising prices as justification. The Secretary is instructed to determine within five days whether relief is authorized under 26 U.S.C. 7508A, defer applicable taxes incurred October 5–December 31, 2026, waive penalties and interest, and direct the IRS to announce it will not impose penalties for dyed diesel fuel sold for highway use during that period. The order also directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and Transportation to facilitate implementation and explore avenues for permanent tax forgiveness.
• Emergency Tax Relief on Diesel Fuel — The White House published this executive order on 2026-10-05 through its executive-orders channel.
• Trump issues Executive Order 14435 deferring diesel fuel excise taxes through December 31, 2026 — President Trump signed Executive Order 14435 on October 5, 2026, directing the Secretary of the Treasury to defer diesel fuel excise tax payments and provide penalty relief for farmers, truckers, and related workers through December 31, 2026, citing restricted global diesel supply and rising prices. The order instructs the Treasury Secretary to determine eligibility under 26 U.S.C. 7508A, directs the IRS to waive penalties for dyed diesel fuel use on highways, and tasks the Secretaries of Agriculture and Transportation with facilitating implementation. The order also directs the Treasury to explore legislative avenues for permanent tax forgiveness of deferred amounts.
• Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Promotes Diesel Affordability — The White House published this fact sheet on 2026-10-05 through its fact-sheets channel.
• President Trump and Republicans Are Delivering Real Results for Nebraska — The White House published this release on 2026-10-05 through its releases channel.
• President Trump Takes Decisive Action to Lower Diesel Costs for American Truckers, Farmers — Trump signed an executive order that temporarily allows tax-exempt dyed (red) diesel to be used on roads and highways. Trump stated at a rally: "For many years, farm vehicles, construction equipment, and other off road vehicles have used what is know as red dye diesel. Do you know what that is? I don't know what the hell it is! But whatever it is, it's supposed to be very good." Gas analyst Patrick De Haan noted that while the executive order sounds significant on paper, it has limited practical effect because dyed diesel is already used by farmers and is essentially the same fuel as truck stop diesel, with only red dye added for identification. De Haan explained that states have their own motor fuel taxes and laws banning dyed fuel on public roads, and a presidential order cannot override state tax law. Unless states act to relax enforcement, running dyed diesel on roads remains illegal under state law.
• Trump signs executive order allowing red dye diesel on roads — The White House published this release on 2026-10-06 through its releases channel.
• WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: President Trump Delivers Immediate Diesel Relief, Saving Americans Up to $100 Per Fill

Supporting reports

• White House bars Politico from Air Force One press pool; CNN also repeatedly excluded — The White House refused to allow Politico on Air Force One on Monday, preventing the news organization from fulfilling its press corps pool responsibilities. This follows a pattern: news outlets filed a lawsuit on September 21 alleging the ban violates the First and Fifth Amendments. Judge Timothy Kelly sided with the plaintiffs and issued a temporary restraining order requiring the Trump administration to reinstate journalists' press badges. Since then, the White House has repeatedly barred CNN from traveling on Air Force One on days when it was CNN's turn to be the TV pool representative. The Trump administration appears to be justifying these restrictions by claiming access to the White House complex differs from access to tight spaces like Air Force One. Judge Kelly is scheduled to hold a hearing on Thursday over the news outlets' request for a preliminary injunction.
• White House blocks Politico from Air Force One pool rotation — The White House decided to block Politico from riding on Air Force One and called numerous other outlets to ask one to fill the primary print slot for the out-of-town pool rotation. Each of those outlets declined to step in, leaving the pool slot unfilled.
• Trump administration defended restrictions on news organizations' press access — The Trump administration continued to defend its decision to restrict press access for reporters from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico on journalistic conduct grounds. CNN, MSNBC, and Politico filed a federal court challenge, asking a judge to continue blocking the restrictions and to rule on long-term protections. The judge previously ordered temporary relief and is expected to rule on permanent protections.

Supporting reports

• Trump ordered OMB director to divert DHS funds for campaign ads — According to reporting by Maggie Haberman, Hamed Aleaziz, Shane Goldmacher, and Jonathan Swan of the New York Times, Trump personally ordered Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought to allocate $20 million for television advertisements praising Trump. The journalists reported that Vought obtained the funds by redirecting money Congress had appropriated for the Department of Homeland Security. The diversion of congressionally appropriated funds for campaign purposes raised questions about proper use of federal resources.
• Trump acknowledged using $20 million in taxpayer funds for self-promotional ads — Trump acknowledged bipartisan outcry over his use of $20 million in taxpayer money to run ads boosting himself. He initially defended the practice as "a rather standard thing to do" but then stated he would pay for future ads with money raised for MAGA, Inc. However, the White House later clarified that Trump would not reimburse the American public for the ads already run, and the reimbursement promise would only apply "moving forward."
• Trump administration used $11 million in taxpayer funds for political advertising — The Trump administration spent at least $11 million in taxpayer funds broadcasting advertisements through a Department of Homeland Security contract to promote the president. Trump announced his allied super PAC (MAGA Inc.) would assume financing going forward, and the White House stated it does not plan to reimburse taxpayers for the expenditure.
• White House uses taxpayer funds for pro-Trump ads without reimbursement from super PAC — Approximately $11.6 million in taxpayer-funded advertisements promoting Trump have aired, according to an AdImpact estimate. Trump initially claimed the ads would be paid for by his super PAC, but the White House later clarified that the PAC would not be reimbursing the government for ads that had already aired. The use of federal funds for partisan political advertising without reimbursement raises questions about the misuse of public resources for campaign purposes and potential violations of appropriations law.