Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump Posts Video Depicting Political Opponents as Zombies — President Donald J. Trump posted a video on his social media account depicting prominent Democrats as zombies and portraying his administration's officials in a negative light. The video, set to music, included altered lyrics and imagery suggesting a grim future for the Democratic Party. This action has drawn criticism from national security veterans, who argue it undermines democratic norms.
• Trump social media account posts AI video depicting Democrats as prey of Grim Reaper and zombies — Trump's social media account posted an AI-generated video set to Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" depicting Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance as band members, with OMB Director Russell Vought as the Grim Reaper. The video contains modified lyrics suggesting Vought will "tie your hands" of Democrats and shows Democratic leaders as zombies outside an unemployment office, concluding with AI-generated ghouls in MAGA attire. National security veterans noted this imagery is contrary to expectations in a healthy democracy.
• Trump social media account posts images depicting Democrats as "party of hate, evil, and Satan" — Trump's social media account posted images of prominent Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, with the heading "THE PARTY OF HATE, EVIL, AND SATAN" and accompanying text declaring "The Democratic Party is Dead!" with accusations of having "no leadership," "no message," and "no hope." The post characterized the Democratic Party's message as solely focused on hating Trump. This represents an escalation in inflammatory rhetoric from the administration.

Supporting reports

• DHS announces mass arrests of undocumented immigrants in Chicago — The Department of Homeland Security announced on October 3 that more than 1,000 undocumented immigrants had been arrested in and around Chicago since September when the operation began. DHS claimed those arrested included "the worst of the worst pedophiles, child abusers, kidnappers, gang members, and armed robbers," but has produced little evidence for the claim. Federal data shows that more than 70 percent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees as of the previous month had no criminal convictions.

Supporting reports

• Trump designates "antifa" as major terrorist organization — President Trump designated "antifa" as a "major terrorist organization" in late September 2025. The designation is based on an inaccurate narrative that antifa is a centralized organization, when in fact antifa—short for anti-fascist—is an ideology with a loose network of activists rather than a formal organization with membership or hierarchy.

Supporting reports

• Labor Department withholds monthly jobs and unemployment data during shutdown — The US Labor Department did not release its monthly data on job creation and unemployment on Friday, October 3, 2025, citing the federal funding lapse as the reason. The action occurred as the Trump administration threatened to use the shutdown to retaliate against Democrats, suggesting the data withholding may be part of a broader strategy to weaponize the shutdown against political opponents.
• Federal government shutdown enters third day with economic data gaps — Three days into the government shutdown, critical economic data collection has halted. The Labor Department's monthly jobs report, scheduled for Friday release, was not published, marking the first casualty in what officials expect will be a series of delayed or missed economic data. The absence of updated labor market and inflation figures creates extraordinary difficulty for the Federal Reserve, which relies heavily on government data to guide interest rate decisions at its upcoming meeting later in the month.

Supporting reports

• White House issues fact sheet attributing government shutdown economic impacts to Democratic opposition to funding restrictions on healthcare for undocumented immigrants — The White House published a fact sheet on October 3, 2025, presenting state-by-state economic projections attributed to a government shutdown. The document claims the Council of Economic Advisers warns of $15 billion in weekly GDP losses, projects 43,000+ additional unemployed Americans over a month-long shutdown, and lists estimated impacts on WIC recipients, SNAP beneficiaries, consumer spending, and gross state product by state. The fact sheet frames the shutdown as caused by Democratic demands to fund healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

Supporting reports

• Judge denies Kilmar Ábrego García’s bid for asylum in the US — An immigration judge in Baltimore denied Kilmar Ábrego García's asylum request, giving him 30 days to appeal the decision. Ábrego, a Salvadoran national, was deported to El Salvador in March by the Trump administration but returned to the US in June. He faces criminal charges related to human smuggling, which he denies. The Trump administration has been actively campaigning against him, labeling him as a gang member despite no convictions. Ábrego's lawyers have filed motions for a gag order due to prejudicial statements made against him.
• Immigration judge denies asylum bid for Kilmar Ábrego García — An immigration judge in Baltimore denied Kilmar Ábrego García's asylum application on October 3, 2025. Ábrego, a Salvadoran national with an American wife and children who has lived in Maryland for years, was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March 2025 and returned to the US in June following public pressure. He faces criminal charges related to human smuggling (which his lawyers dispute) and has 30 days to appeal the asylum denial. The Trump administration has publicly campaigned against him, labeling him MS-13 despite no convictions, and announced plans to deport him to Uganda and Eswatini.

Supporting reports

• JD Vance makes false claims blaming Democrats for government shutdown — Vice President JD Vance appeared at the White House briefing room and falsely claimed Democrats shut down the government demanding "billions of dollars of funding to healthcare for illegal aliens." In reality, US law bars undocumented immigrants from receiving such benefits and Democrats have not called for changing that law. Vance warned of imminent federal worker layoffs if the shutdown continues, with approximately 750,000 employees expected to be furloughed. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed agencies are preparing for cuts.
• Trump administration circulates AI-generated racist memes of Democratic leaders — The Trump administration released a video depicting Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with an AI-generated moustache and sombrero, accompanied by mariachi music imagery. Vice President Vance defended the memes as humor and joked about stopping them if Democrats help reopen the government. Jeffries denounced the memes as racist. Vance dismissed the racism charge, questioning whether a Mexican American would be offended by sombrero imagery.
• White House displays racist deepfake videos of Democratic leaders in briefing room — The Trump administration played racist deepfake videos on loop in the White House briefing room for hours on Wednesday. The videos, posted by Trump on Monday, used fabricated audio and imagery to mock Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, depicting Jeffries with a fake sombrero and mustache and falsely attributing inflammatory language to Schumer. Vice President JD Vance defended the videos as humor during a briefing room appearance, dismissing Jeffries's characterization of them as racist. The deepfakes promoted false claims linking Democrats to providing benefits to undocumented immigrants and invoked white supremacist "great replacement" conspiracy theory rhetoric.

Supporting reports

• White House issues press release misrepresenting Tylenol-autism research — The White House released a press release linking to scientific studies to support Trump's claim that acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy causes autism. Medical experts found the studies provided only "weak" and "inconclusive" evidence. The release duplicated citations to create a false appearance of multiple independent confirmations, misrepresented study findings (claiming biological mechanisms were established when authors stated mechanisms remain unknown), and omitted contradictory research, including a large Swedish study showing associations disappear under rigorous sibling-control analysis.

Supporting reports

• Department of Education employees' email accounts manipulated with partisan talking points — NBC News reported that Department of Education employees who were furloughed discovered their email out-of-office messages had been altered to include partisan talking points blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. Five civil servants provided copies of their manipulated messages, which had been rewritten in the first person without their consent. Employees stated the alterations violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
• Department of Education changed furloughed employees' out-of-office messages to blame Democrats — During the government shutdown, the Department of Education changed automated out-of-office email replies for furloughed employees from generic messages to ones blaming Democrats for the shutdown. When employees changed the messages back to neutral language, the Department changed them again to blame Democrats. This represents use of government communications infrastructure to advance partisan messaging during a shutdown.

Supporting reports

• Howard Lutnick made claims about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and alleged blackmail — Howard Lutnick, a former acquaintance of Jeffrey Epstein and current Commerce Secretary, appeared on a podcast and made detailed claims about Epstein's "massage room" and alleged blackmail operation. Lutnick stated that Epstein showed him the room in 2005 and speculated that videos made in the room were used as blackmail. He further speculated that Epstein received an 18-month sentence in exchange for trading videos to authorities, allowing him to leave jail during the day and receive visitors.

Supporting reports

• Trump posted support for Project 2025 and Vought's agency cuts — Trump posted on social media that he was meeting with OMB Director Russell Vought to determine which "Democrat Agencies" to cut and whether cuts would be temporary or permanent. Trump explicitly tied himself to "PROJECT 2025 Fame," contradicting his pre-election 2024 assurances to voters that he had nothing to do with Project 2025 and knew nothing about it. An NBC News poll from late September 2024 showed only 4% of voters liked Project 2025, and only 9% of MAGA Republicans supported it.
• Trump admitted Project 2025 was blueprint for his administration — Trump posted that he was meeting with Russ Vought, described as "he of PROJECT 2025 Fame," to determine which "Democrat Agencies" to cut and whether cuts would be temporary or permanent. Trump stated he could not believe Democrats gave him this "unprecedented opportunity." This contradicted his July 2024 post denying any connection to Project 2025, which he had called "disinformation" when it was unpopular in polls.
• Trump announced plans to use shutdown to cut federal agencies — Trump posted that Republicans should use the government shutdown as an opportunity to "clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud" and save "Billions of Dollars." He later stated on OAN that he could cut projects permanently and that "a lot of people are saying I wanted this" shutdown, though he claimed he did not. He characterized cuts as removing "Democrat things."

Supporting reports

• Trump posted doctored deepfake video mocking House Minority Leader Jeffries — President Trump posted a doctored video on social media on October 1 that manipulated statements by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) condemning bigotry. The video spliced in images of Trump wearing a sombrero and playing mariachi instruments, and added a sombrero and mustache to Jeffries's image while Mexican music played. This followed an earlier deepfake video of September 29 that faked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer attacking Democrats and racial minorities. The posts occurred as the government approached shutdown.

Supporting reports

• US Department of Energy directs employees to avoid climate-related terminology — The US Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) issued guidance to employees instructing them to avoid using terms including "climate change," "decarbonization," "sustainable," "emissions," "green," "energy transition," and "carbon footprint" in internal and public-facing work. The directive, contained in an email from an acting director, applies to all staff regardless of role. This follows the Trump administration's broader effort to suppress climate-related language across federal agencies and its cuts to renewable energy funding.

Supporting reports

• OpenAI launches Sora 2 video generator with inadequate content safeguards; violent, racist, and copyrighted content proliferates within hours — OpenAI released Sora 2, an AI video generator with a social feed, on Tuesday. Within hours, the platform generated and circulated videos depicting graphic violence (mass shootings, bomb scares, war zones), racist imagery (white supremacist slogans, Nazi imagery), copyrighted characters in compromising situations, and fake cryptocurrency scams. Despite stated safeguards prohibiting violent and harmful content, researchers and journalists documented numerous policy violations. OpenAI's content moderation infrastructure proved ineffective at preventing misuse.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration demolishes White House East Wing without prior oversight review, then submits ballroom renderings to NCPC — In October 2025, the Trump administration abruptly began demolishing the White House East Wing to clear space for a $400 million ballroom before submitting construction plans to oversight bodies. White House officials claimed demolition did not require commission approval. In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a federal lawsuit challenging the demolition as a violation of law. On 11 February 2026, renderings were submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission ahead of a 5 March hearing. The renderings were briefly posted then removed from the NCPC website without explanation.
• Trump bulldozed White House East Wing without required reviews or approvals — In October 2025, President Trump bulldozed the East Wing of the White House without securing any of the legally required reviews, environmental studies, public input, or congressional approval. The White House subsequently issued a press release dismissing public concerns as manufactured outrage by "unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies."
• Trump fired Commission of Fine Arts members and replaced with loyalists — In October 2025, Trump dismissed all six members of the independent U.S. Commission of Fine Arts responsible for reviewing the ballroom plan and replaced them with handpicked designees who unanimously approved the project in February 2026. This action removed independent oversight of the White House renovation and substituted it with loyalist approval.

Supporting reports

• Federal agents conducted raid on Chicago apartment complex claiming gang membership — On September 30, federal agents conducted a raid on an apartment complex in Chicago using a helicopter and military-style vehicles, breaking into apartments and removing individuals while claiming they were Tren de Aragua gang members. The agents filmed the individuals for a video the administration circulated portraying them as criminals. Of 37 people arrested, only two were claimed to be gang members; one of those had no criminal record. Federal prosecutors did not file criminal charges against anyone arrested. In immigration court, government lawyers never mentioned criminal charges or gang membership, and judges simply ordered deportations or voluntary departures.
• Federal agents conducted massive late-night raid in Chicago — Federal agents conducted a massive late-night raid on September 30 at a Chicago apartment building that resulted in the arrests of 37 people. The Chicago Sun Times reported that armed federal agents in military fatigues busted down doors, pulling residents, including women and children, some of them naked, from their apartments. After the raid, toys, shoes, and food remained in piles in the building's hallways, and property managers were seen throwing mattresses and broken doors into dumpsters.
• Federal agents raided Chicago apartment building using military tactics and equipment — At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1, federal agents from Border Patrol, FBI, and ATF conducted a raid on a five-story apartment building on Chicago's South Shore Drive. Agents used helicopters, large vehicles, flash-bang grenades, and military fatigues to break down doors and detain residents in zip ties, some naked. Approximately 37 people were arrested while others were released after hours of detention. The Department of Homeland Security claimed detainees were involved in drug trafficking, weapons crimes, immigration violations, or were associated with Tren de Aragua, but provided no evidence. Some detainees were U.S. citizens. Residents' apartments were left damaged.
• Federal agents conduct raid in Chicago — On October 1, 2025, federal agents from Border Patrol, FBI, and ATF raided an apartment building in Chicago, using military tactics and equipment. Residents were forcibly removed from their homes, some in zip ties, and left outside for hours. The Department of Homeland Security claimed that some detainees were involved in drug trafficking and immigration violations, but did not provide evidence. Eyewitnesses reported distress among the residents, including children.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge rules Trump administration's pro-Palestinian student deportation policy unconstitutional — Federal Judge William G. Young issued a 161-page ruling striking down the Trump administration's policy of detaining and deporting foreign scholars and students based on pro-Palestinian speech. The case, brought by the American Association of University Professors and allied organizations, challenged two January executive orders targeting non-citizens with "hateful ideology." Young ruled that non-citizens have the same First Amendment free speech protections as U.S. citizens and that the policy was designed to "intentionally" chill speech rights. The government had denied the policy existed, claiming case-by-case determinations, but trial testimony revealed reliance on dossiers from the pro-Israel group Canary Mission.
• Federal judge ruled Trump's deportations of legal residents for pro-Palestinian speech violated First Amendment — Judge William G. Young of the U.S. District Court in Boston issued a decision on September 30 finding that Trump's attempted deportations of legal residents based on their pro-Palestinian speech violated the First Amendment. The judge responded to an anonymous correspondent who had written a postcard stating "TRUMP HAS PARDONS AND TANKS…. WHAT DO YOU HAVE?" by explaining that the Constitution and the American people's commitment to it constitute the nation's true strength. Judge Young found that Trump's officers were using fear—including masked ICE agents—to "terrorize Americans" and suppress opposition to the president's policies. The judge concluded by questioning whether Trump believed Americans were so divided they would not defend constitutional values.
• Federal judge issued 161-page rebuke of Trump's First Amendment assault — On September 30, a Reagan-appointed federal judge issued a scathing 161-page opinion against the Trump administration, finding its effort to deport pro-Palestinian academics "continues unconstitutionally to chill freedom of speech to this day." The judge wrote, "The President's palpable misunderstanding that the government simply cannot seek retribution for speech he disdains poses a great threat to Americans' freedom of speech." The judge added, "I fear President Trump believes the American people are so divided that today they will not stand up for, fight for, and defend our most precious constitutional values so long as they are lulled into thinking their own personal interests are not affected."
• Judge Rules Against Trump's Deportation Attempts — On September 30, 2025, Judge William G. Young issued a ruling stating that President Trump's attempts to deport legal residents for their pro-Palestinian speech violated the First Amendment. The judge criticized the use of fear tactics by Trump's administration to silence opposition and emphasized the importance of constitutional rights for all citizens.

Supporting reports

• Federal agencies issue partisan shutdown blame statements in apparent Hatch Act violation — Multiple federal agencies (VA, HUD, HHS, Interior, Commerce, Labor, NLRB, National Archives, Patent Office, FTC) issued emails and public statements on September 30 blaming Democrats and the "radical left" for an impending government shutdown. The statements used identical or similar language across agencies and included partisan characterizations. Legal experts characterized the coordinated messaging as violating the Hatch Act, which restricts political activities by federal employees, and potentially violating federal law on lobbying with taxpayer funds.
• HUD website displays partisan shutdown message blaming "radical left" — The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a large red banner on its homepage blaming the "radical left" for the looming government shutdown and stating the Trump administration wants to keep government open. The message appeared after Republican and Democratic leaders failed to reach a spending agreement by the Tuesday night deadline. HUD spokesperson Matthew Maley defended the banner as reporting on shutdown impacts, while critics characterized it as inappropriate partisan propaganda on a public agency website.
• Veterans Affairs spokesperson issues partisan shutdown statement — A Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson issued a statement on Tuesday using charged political rhetoric, blaming "radical liberals in Congress" for attempting to shut down the government to achieve "open borders" and other partisan characterizations, while warning of impacts to veterans care and assistance programs.
• White House violated Hatch Act by using federal agencies to blame Democrats for shutdown — During the government shutdown crisis on September 30, the White House violated the Hatch Act—which prohibits use of government resources for partisan gain—by directing federal agencies to send emails to employees blaming Democrats for the shutdown. Agencies including the Social Security Administration, Small Business Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Commerce sent emails stating Trump "opposes a government shutdown" but Democrats were "blocking this Continuing Resolution… due to unrelated policy demands." The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a banner calling the "Radical Left" responsible for the shutdown. The Department of Veterans Affairs issued a statement blaming "Radical liberals in Congress" for attempting to shut down the government.
• HUD posted banner blaming "radical left" for shutdown — The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a bright red banner on its website on September 30 blaming the "radical left" for the impending government shutdown. The banner read, "The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people." The non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen subsequently filed a complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel, calling the banner a "blatant violation" of the Hatch Act.
• White House threatens federal worker layoffs during government shutdown — The Trump administration warned that federal worker layoffs are imminent if the government shutdown continues. Vice President Vance stated the administration would "lay some people off" and take "extraordinary steps" to maintain essential services. Approximately 750,000 federal employees face furlough with pay withheld, while essential workers such as military and border agents may be forced to work without pay. OMB Director Russ Vought announced the White House is also pausing or canceling infrastructure and clean energy funding to Democratic-leaning states.
• Department of Education employees' email accounts manipulated with partisan talking points — NBC News reported that Department of Education employees who were furloughed discovered their email out-of-office messages had been altered to include partisan talking points blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. Five civil servants provided copies of their manipulated messages, which had been rewritten in the first person without their consent. Employees stated the alterations violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
• Federal agencies deploy partisan messaging blaming Democrats for shutdown, potentially violating Hatch Act — Multiple federal agencies, including Treasury, Agriculture, Education, and at least a dozen others, have used official websites and employee out-of-office messages to blame Democrats for the government shutdown. The Department of Education altered employees' automated replies without their knowledge or approval. Legal experts and watchdog groups argue this constitutes a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity. Public Citizen and the Democracy Defenders Fund have filed complaints with the GAO and Special Counsel's office.
• Department of Education changed furloughed employees' out-of-office messages to blame Democrats — During the government shutdown, the Department of Education changed automated out-of-office email replies for furloughed employees from generic messages to ones blaming Democrats for the shutdown. When employees changed the messages back to neutral language, the Department changed them again to blame Democrats. This represents use of government communications infrastructure to advance partisan messaging during a shutdown.
• Trump administration threatens mass firings of federal employees during shutdown — On Thursday morning, the Trump administration threatened to fire many employees at federal agencies across the nation, creating fear and uncertainty among furloughed workers. Some employees printed out furlough notices and pay stubs in preparation for potential unemployment. The threat occurred amid the ongoing government shutdown and the administration's use of the crisis to pursue policy goals, including cutting climate funding and freezing construction projects.
• Federal agencies post partisan messages blaming Democrats for shutdown operations curtailment — Several federal government departments posted partisan and potentially illegal messages stating that their operations were curtailed due to "the Radical Left Democrat shutdown." Sources at the Education Department reported that out-of-office email messages were changed without staff permission to use rhetoric blaming Democrats for the shutdown. The action represents an apparent coordinated effort to use government communications infrastructure for partisan messaging during the funding lapse.
• White House issues fact sheet attributing government shutdown economic impacts to Democratic opposition to funding restrictions on healthcare for undocumented immigrants — The White House published a fact sheet on October 3, 2025, presenting state-by-state economic projections attributed to a government shutdown. The document claims the Council of Economic Advisers warns of $15 billion in weekly GDP losses, projects 43,000+ additional unemployed Americans over a month-long shutdown, and lists estimated impacts on WIC recipients, SNAP beneficiaries, consumer spending, and gross state product by state. The fact sheet frames the shutdown as caused by Democratic demands to fund healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

Supporting reports

• HUD website displays partisan shutdown message blaming "radical left" — The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a large red banner on its homepage blaming the "radical left" for the looming government shutdown and stating the Trump administration wants to keep government open. The message appeared after Republican and Democratic leaders failed to reach a spending agreement by the Tuesday night deadline. HUD spokesperson Matthew Maley defended the banner as reporting on shutdown impacts, while critics characterized it as inappropriate partisan propaganda on a public agency website.
• Veterans Affairs spokesperson issues partisan shutdown statement — A Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson issued a statement on Tuesday using charged political rhetoric, blaming "radical liberals in Congress" for attempting to shut down the government to achieve "open borders" and other partisan characterizations, while warning of impacts to veterans care and assistance programs.
• HUD posted banner blaming "radical left" for shutdown — The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a bright red banner on its website on September 30 blaming the "radical left" for the impending government shutdown. The banner read, "The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people." The non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen subsequently filed a complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel, calling the banner a "blatant violation" of the Hatch Act.

Supporting reports

• Trump announced tariffs on furniture and movies — President Trump announced new tariffs on furniture and movies, claiming to address loss of these industries to foreign countries. Trump stated he would impose substantial tariffs on countries not manufacturing furniture in the United States and a 100% tariff on movies made outside the U.S., citing California's "weak and incompetent Governor" as particularly hard hit by the loss of the movie industry.

Supporting reports

• Trump posts deepfake video of Democratic leaders — President Trump's social media account posted a doctored video depicting Senate Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority Leader Jeffries. The fabricated video showed Schumer with Mexican music in the background and Jeffries wearing a sombrero and mustache, with false audio of Schumer making derogatory statements about Democrats, immigrants, and minorities. The video was released during active shutdown negotiations.
• Trump posted racist AI-generated video of Schumer and Jeffries — Trump posted on Truth Social on September 29 a vulgar and racist AI-generated video of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, with Jeffries wearing a sombrero and Schumer saying in the fabricated audio that Democrats "have no voters anymore because of our woke, trans bullshit," and that "if we give all these illegal aliens health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us." The post used deepfake technology to create false statements attributed to Democratic leaders. Jeffries responded by tweeting, "Bigotry will get you nowhere," and Schumer said, "If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can't negotiate. You can only throw tantrums."

Supporting reports

• Oregon sued to block National Guard deployment to Portland — On September 28, Oregon filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to block the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. The lawsuit characterized the move as "provocative and arbitrary" and argued it "threaten[s] to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry."
• Oregon attorney general sued Trump administration over National Guard deployment — Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a lawsuit against President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and their respective departments, alleging that the National Guard had been unlawfully deployed for law enforcement duties. The suit was filed less than six hours after Hegseth's order calling 200 Oregon National Guard members into federal service for 60 days.
• Oregon files federal lawsuit to block Trump's seizure of state national guard troops for Portland deployment — Oregon's attorney general filed a lawsuit in federal court on Sunday seeking to block President Trump's deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. Trump claimed authority under provisions allowing suppression of "rebellion" or lawlessness, but Oregon argues the characterization of Portland as "war ravaged" is false and based on outdated 2020 protest footage mixed with current social media reports. Governor Kotek stated there is no insurrection or public safety threat warranting military intervention, only routine free speech demonstrations near an ICE facility managed by local law enforcement.
• Oregon attorney general files lawsuit to block National Guard deployment — Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's activation of 200 federalized members of the Oregon National Guard for deployment to Portland. A federal judge was scheduled to hear arguments on Friday regarding whether to grant a temporary restraining order blocking the troop deployment, which the state opposes on constitutional and federalism grounds.

Supporting reports

• Trump agreed to meet with Schumer and Jeffries on budget negotiations — After spending his third consecutive day on the golf course while a government shutdown loomed in three days, Trump agreed to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. to discuss budget negotiations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune called for a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open while negotiations continue.
• Trump reverses course, schedules White House meeting with bipartisan congressional leaders to avert shutdown — President Trump reversed his earlier decision to cancel a meeting and scheduled a Monday afternoon gathering at the White House with the top four congressional leaders—House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer—to negotiate a government funding agreement before the Tuesday night deadline. Democrats conditioned support on extending expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits; Republicans opposed linking healthcare policy to the continuing resolution. Trump told CBS News he believed a shutdown was likely and that he could use executive power to eliminate what he called "waste, fraud and abuse."
• Schumer and Jeffries meet Trump without shutdown deal — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with President Trump and Vice President Vance to negotiate government funding before the fiscal year ends on September 30. No deal was reached. Trump indicated willingness to discuss healthcare premium tax subsidies expiring at year-end but insisted Democrats fund the government first. Schumer stated Trump appeared unaware of impending healthcare insurance increases. Jeffries noted House Republicans were absent from negotiations, calling their position unserious.
• Schumer and Jeffries met with Trump on government shutdown and ACA health care subsidies — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a closed-door meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office to negotiate averting a government shutdown while preserving ACA health care premium subsidies. Schumer stated Trump appeared to hear about health care consequences for the first time. Jeffries said significant differences remain and Democrats will not support a partisan Republican spending bill that cuts health care. The meeting occurred as Republicans coordinated messaging claiming Democrats seek to provide free health care to migrants and transgender people.

Supporting reports

• Trump claimed FBI placed 274 agents in January 6 crowd — President Trump posted on social media claiming that the FBI placed "274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th" Capitol attack, "probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists." Trump criticized FBI Director Christopher Wray for contradicting this claim and accused Wray and former Director James Comey of "LYING." A Department of Justice inspector general report found no undercover FBI agents at the January 6 riots and that 26 confidential human sources were not authorized to enter the Capitol or break the law.
• Trump spread false claims about FBI agents at January 6 — After right-wing media outlet The Blaze mischaracterized an FBI report claiming 274 plainclothes FBI agents were "embedded in the crowd" to instigate the January 6 riot, Trump amplified the false claim on social media, demanding to know the identities of the agents and suggesting they acted as "agitators and insurrectionists." FBI Director Kash Patel was forced to issue a clarification stating agents were sent into crowd control after the riot was declared, not before or during it to incite violence.

Supporting reports

• Trump posted medical advice contradicting expert guidance on vaccines — President Trump posted on social media in capital letters advising pregnant women and parents to avoid Tylenol, separate MMR vaccines into three shots, and space out other vaccines across five separate medical visits. Trump acknowledged the advice came from his appointed secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is neither a doctor nor a scientist. Medical experts note that the MMR vaccine is not available in three separate shots.