Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump posted objectives for Iran military campaign and signaled intent to wind down operations — Trump posted a detailed list of military objectives in Iran, including degrading Iranian missile capability, destroying Iran's defense industrial base, eliminating Iran's navy and air force, preventing Iranian nuclear capability, and protecting Middle Eastern allies. He also signaled intent to wind down military efforts, stating "we are getting very close to meeting our objectives." The post included language suggesting the US would not guard the Strait of Hormuz and that other nations should police it. The framing appeared designed to provide Trump with an off-ramp from the conflict while redefining objectives to claim success.

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• Pete Hegseth held press conference attacking media and refusing mainstream journalists — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held a press conference where he attacked the media while refusing to call on any mainstream journalists in the room. He only took questions from right-wing media outlets, stating "A dishonest and anti-Trump press will stop at nothing to downplay progress, amplify every cost, and call into question every step" and claiming "TDS is in their DNA. They want President Trump to fail."

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• Trump posted false claims on Truth Social denying prior knowledge of Israeli strike — Trump posted on Truth Social claiming "the US knew nothing about this particular attack" regarding the Israeli strike on Iran's South Pars Gas Field and stressed that Qatar "was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen." However, U.S. and Israeli officials later confirmed that Trump did know about the strike in advance and that PM Netanyahu and Trump had coordinated about it.

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• Senate committee advances Markwayne Mullin's nomination to lead Department of Homeland Security — The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs voted on March 20, 2026, to advance Markwayne Mullin's nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security on a near party-line vote. Eight of nine Republicans supported the nomination; Rand Paul dissented. One Democrat, John Fetterman, voted in favor; six opposed. The committee's top Democrat, Gary Peters, criticized Mullin for failing to be forthright and transparent, and for appearing to condone political violence. Mullin's nomination now proceeds to a full Senate vote, where Republicans hold sufficient numbers for confirmation.
• Fetterman casts decisive committee vote to advance Mullin nomination for DHS secretary — Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) cast the deciding vote in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on March 20, 2026, to advance Republican Markwayne Mullin's nomination as Department of Homeland Security secretary. Fetterman was the sole Democrat to join seven Republicans in supporting the nomination, which faced Democratic opposition over allegations that Mullin had encouraged political violence. The vote prompted calls from fellow Pennsylvania Democrats for Fetterman's resignation and criticism that he had abandoned party and constituent interests.
• Markwayne Mullin confirmation hearing for Department of Homeland Security — Markwayne Mullin, Trump's nominee to replace Kristi Noem as DHS secretary, appeared before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on March 18, 2026. He defended the administration's mass deportation agenda while striking a more diplomatic tone than his predecessor. Mullin expressed regret for past inflammatory comments about a US citizen killed by immigration agents and acknowledged mistakes in his public statements. The hearing was contentious, with committee chair Rand Paul demanding explanations for Mullin's past hostile remarks toward him. Democrats pressed Mullin on his truthfulness regarding claimed combat experience, his willingness to enforce immigration at polling places, and his commitment to constitutional limits on executive power. The committee scheduled a vote for the following day.
• Trump nominates Markwayne Mullin as DHS secretary; senator claims undisclosed overseas military-adjacent experience — Donald Trump selected Oklahoma Republican senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Mullin, who never served in the U.S. military, has repeatedly made cryptic public statements suggesting combat or overseas security experience, claiming "special assignments outside of DoD" and referencing war zones. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Mullin confirmed he had never traveled abroad except for vacation or mission work, contradicting his earlier implications. His office later clarified the "overseas" work involved Christian mission activities with returning troops.
• Markwayne Mullin confirmation hearing for DHS Secretary; Fema restructuring and staffing concerns raised — Senator Markwayne Mullin, Trump's nominee to replace Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary, testified before the Senate during his confirmation hearing. He pledged to restructure rather than eliminate Fema, revoke Noem's $100,000 expenditure review policy, and appoint a qualified Fema director. However, he declined to commit to reversing Fema staff cuts, suggesting some agencies are "bloated," and reiterated that states should lead disaster response with federal support only at certain levels. Disaster management officials expressed concern about his preparedness and vision.
• Senator Markwayne Mullin testified for Secretary of Homeland Security confirmation — Senator Markwayne Mullin, Trump's nominee to replace Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in a contentious confirmation hearing. The hearing began with Chairman Rand Paul confronting Mullin over past comments where Mullin appeared to justify or "understand" the violent assault on Paul by his neighbor. Mullin refused to fully apologize for those comments, leading to a heated exchange.

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• Director of National Intelligence Gabbard omits intelligence assessment contradicting Iran war justification during Senate testimony — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 18, 2026. Her written opening statement asserted that Iran's nuclear enrichment program was "obliterated" by Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 and that Iran had made no efforts to rebuild it. However, when testifying in person, Gabbard omitted this passage, claiming time constraints. The omitted statement contradicts the Trump administration's repeated public claims that Iran was weeks away from acquiring nuclear weapons—the stated justification for the war. Intelligence community assessments, including from Gabbard herself in March 2025, had concluded Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
• Director of National Intelligence Gabbard testifies before Senate Intelligence Committee — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 19 regarding worldwide threats. Gabbard removed from her opening statement references to the 2025 strikes against Iran's nuclear enrichment program having "obliterated" it and the country not restarting the program. When asked why she omitted this material, she claimed her statement was running long. She also declined to confirm publicly that Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran, saying such information was appropriate only for closed session, despite the report being in public press.
• Tulsi Gabbard submitted written testimony on Iran nuclear program — In written testimony submitted to Congress ahead of her oral testimony, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated that Iran's nuclear enrichment program was "obliterated" in June 2026 and that no efforts to rebuild that capability have been detected since. She noted that entrances to underground facilities targeted in strikes have been buried and sealed with cement, effectively shutting them down. Gabbard affirmed these statements only after being pressed by Senator Jon Ossoff.

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• New York Times investigation reveals decades of sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez — The New York Times published an investigation on 18 March detailing allegations that labor leader Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and girls, including co-founder Dolores Huerta, from the 1960s to the 1980s. The investigation prompted swift action by elected officials in California, Texas, and Arizona to remove Chavez's name from public spaces, streets, schools, and state holidays. Historians and Latino leaders are reassessing Chavez's legacy and the risks of centering social movements around single figures.
• New York Times investigation reveals sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez — The New York Times published an investigation on March 19, 2026, documenting allegations that the late United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez groomed and sexually abused girls within the movement for years. The report prompted multiple state governments, labor organizations, and community groups to cancel or rebrand Cesar Chavez Day celebrations scheduled for March 31. Arizona became the first state to officially discontinue observance of the holiday, and California's governor indicated openness to renaming it. The UFW, LUPE, and other organizations called the allegations "indefensible" and "disturbing."

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• DOJ removed 50+ pages of Epstein files interviews about Trump — According to The Telegraph, four days before the bombing of Iran, a report revealed that the Department of Justice removed more than 50 pages of interviews about Trump from the Epstein files, including one victim who claimed the now-president abused her when she was a child decades ago. The timing of the removal—just before military action—raised questions about the relationship between the two events.

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• House Speaker Johnson defended Iran war citing nuclear enrichment threat — House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to Joe Kent's resignation by aggressively defending the Iran war. Johnson stated that officials understood Iran posed an imminent threat due to its proximity to nuclear enrichment capability and its rapid missile development. Johnson's statement contradicted U.S. intelligence assessments that Iran posed no imminent threat. Trump similarly attempted to justify the war by blaming former President Barack Obama's nuclear deal, claiming that without terminating it, "you would have had a nuclear war four years ago."
• Speaker Johnson defended imminent threat claim without evidence — Speaker Mike Johnson was asked by CNN why Congress has not held oversight hearings on the Iran War. Johnson stated: "We all understood there was clearly an imminent threat that Iran was very close to the enrichment of nuclear capability. I don't know where Joe Kent is getting his information. The president felt he had to strike first to prevent mass casualties." Johnson's statement asserted an imminent threat without providing evidence and dismissed the concerns of a departing senior official.

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• University of Florida suspends College Republicans chapter over Nazi salute post — The University of Florida suspended its College Republicans chapter on Saturday after the state leadership of the Florida Federation of College Republicans said the group engaged in "a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values, including a recent antisemitic gesture"—specifically an online post featuring two people giving Nazi salutes. The chapter filed a federal lawsuit Monday claiming the suspension violated First Amendment free speech rights, arguing the post was off-campus activity. The university's interim president stated UF remains committed to preventing antisemitism.
• College Republicans chapter files federal lawsuit against University of Florida — The suspended UF College Republicans chapter filed a federal lawsuit in Gainesville on Monday against university leadership, claiming the suspension violated the First Amendment rights of a member who engaged in an off-campus activity. The chapter's attorney, former state representative Anthony Sabatini, argued the group was being targeted for promoting an "aggressive America First agenda." The chapter also disputed the university's claim that it was affiliated with the Florida Federation of College Republicans, stating it belongs to the College Republicans of America instead.
• Florida International University conservative group chat leaked with racial slurs and Nazi praise — A group chat for conservative students at Florida International University was leaked earlier in March 2026, revealing hundreds of racial slurs and repeated praise for Nazis. The incident demonstrates the spread of extremist rhetoric within conservative student organizations at major universities.
• University of Florida College Republicans disbanded over Nazi salute incident — The University of Florida College Republicans, a member chapter of CRA, was disbanded after a photo circulating online showed one of its leaders performing a Nazi salute. The incident prompted the university to disband the organization. Kai Schwemmer, the newly appointed CRA political director, posted on social media defending the University of Florida chapter and blaming "cancel culture" for the disbandment.

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• Kevin Hassett claimed U.S. economy not vulnerable to Iranian oil disruption — National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CBS's Face the Nation that "America is not going to have its economy harmed by what the Iranians are doing" because the U.S. produces more oil than it consumes. Hassett implied the U.S. does not need Persian Gulf oil and characterized Iranian strategy as "stupid," stating "the bottom line is that our economy has got all this momentum in the world, and we've got lots and lots of oil."

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• Trump endorses FCC chair's threat to revoke broadcast licenses over Iran war coverage — Donald Trump posted on Truth Social expressing he was "thrilled" that FCC Chair Brendan Carr was "looking at the licenses" of news organizations reporting unfavorably on the Iran war. Carr had stated on X that broadcasters running "hoaxes and news distortions" should "correct course before their license renewals come up" or "lose their licenses." In a Reuters interview, Carr said license revocations were "on the table" and accelerated reviews were possible. Trump claimed news outlets "knowingly" disseminated false information and should face treason charges, while Defense Secretary Hegseth barred press photographers and singled out CNN.
• Trump posted social media attacks on New York Times and Wall Street Journal — President Trump posted on social media that the New York Times and Wall Street Journal "actually want us to lose the War" and that their "terrible reporting is the exact opposite of the actual facts." Trump called the outlets "Lowlife 'Papers' and Media" and characterized journalists as "truly sick and demented people that have no idea the damage they cause the United States of America," citing his 2024 election victory as proof that Americans understand events better than "Fake News Media."
• Trump posted that media outlets should face treason charges for false reporting — President Trump posted on social media that media outlets generating stories he characterized as "FAKE" "should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information." Trump reiterated support for FCC Chair Brendan Carr's attack on the media and insisted he won the presidential election "IN A LANDSLIDE."

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• Trump falsely claims Iran wants to surrender — Trump stated that Iran wants to make a deal and is seeking negotiations, claiming "They want to make a deal badly." However, Drop Site News reported that Iranian officials say the opposite is occurring behind the scenes: Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff privately contacted Iran's Foreign Minister seeking talks, but Tehran ignored the messages and stated it will not negotiate for now. Trump's public claim contradicts the actual diplomatic posture.

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• Trump launches racist tirade against Somalia and Rep. Ilhan Omar — On March 16, Trump made inflammatory statements in the Oval Office calling Somalia "maybe a fourth-world nation" where they "shoot people all over the place" and accused Somalis of coming to the US to "steal" billions of dollars. He also repeated baseless claims that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a U.S. citizen, is in the country illegally and directed his new White House anti-fraud task force to investigate her, calling her a "ringleader" without evidence.

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• Trump posted message claiming MAGA includes preventing Iranian nuclear weapons — In what the article characterizes as "panicked comments," President Trump posted on social media addressing rifts among MAGA leaders over the Iran war, stating "THEY ARE NOT MAGA, I AM, and MAGA includes not allowing Iran, a Sick, Demented, and Violent Terrorist Regime, to have a Nuclear Weapon to blow up the United States of America, the Middle East and, ultimately, the rest of the World."

Supporting reports

• Trump and FCC Chair Carr threatened media companies covering the war — Trump posted that the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets "want us to lose the War" and that their reporting is "the exact opposite of the actual facts." FCC Chair Brendan Carr responded by threatening broadcasters, stating that those "running hoaxes and news distortions" have a chance to "correct course before their license renewals come up" or they will lose their licenses. Carr stated the law requires broadcasters to operate in the public interest.

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• White House Economic Advisor Hassett claimed war disruption will last 4-6 weeks — White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett stated on Fox that the oil disruption will not last for months, claiming Trump's team briefed him it will last 4-6 weeks beginning two weeks ago and that they are "ahead of schedule." Hassett also stated that if the disruption lasted a long time, it would not harm the U.S. economy significantly. This contradicted Energy Secretary Wright's earlier statement that Americans will "feel it for a few more weeks."

Supporting reports

• White House Economic Advisor Wright stated Strait of Hormuz is not safe for shipping — Energy Secretary Chris Wright was asked on NBC whether the Strait of Hormuz is safe for shipping. Wright responded: "No, it is not." When asked why the strait is effectively closed if the administration was prepared, Wright blamed geography: "Because it's right near the Iranian shoreline." The response contradicted claims of preparedness and acknowledged the strategic failure to maintain shipping security.

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• White House spokesperson Leavitt claimed gas price increases are temporary — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Fox that the administration understands concerns about gas prices and is taking them into account. She characterized the price increases as "a temporary short-term disruption in global oil prices" that the president will "ultimately rectify by wiping out the rogue Iranian terrorist regime." Energy Secretary Wright stated that after the conflict ends, prices will come down and Americans will "feel it for a few more weeks."

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• White House tightened control of RFK Jr.'s HHS messaging ahead of midterms — The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is more tightly controlling messaging and policies from HHS ahead of midterm elections. Aides close to Trump decided to take a more active role in managing RFK Jr.'s department due to polling showing his vaccine moves are unpopular. Some people close to both Kennedy and the White House said the secretary's standing among staff is at a new low following setbacks for his MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) agenda. Administration officials grew frustrated with what they viewed as disorganization and focus on vaccines that could damage the president's party in November.

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• Nine anti-ICE protesters convicted on terrorism support charges in Texas — Nine protesters were found guilty of providing material support to terrorists and related charges following a July 4, 2025 demonstration at Prairieland detention center near Fort Worth. Prosecutors alleged the defendants were part of an antifa cell and coordinated an ambush on law enforcement; the defendants maintained they planned a peaceful protest and brought firearms for self-defense. The case marked the first federal prosecution alleging individuals were part of an antifa terrorist cell. Sentencing ranges from 10 to life in prison.

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• Defense Secretary Hegseth complained about war coverage at press briefing — On March 14, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press briefing at the Defense Department in which he spent significant time complaining about headlines reporting that the war is widening and that the administration underestimated Iran's ability to close the Strait of Hormuz. He called for a "patriotic press" that would report Iran is weakening, criticized CNN's reporting, and stated "The sooner [right-wing Trump ally] David Ellison takes over that network, the better." He claimed the Strait of Hormuz is open and that Iran can "barely communicate, let alone coordinate."
• Hegseth criticized media coverage of the Iran war — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed frustration during a press briefing about media reports suggesting that the war with Iran is widening and that the administration underestimated the threat of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. He claimed that the Strait is open and criticized CNN for its reporting.

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• Trump denied Ukraine was helping U.S. with drone defense — In a phone call to the Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox Radio on the morning of March 14, President Trump denied that Ukraine was helping the U.S. with drone defense, stating "we don't need their help…. We know more about drones than anybody. We have the best drones in the world, actually." This denial contradicted contemporaneous reporting that Ukraine had sent drone experts and interceptor drones to Jordan at U.S. request.

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• Trump posted photo of himself in military uniform from school — On the morning of March 14, Trump posted a photograph of himself standing with his parents in his schoolboy military uniform from Military Academy, captioning it "At Military Academy with my parents, Fred and Mary!" The post was made during active military operations and amid discussion of Trump's five draft deferments during the Vietnam War era.

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• Trump claimed U.S. destroyed 100 percent of Iran's military capability despite ongoing Iranian military operations — Trump posted that the United States had destroyed "100 percent" of Iran's military capability. Contemporaneous evidence showed Iranian drones striking infrastructure and shipping facilities across the Persian Gulf region, including attacks on the Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates. Iranian state institutions remained operational and the regime had recently completed a leadership transition to a new Ayatollah. Military analysts noted the claim was disconnected from observable reality.

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• Trump claimed formation of international naval coalition to reopen Strait of Hormuz without verification from allied nations — Trump posted claims that China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and other nations would join a U.S. naval coalition to keep the Strait of Hormuz open after Iran blocked it. No evidence was presented that these countries had actually committed to such action. The claim contradicted Trump's earlier statement that the U.S. did not need allies in military operations. Geopolitical analysts noted the implausibility of China joining a U.S.-led coalition against Iran given their deep economic and strategic ties.