Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Federal appeals court rules Trump exceeded presidential authority in imposing sweeping tariffs — A federal appeals court in Washington DC issued a 7-4 ruling on August 30, 2025, striking down Trump's tariffs imposed on April 2 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The court found the tariffs "unbounded in scope, amount and duration" and beyond the president's legal authority, ruling that Congress did not intend IEEPA to grant unlimited tariff power. The decision upheld a May trade court ruling but delayed implementation until October 14 to allow Trump to appeal to the Supreme Court.
• Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Trump's Tariffs — A federal appeals court upheld a lower court's ruling that struck down President Trump's use of emergency powers to impose tariffs, stating that Congress did not grant the president such broad authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The decision will take effect on October 14, allowing the administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
• Federal court rules Trump lacked legal authority for most tariffs — A federal court ruled that Trump did not have legal authority to issue most of his tariffs. Attorney General Pam Bondi responded by stating that Trump found a national emergency and took action under the law, and that the judges were interfering with the president's role in foreign policy. The DOJ announced it will appeal the decision.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge allows 9/11 case against Saudi Arabia to proceed to trial — Federal Judge George B Daniels in New York rejected Saudi Arabia's motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by families of 9/11 victims alleging Saudi government support for the hijackers. Daniels ruled the plaintiffs' claims legally sufficient to proceed to trial, finding reasonable evidence that Saudi officials Omar al-Bayoumi and Fahad al-Thumairy, along with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, provided support to al-Qaeda members who participated in the attacks. The case will now advance toward full trial proceedings.

Supporting reports

• Chicago Mayor Johnson signs executive order resisting federal immigration enforcement — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday directing the city to resist the Trump administration's planned immigration crackdown. The order bars Chicago police from assisting federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement, related patrols, traffic stops, and checkpoints. It also directs all city departments to protect residents' constitutional rights amid the anticipated militarized federal operation.
• Chicago mayor signs executive order directing city police not to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on August 31, 2025, directing the Chicago Police Department to refuse cooperation with federal immigration authorities during planned ICE enforcement operations. The order bars police from assisting with civil immigration enforcement, patrols, traffic stops, and checkpoints, and prohibits officers from wearing face coverings. Johnson stated the city would guard constitutional rights of residents amid threatened federal deployment and criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown as unconstitutional and retaliatory against Democratic cities.
• Chicago Mayor Johnson issues Protecting Chicago executive order — At the end of August, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson passed the "Protecting Chicago" executive order, a sweeping measure designed to limit Trump administration influence on local law enforcement operations. The order represents local resistance to federal intervention and an attempt to shield Chicago's police and community from federal control.

Supporting reports

• White House Cancels $4.9 Billion in Foreign Aid — The White House announced the unilateral cancellation of $4.9 billion in foreign aid funding that had been approved by Congress. This decision, made by the Office of Management and Budget under director Russell Vought, is seen as a violation of the Constitution, which grants Congress the exclusive power to allocate funds.

Supporting reports

• Trump announced mandatory voter ID executive order without congressional authority — On Truth Social, Trump said he will sign an executive order to make voter ID mandatory for elections, a move he cannot legally make without Congress changing election laws. He also repeated calls to ban mail-in voting for most Americans and for the use of "PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!!" The announcement represents an attempt to unilaterally alter election administration procedures that require legislative authorization.
• Trump announces executive order to end mail-in voting — President Trump announced that lawyers were drafting an executive order to eliminate mail-in balloting, a voting method used by nearly one in three Americans. He also threatened to do away with voting machines entirely. Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him mail-in voting was responsible for his 2020 election loss, providing a false rationale for the proposed order.
• Trump announces plan for executive order mandating voter ID for all US elections — President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that he will issue an executive order requiring identification for all US elections, with no exceptions, and stated he wants to ban most mail-in voting except for the severely ill or military personnel. Legal experts and the article note the Constitution grants primary election authority to states and Congress, not the president, making such an order likely unconstitutional. Trump's push stems from baseless claims about the 2020 election being stolen.
• Trump declares intent to take over all voting via executive order — Trump posted on social media: "Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!! Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!!" This declaration signals intent to unilaterally impose voting restrictions via executive order.

Supporting reports

• Pentagon plans National Guard deployment to Chicago — The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has spent weeks planning to send thousands of National Guard troops to Chicago as soon as next month, with active-duty troop deployment also discussed but considered less likely. The move represents a significant escalation of federal military presence in domestic law enforcement operations.
• Trump administration plans federal takeover of Chicago for immigration enforcement — The Trump administration is preparing a federally led immigration crackdown targeting Chicago, a Democratic "sanctuary city," including a request for a military base on the city's outskirts to assist operations. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called on citizens to "stand up" against the plan, stating that deploying troops without coordination with local officials would constitute an invasion. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order directing city police to refuse cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and to protect residents' constitutional rights during the anticipated crackdown.