Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump and Hegseth use 9/11 memorial ceremony to defend unpopular Iran war — At a Pentagon ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used memorial remarks to defend the US-Israel war on Iran launched six months prior. Trump linked the Iran conflict to the 9/11 legacy, stating "That's why we fight today." Hegseth delivered a bellicose speech claiming Iran's defenses "are gone" despite contrary evidence, and warned of threats from "Islamic terrorists abroad and at home." The remarks repurposed a solemn commemoration of 2,606 victims to justify an unpopular military campaign.

Supporting reports

• Trump claimed Iran war will end after midterm elections — Trump told reporters that Iran is prolonging the war to influence U.S. midterm elections and that he expects the conflict to end and gas prices to decline once the elections conclude. He stated, "They can't hold out any longer" and characterized Iran as "desperate to try and affect the election." However, Wall Street Journal reporting revealed that Trump's top advisors, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have warned him the Iran war could continue through the remainder of his term. Hegseth has already extended troop deployments in the Middle East and planned additional extensions.

Supporting reports

• Nobel Prize scientist warns DOGE actions resemble election corruption scheme — Nobel Prize-winning scientist Geoffrey Hinton, known as "the godfather of AI," commented in the Musk documentary that "It's fairly clear to me that Trump is hell-bent on corrupting the midterm elections." Hinton stated that if one wanted to corrupt midterm elections using AI, "all you needed to do was get detailed information on U.S. citizens. And what DOGE did looked like just what you would do."

Supporting reports

• AFL-CIO releases report warning electronic shelf labels will cost jobs and enable surveillance pricing — The AFL-CIO Tech Institute released a policy brief analyzing electronic shelf label (ESL) manufacturers' marketing materials, concluding that universal adoption could eliminate 44,223 to 191,633 jobs and cost workers $1.6 billion to $6.9 billion annually in lost wages. The report warns ESLs enable algorithmic "surveillance pricing" that changes prices based on personal data, potentially raising grocery costs further. The AFL-CIO calls for a federal ban on electronic labels and surveillance pricing to protect workers and consumers.

Supporting reports

• Trump delivers lengthy speech at Republican midterm convention in Dallas — President Trump spoke for 1 hour 44 minutes at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 10, 2026, making numerous false claims including that he won three presidential elections, that Democrats are "admitting" he won, and that he had equal crowds outside the arena. He promised $5,000 to every adult US citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress, proposed renaming geographic features (Gulf of America, Lake America, New Mexico to New America, Strait of Hormuz to Trump Strait), and made disparaging remarks about Democratic candidates and Iran.
• White House correspondent fact-checks Trump's convention attendance claims — Nandita Bose, White House correspondent for Reuters, fact-checked Trump's claims about the convention arena being full. She reported that the upper decks were empty, large stretches of side sections remained sparsely filled, and even with Trump onstage the arena was clearly not at capacity, contradicting Trump's repeated statements about the crowd size.

Supporting reports

• DOGE accessed and shared sensitive Social Security Administration data — A documentary about Elon Musk by filmmaker Alex Gibney reports that under Musk, DOGE had access to federal IT systems. A whistleblower warned that members of DOGE accessed and shared sensitive data from the Social Security Administration, representing a breach of federal data security and privacy protections.

Supporting reports

• VP Vance interviewed on Fox about $5,000 dividend promise — Fox host Bret Baier interviewed VP JD Vance after Trump's convention speech on September 9. When asked how a $1.3 trillion dividend payout would be funded without bankrupting the country, Vance claimed tariffs had generated substantial revenue and that the president was offering to share wealth created by his policies. A Community Note fact-check on X noted that annual tariff revenue (under $300 billion) cannot fund a $1.3 trillion payout and that previous cash dividend promises were never delivered.

Supporting reports

• Trump campaign promises $5,000 dividend checks to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans win midterm elections — At a Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 9, Trump promised to distribute $5,000 checks to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans win control of Congress, calling it the "Trump Dividend." The payout would cost approximately $1.2–1.3 trillion and would require congressional approval. Trump did not explain funding mechanisms. Multiple Republican lawmakers and observers noted the promise contradicts constitutional authority and echoes unfulfilled prior pledges (DOGE dividend, tariff rebates, stimulus checks).
• Trump suggests renaming geographic features after himself at convention speech — During the Dallas convention speech on September 9, Trump proposed renaming the Hormuz Strait the "Trump Strait," Lake Michigan "Lake America," and New Mexico "New America." He stated "I should get something out of it" regarding the strait naming and joked about personal financial benefit from geographic rebranding.
• VP Vance interviewed on Fox about $5,000 dividend promise — Fox host Bret Baier interviewed VP JD Vance after Trump's convention speech on September 9. When asked how a $1.3 trillion dividend payout would be funded without bankrupting the country, Vance claimed tariffs had generated substantial revenue and that the president was offering to share wealth created by his policies. A Community Note fact-check on X noted that annual tariff revenue (under $300 billion) cannot fund a $1.3 trillion payout and that previous cash dividend promises were never delivered.
• Trump claimed Iran war will end after midterm elections — Trump told reporters that Iran is prolonging the war to influence U.S. midterm elections and that he expects the conflict to end and gas prices to decline once the elections conclude. He stated, "They can't hold out any longer" and characterized Iran as "desperate to try and affect the election." However, Wall Street Journal reporting revealed that Trump's top advisors, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have warned him the Iran war could continue through the remainder of his term. Hegseth has already extended troop deployments in the Middle East and planned additional extensions.
• Trump promised $5,000 checks to all adults if Republicans win midterms — At the "Trumpapaloosa" midterm convention in Dallas, Trump promised that if Republicans win the midterm elections, his administration will distribute $5,000 checks to all adult Americans. Trump branded the proposal the "Trump Dividend" and attributed it to "our tremendous strength and success economically." The plan would cost more than a trillion dollars and would require congressional approval, which Trump did not acknowledge.
• Trump pledges $5,000 payment to voters if Republicans win midterms — At the Republican National Convention in Dallas on September 10, President Trump promised a $5,000 check to every U.S. adult citizen if Republicans win the midterm elections. The pledge is widely understood within Trump's own circle as non-credible; no similar payments have been distributed during his second term despite prior promises. The announcement occurred during a lengthy speech that included incoherent remarks and calls for audience loyalty pledges.
• Trump Dividend: America Is Winning — and Americans Should Win With It — The White House published this release on 2026-09-10 through its releases channel.
• FDA announces priority review voucher fee rate for fiscal year 2027 — The Food and Drug Administration published a notice establishing the fiscal year 2027 fee rate for using priority review vouchers at $1,798,596. This fee applies to applications for tropical disease, rare pediatric disease, or material threat medical countermeasure products submitted with a priority review voucher, in addition to standard Prescription Drug User Fee Act fees. The rate is effective October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, and was calculated based on the difference between average costs of priority and standard drug application reviews in fiscal year 2025, adjusted for cost increases.
• Trump gave cash gifts to executive assistant and staff — Trump gave his executive assistant Natalie Harp and two other young female employees gifts totaling $45,000 in cash last year, approximately one-third of their $150,000 annual salary. He also gave $20,000 to Walt Nauta, his co-defendant in the classified documents case. Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, stated the gifts appear to violate federal law prohibiting federal employees from receiving salary supplements from outside sources. Don Fox, acting director of the Office of Government Ethics under Obama, said the legality was unclear because such payments were not previously envisioned by OGE.
• Trump claimed he may not need congressional approval for $5,000 checks — During a backstage Fox News interview at the RNC convention, Trump was asked about the $5,000 dividend proposal. He responded that "there are a lot of people who think I don't even need congressional approval because we've made so much money," suggesting he might implement the policy unilaterally without legislative authorization.
• Trump claimed oil prices would drop after military conflict — Trump told reporters at the RNC convention that oil prices would drop "very rapidly" once the U.S. wins "the military conflict or war," and that he was "pretty sure" this would happen shortly after the election. The bulletin notes he has made similar claims for seven months while oil prices have continued to rise.
• Ron DeSantis criticized Trump's $5,000 check proposal — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis publicly denounced Trump's proposal to deliver $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans hold their ground in the midterm elections. DeSantis warned that the infusion of cash would stir more inflation and expressed concern about borrowing an additional $1.5 trillion and flooding it into the economy.
• Trump claimed $5,000 checks would be funded by growth — During a press availability at the RNC convention in Dallas on September 11, Trump was asked how he would pay for proposed $5,000 checks to Americans. He responded that the checks would be funded by economic growth, and when asked about deficit impact, he said he was not worried about it. Economic data cited in the bulletin indicates GDP growth is weak.

Supporting reports

• HHS releases report linking gender ideology to left-wing authoritarianism without peer review — The US Department of Health and Human Services released a report claiming to link "gender ideology" and support for transgender people to left-wing authoritarianism and political violence. The report was not peer-reviewed, did not undergo scientific journal publication, and experts say it contains severe methodological flaws. Legal scholars note it may violate the Information Quality Bulletin, a federal regulation requiring peer review for influential scientific information from government agencies.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge declines to block Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes journalists — US District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the Pentagon may proceed with firing Stars and Stripes journalists Max Lederer, Erik Slavin, and Lara Korte without legal impediment. The journalists had sued to challenge their terminations, arguing the Pentagon violated their First Amendment rights after they spoke about the publication's need for editorial independence. McFadden concluded the firings were lawful because the journalists gave pre-approved interviews in their official capacity, not as private citizens, and found no clear First Amendment violation.