Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump's message in Epstein birthday book published; White House denies signature authenticity — On September 8, 2025, a 238-page scrapbook given to Epstein for his 50th birthday was made public, containing a message bearing Trump's signature. The message depicted an imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein, concluding "Happy birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret." The White House claimed the signature was not Trump's, despite it appearing identical to numerous public examples of his signature.
• White House denies Trump's signature on suggestive Epstein birthday note; claims forgery — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that President Trump signed or wrote a sexually suggestive letter to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein that was released by the House oversight committee on Monday. The letter, part of Epstein's 2003 birthday book, included a drawing of a naked woman's torso and an imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein. Leavitt stated that three signature analysts concluded the signature was not authentic and that Trump's external legal team is pursuing litigation against the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the letter's existence in July.
• Trump's legal team pursues litigation against Wall Street Journal over Epstein letter reporting — Trump's external legal team is pursuing litigation against the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the existence of the suggestive letter to Epstein in July 2025. The White House press secretary cited this litigation as part of the administration's effort to challenge the authenticity of the signature on the letter and discredit the reporting.

Supporting reports

• Oversight Democrats released Trump's birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein — House Oversight Democrats released a photograph of a birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein signed by Trump, which Trump and Vice President Vance had previously stated did not exist. The card contains a message referencing a "wonderful secret" shared between the two men. Trump's legal team announced plans to pursue litigation against the Wall Street Journal and its parent company News Corp, claiming defamation. Trump supporters disputed the signature's authenticity on social media, while reporters noted Trump frequently signed only his first name during the same era and that the card had been stored in Epstein's estate papers for over 20 years.

Supporting reports

• Speaker Mike Johnson retracted claim that Trump was FBI informant in Epstein case — Speaker Mike Johnson backed away from his previous statement that President Trump was an FBI informant in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Johnson's office released a modified statement reframing the claim to say Trump was "willing to help prosecutors expose Epstein" and had "kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago." The original claim that Trump served as an FBI informant was not supported by statements from the victims' attorney Brad Edwards, who made no such assertion.
• House Speaker Johnson walked back FBI informant claim about Trump — House Speaker Mike Johnson walked back the claim he made last week that Trump was an "FBI informant" against Epstein, saying he didn't know if he used the "right terminology," but that it's "much ado about nothing." The retreat from the claim reflected uncertainty about the basis for the allegation.

Supporting reports

• White House Press Secretary denied authenticity of Epstein birthday card — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement claiming the birthday card story is false and asserting that President Trump did not draw or sign the picture. She announced that Trump's legal team would "aggressively pursue litigation" against the Wall Street Journal and News Corp.
• White House Press Secretary falsely attributed signature analysis article to Daily Signal — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the Daily Signal had published an article with "three separate signature analysts" concluding the letter's signature was not authentic. The Daily Signal published no such article. The Daily Wire, a different conservative outlet, published an article claiming "3 forensic analyses" but actually only ran the letter through AI models, which falsely claimed Trump had never used words like "enigma" that appear in the letter. Expert Thomas W. Vastrick, president of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, told the Washington Post the signature was "very consistent" with Trump's known signatures.

Supporting reports

• Trump and Republican officials blame Roy Cooper for Ukrainian refugee's murder using false claims about bail and criminal justice policy — President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Congressman Richard Hudson, and Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley publicly blamed former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) for the August 22 murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee killed by Decarlos Brown Jr. on a Charlotte train. Trump claimed Brown was "released on CASHLESS BAIL in January" due to Cooper's policies; Hudson attributed the killing to Cooper's "irresponsible policies"; Bondi issued an official DOJ statement linking the murder to "failed soft-on-crime policies." The article documents these claims as factually baseless: Brown's January release was for a misdemeanor 911 call, not a violent crime; North Carolina law caps Class 1 Misdemeanor sentences at 120 days regardless; Cooper's June 2020 executive order created only an advisory task force whose recommendations were never enacted and came after Brown's September 2020 release.
• Trump politicized Ukrainian refugee's death to attack bail reform — Trump politicized the killing of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train to rail against cashless bail, saying "her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail," and calling on Republicans to vote for former RNC Chair Michael Whatley for U.S. Senate. The statement used a tragedy for partisan political gain.
• Congressman Hudson attributes murder to Cooper's policies in false social media post — Congressman Richard Hudson (R-NC) posted on X on September 9 that "Because of irresponsible policies from our former Governor Roy Cooper's administration, [t]his brutal thug was set free and allowed to terrorize our community again and again" and that "This tragedy is the direct result of policies that put politics over public safety." The article establishes this claim is false: the suspect was released in January 2025 for a misdemeanor 911 call, not a violent crime; Cooper's June 2020 executive order created only an advisory task force whose recommendations were never enacted and came months before the suspect's actual release.

Supporting reports

• Trump posted vaccine-autism disproven claim on Truth Social — On Truth Social, Trump posted a video that promoted the long-discredited and debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. The video featured vaccine skeptic David Geier, who was hired to work as a senior data analyst in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on links between vaccines and autism.

Supporting reports

• House Speaker Johnson walked back FBI informant claim about Trump — House Speaker Mike Johnson walked back the claim he made last week that Trump was an "FBI informant" against Epstein, saying he didn't know if he used the "right terminology," but that it's "much ado about nothing." The retreat from the claim reflected uncertainty about the basis for the allegation.

Supporting reports

• Tom Homan threatened prosecution of protesters — Fox News pushed a false narrative that protesters against National Guard deployments were being paid. Deportation Czar Tom Homan appeared on Fox and claimed that protesters would be "prosecuted too" if they were financed from outside, suggesting that the government would investigate and prosecute protest organizers.
• Tom Homan falsely claimed protesters are paid by unnamed sources — On Fox News, Trump's border czar Tom Homan stated without evidence that those protesting the administration's immigration crackdown are "absolutely" being paid to do so, and threatened that those funding the protests "will be prosecuted too." The claim was made without providing any factual basis or evidence.

Supporting reports

• Trump removed his name from infrastructure projects he opposed — Trump has been removing signs bearing his name from major construction projects financed by the 2021 Infrastructure Law, which he strenuously opposed and urged Republicans in Congress to vote against. The New York Times reported that Trump is now taking credit for projects funded by legislation he actively worked to defeat.

Supporting reports

• Bill Pulte refers Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for criminal investigation into alleged mortgage fraud — William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a Trump appointee, referred Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to the Department of Justice for alleged mortgage fraud, claiming she misrepresented her homes as primary residences to secure favorable rates. The DOJ opened a criminal investigation and issued subpoenas. Cook denies wrongdoing, calling discrepancies a clerical error. Former officials and experts called Pulte's direct involvement "bizarre," as criminal referrals typically originate from the FHFA's inspector general office, not the agency director.
• Housing Finance Agency director targeted Democrat with mortgage fraud allegations — Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who has been targeting Democrats with flimsy mortgage fraud allegations, posted that Federal Reserve Board member Dr. Lisa Cook obtained bank loans with "lower than allowed" interest rates while serving on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's academic advisory council. Economist Justin Wolfers responded that Pulte's claim was dishonest: Cook was asked to give macroeconomic advice to an academic advisory council, not to set interest rates, and the Chicago Fed does not set rates.
• Trump administration officials accused Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud based on documents later shown to be inaccurate — President Trump sought to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook by alleging she committed mortgage fraud by claiming two homes as primary residences to obtain lower interest rates. Reuters reported that documents show Cook actually designated the Georgia property as a "vacation home" to her lender, and standardized forms were overridden by her personal application specifying it as a second home. Cook never claimed a primary residence tax exemption for the Georgia property and referred to it officially as a "2nd home." The allegations appear to be false.

Supporting reports

• Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducts soft interview with Ghislaine Maxwell — In late July 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell over two days. The resulting transcript, released on August 22, revealed that Blanche's questions were not probing on key issues, particularly regarding Trump or those close to him. Survivors and their attorneys condemned the interview as inadequate and characterized it as "coddling" a known sex abuser.
• Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer suggested quid pro quo for prison transfer — Asked on CNN about why Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a lower-security prison, her former lawyer seemingly admitted that it was likely part of a deal with the Trump administration in exchange for her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, saying "when anybody who's represented by a lawyer who knows what they're doing goes in and meets with the government, there's always a quid pro quo."

Supporting reports

• Department of Defense falsely claimed Pete Hegseth received valor medal — The Department of Defense posted a video claiming Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was the "recipient of the bronze star medal for valor." Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin fact-checked the claim, noting that public records show Hegseth received two Bronze Stars but neither was "for valor"—a specific distinction requiring special devices. The DOD later deleted the video.

Supporting reports

• Former Surgeon General criticized RFK Jr. for false testimony — Trump's former Surgeon General Jerome Adams stated that RFK Jr. has made "provably false statements under oath during Congressional testimony" and that his rhetoric has driven provider confusion and consumer hesitancy, putting lives at risk. Adams said RFK Jr. has failed to build trust in vaccines and lifesaving innovations, and that vaccination rates are falling while high-risk Americans report barriers to vaccination. Adams called for new HHS leadership.
• RFK Jr. claimed no government health successes — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, appeared on Fox News and claimed that he does not believe there have been any successes by government public health agencies, stating "I don't think there have been successes. We have seen a 30-40 year decline in the agency." Trump's former Surgeon General Jerome Adams responded that RFK Jr. has made "provably false statements under oath during Congressional testimony" and that his rhetoric has driven provider confusion and consumer hesitancy, putting lives at risk.

Supporting reports

• DOJ denies release of additional Epstein files and claims client list does not exist — In July 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced that the Justice Department and FBI would not release additional Epstein files and claimed that a purported Epstein client list does not exist. This announcement contradicted earlier public commitments to transparency and provoked significant controversy, particularly after reporting revealed that Trump's name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files.

Supporting reports

• Trump fired previous director of Bureau of Labor Statistics — Trump fired the previous director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after accusing her of rigging the numbers for political reasons. The firing occurred before the release of the August jobs report, which showed the U.S. added only 22,000 jobs—far below the expected 75,000—and revised downward June and July figures by 21,000 jobs.
• Trump administration fires BLS director and replaces with partisan operative — Following weak August jobs numbers, the Trump administration removed the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and replaced her with a partisan operative described as having little economic expertise. The move signals intent to alter official economic data reporting. This follows a pattern of replacing career officials with loyalists in positions responsible for collecting and publishing key economic statistics.

Supporting reports

• Nine former CDC directors warned RFK Jr. is endangering American health — Nine former directors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention penned an op-ed in the New York Times warning that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is "endangering every American's health," and adding that his actions are "unlike anything we had ever seen at the agency and unlike anything our country had ever experienced."

Supporting reports

• House Speaker Johnson claimed Trump was FBI informant on Epstein — House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that Trump was "an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down" regarding the Epstein files. Johnson's statement promoted a conspiracy theory that Trump secretly worked to bring down Epstein. Analysts suggest Johnson may be attempting to preemptively spin damaging material before the files become public, as Trump and Epstein had a documented falling out in 2004 over a South Florida property purchase.

Supporting reports

• Trump posts about Epstein to distract from jobs report — Trump posted on social media claiming the "confused and badly failing Democrat Party" did nothing about Jeffrey Epstein while he was alive, characterizing investigations into Epstein as a "Democrat HOAX" similar to "Russia, Russia, Russia." Trump stated the DOJ "has done its job" and called for an end to what he termed the "Democrat Epstein Hoax," crediting Republicans with "great, even legendary" work.

Supporting reports

• Trump nominates EJ Antoni to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics — Trump nominated EJ Antoni to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Antoni previously operated an anonymous Twitter account containing sexually degrading attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, anti-gay slurs, and far-right conspiracy theories, including sharing doctored sexually explicit images of Harris.

Supporting reports

• DOJ official recorded discussing selective redaction of Epstein files — Joseph Schnitt, Acting Deputy Chief at the DOJ, was recorded on hidden camera by an operative associated with James O'Keefe discussing the handling of Epstein files. According to the video, Schnitt stated that files would be redacted to remove names of Republicans and conservatives while leaving Democratic names visible, suggesting partisan manipulation of sensitive investigative materials.
• James O'Keefe released video of DOJ official making statements about Ghislaine Maxwell — Right-wing activist James O'Keefe released a video showing Joseph Schnitt, the Department of Justice's acting deputy chief of special operations, stating that convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a minimum security prison because the government is "offering her something to keep her mouth shut." Schnitt also told an undercover journalist that the Epstein files exist and that before release, the government will "redact every Republican and conservative person in those files and leave all the liberal, Democratic people."

Supporting reports

• DOJ official recorded discussing selective redaction of Epstein files — Joseph Schnitt, Acting Deputy Chief at the DOJ, was recorded on hidden camera by an operative associated with James O'Keefe discussing the handling of Epstein files. According to the video, Schnitt stated that files would be redacted to remove names of Republicans and conservatives while leaving Democratic names visible, suggesting partisan manipulation of sensitive investigative materials.

Supporting reports

• Media coverage reinforces false crime narrative despite contradictory data — ABC News published an article on Tuesday with the headline "58 shot over Labor Day weekend in Chicago as governor rejects Trump threat to send National Guard," which reinforces Trump's misleading crime characterization. The article does not mention until the 35th paragraph that violent crime in Chicago has dropped significantly in the first half of 2025. The underlying assumption—that military deployment reduces crime—goes unscrutinized, despite research showing police militarization does not reduce crime and may diminish police reputation in communities of color.

Supporting reports

• Trump dismissed video of object thrown from White House window as AI-generated — When asked by Fox News correspondent Pete Doocy about a viral video showing someone throwing a large bag from an upper-floor window of the White House, Trump claimed the video was AI-generated and stated that White House windows are "heavily armored and bulletproof" and cannot be opened. A White House spokesperson subsequently issued a statement confirming the video was authentic, stating it showed "a contractor doing regular maintenance while the president was gone."

Supporting reports

• Trump threatens to deploy National Guard to Chicago and Baltimore, claims Chicago is "world's most dangerous city" — Donald Trump announced plans to deploy National Guard units to Chicago and Baltimore to address violent crime, calling Chicago "the most dangerous city in the world" and citing 20 killings over 2.5 weeks and 75 shootings. He also discussed sending troops to New Orleans. The claims are contradicted by FBI crime data showing Chicago ranks 14th among cities over 100,000 residents in homicide rate (17.5 per 100,000), while the four highest-murder-rate cities—Jackson, Birmingham, St. Louis, and Memphis—are all in Republican-led states with rates ranging from 40.6 to 78.7 per 100,000.
• Texas National Guard preparation to deploy to Chicago reported — According to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, the Texas National Guard is preparing to deploy to Chicago. Texas Governor Greg Abbott denied the claim. The deployment threat occurs despite Chicago experiencing declining violent crime, with 2025 showing fewer shootings than any year since the mid-1960s according to crime data expert Jeff Asher. Five major Texas cities—Houston, Corpus Christi, Lubbock, Dallas, and San Antonio—had higher violent crime rates per 100,000 people than Chicago in 2024.
• Trump pledges military deployment to Chicago and Baltimore amid false crime claims — President Trump pledged on Truth Social to deploy the military to Chicago and Baltimore, characterizing both cities as exceptionally dangerous. Trump called Chicago "the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far" and a "killing field," and described Baltimore as "so far gone," a "hellhole," and a "horrible deathbed." However, FBI data shows Chicago ranked 55th in violent crime among major U.S. cities in 2024 (540 per 100,000), with multiple red-state cities including Memphis, Kansas City, Tulsa, and Louisville recording significantly higher rates. Baltimore is experiencing a historic crime decline, with August 2025 recording the lowest homicide count for that month on record and 91 homicides through September 1—the fewest in over 50 years for that period.
• Trump threatens national guard deployment to Chicago; advance ICE team training underway — President Trump reaffirmed his commitment to deploying federal troops to Chicago to address crime and homelessness, calling the city a "hellhole" and stating deployment would proceed regardless of local leadership consent. An advance team of at least 30 agents is undergoing crowd control and flash grenade training at Naval Station Great Lakes; 230 Customs and Border Protection agents are being transferred from Los Angeles. Chicago would become the second city to receive national guard troops after Washington DC (August) and Los Angeles (June). Local officials and community groups are organizing resistance, including legal preparation and "know your rights" campaigns.

Supporting reports

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