Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump-appointed director pursued plan to replace Kennedy Center art collection with Trump-patron selections — Richard Grenell, Trump's first appointed director of the Kennedy Center, pursued a plan to replace works in the center's art collection—including gifts from foreign nations honoring Kennedy—with art selected by Trump patrons. The plan had not been previously reported.

Supporting reports

• State Department stonewalling GAO investigation into Venezuelan oil revenues — The State Department has stonewalled efforts to determine how much oil money Washington has collected from Venezuela, failing to engage with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent spending watchdog investigating Venezuelan oil revenues since July, and refusing to share audit reports with Congress. Nine months after the U.S. asserted control over Venezuela's oil exports, the administration has not disclosed how much money it collected or how much was returned to the interim government in Caracas. In April, the State Department said accounts holding the money were being audited by KPMG and would share reports with Congress, but has not done so. Top Democrats, including Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), have threatened to issue subpoenas and requested KPMG reports by October 8.

Supporting reports

• Gavin Newsom signs election security bills to protect voting and election records — California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of election security bills on September 20, 2026, designed to protect voting practices and election integrity against federal interference. The legislation extends mail-in voting drop-off hours, makes seizing ballots or election records a felony, and requires disclosure of paid political content by social media influencers. Newsom framed the measures as a direct response to Trump administration efforts to restrict vote-by-mail practices and referenced the Riverside County sheriff's seizure of over 650,000 ballots from a 2025 redistricting election.
• California Governor Newsom signed bill making ballot seizure a felony — On Saturday, September 23, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that makes it a felony to seize ballots from a county elections office. The legislation was enacted in response to Sheriff Bianco's confiscation of ballots.

Supporting reports

• Trump dismisses AI safety concerns and calls regulation a hoax — Trump has repeatedly characterized concerns about artificial intelligence dangers as a "hoax" and a "scam," arguing that government already possesses sufficient regulatory authority over tech companies. This stance contradicts positions held by his own party members, AI company leaders, and the broader scientific community calling for AI safety measures and oversight.

Supporting reports

• Trump announces creation of "AI Force" and appointment of AI czar — President Trump announced on social media that he would create an "AI Force" (modeled on the Space Force) and appoint an artificial intelligence czar, though he provided minimal operational details. The announcement came amid growing industry and political calls for AI safety guardrails and regulation. Trump characterized concerns about AI risks as a "hoax" generated by the political left, reaffirmed his administration would not hinder AI industry growth, and stated that criminal and civil justice systems could address "bad actors" without formal regulatory oversight.
• Trump announced formation of AI Force and AI Czar position — Trump announced plans to form an "AI Force," similar to the Space Force, and stated he will announce an "AI Czar" position in the near future, specifying that "only High I.Q. individuals need apply." Trump posted that his administration will not "hinder or stifle" AI growth and will "cherish it, help it, and watch over it," while also stating the administration will look for "BAD" using existing criminal and civil justice systems.

Supporting reports

• Trump claimed military requested conversion of Triumphal Arch to military complex for drones and sniper ammunition — Trump announced plans to convert a planned Triumphal Arch near Arlington Memorial Bridge into a military complex to house drones and sniper ammunition, claiming the military made a "strong request" for the conversion. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) criticized the plan as dangerous and suggested Trump was creating a pretext to defend against a lawsuit by falsely linking the arch to national security. Democratic lawmakers indicated they could subpoena Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine to verify whether the military actually requested this use.
• Trump announces plan to convert Arlington Memorial Bridge area into military complex and triumphal arch — Trump announced on social media that he has agreed to convert the area at the Receptive Circle adjoining the Arlington Memorial Bridge into a military complex and triumphal arch, citing national security purposes and a request from the U.S. Military. The structure would house drones, snipers, and ammunition storage. Trump claimed Washington, D.C. is the only major capital without a triumphal arch and that this would be "by far, the greatest of them all."

Supporting reports

• Trump administration establishes NIH grant-veto board aligned with presidential agenda — The Trump administration is establishing an executive order creating an external board to approve National Institutes of Health grant funding. The board, to include OMB Director Russell Vought and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, would require unanimous decisions and could veto biomedical research grants deemed misaligned with Trump's political priorities. This breaks with the NIH's traditional merit-based evaluation process. The move follows administration accusations that the NIH funds "woke" initiatives and comes amid a class-action lawsuit by researchers alleging First Amendment violations through ideological censorship of grant awards.
• Trump directed budget director to create political appointee board for NIH grants — Trump directed his budget director Russ Vought to draft an executive order creating a board of political appointees to decide which grants the National Institutes of Health should fund. This represents another attempt to cut Harvard's funding and place political control over the nation's $48 billion in congressionally-appropriated biomedical research funding. Congress this month signaled disapproval of an earlier Vought plan to give political appointees control of health grants by including a provision in a stopgap funding bill that temporarily blocks the administration from implementing that earlier plan. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins personally rejected Vought's plan.

Supporting reports

• Election officials nationwide preparing for federal intervention in voting systems — Reuters interviewed more than 50 state and local election officials from both parties, including a dozen secretaries of state, who described adopting new strategies to prepare for political interference, cyberattacks, misinformation, and threats of violence. California officials have gamed out federal agents appearing at polling places, and Michigan is advising clerks on how to respond to federal demands for voting machines. More than a dozen officials hired outside attorneys or sought legal training for possible demands involving sensitive voting records or equipment.

Supporting reports

• Trump announced ban of CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — Trump announced that CNN, MSNBC, and Politico are banned from the White House "effective immediately," accusing them of reporting what he calls "fake news." Reuters reported that Trump said the ban could extend to additional news organizations. Trump told reporters "I don't want them here" and said he would take the ban "as far as you can." The administration has not explained how the restriction would work, and the Associated Press reported that journalists from the affected outlets remained on White House grounds Friday afternoon.
• Trump bans MS Now, CNN, and Politico reporters from White House grounds — President Trump ordered the removal of reporters from MS Now, CNN, and Politico from White House grounds, effective immediately, citing what he claimed was constant "fake news" reporting. On Saturday morning, journalists from these outlets were denied access and had their press passes confiscated by the Secret Service at security gates. Trump stated the decision was "cumulative" over two years and said he was considering banning additional outlets. The White House Correspondents' Association and press freedom advocates condemned the action as unconstitutional.
• Secret Service confiscates press badges and denies White House access — On September 19, reporters from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico attempting to enter the White House press complex were denied entry by security personnel, and Secret Service agents confiscated their press credentials. This enforcement action followed Trump's announcement the previous day banning the three outlets from White House facilities.
• Trump banned CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — Trump issued a directive banning CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House. The ban surprised many senior Trump staffers, who learned of it only through Trump's Truth Social post while Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was out of town. The press shop was initially blindsided and unsure how to respond. A source close to the White House confirmed the ban is "real and permanent as far as POTUS is concerned." Discussions were already underway about adding more news organizations, with Trump specifically citing the New York Times and Washington Post as possible additions.

Supporting reports

• Thousands protest Trump's takeover of Kennedy Center and threat to demolish or rename it — Thousands gathered outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday evening to protest Trump's takeover of the building and his threat to shut it down or demolish it unless his name is added to the facade. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper of the District of Columbia had previously ordered the Kennedy Center board to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building.
• Kennedy Center ceiling collapse and Trump-ordered closure — A 5-foot piece of ceiling plaster fell at the Kennedy Center in mid-September. Rather than repair the damage immediately, staff documented it extensively for a 55-page board briefing. Trump claimed online that a security guard narrowly avoided "certain death." Within two hours, Trump-allied board members voted to close the center, citing safety concerns. Trump, who serves as the center's chairman, had previously announced in February a two-year closure for renovations. Democratic board members alleged the closure was a pretext to avoid humiliation from plummeting ticket sales and fleeing artists.