Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Alleged uprising and use of force at Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility — Detainees at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz immigration jail reported that guards deployed teargas and beat detainees with batons during an alleged uprising on an unspecified date. The incident reportedly began after a migrant received news of a relative's death and detainees shouted for "freedom." At least three detainees called Miami's Noticias 23 describing indiscriminate beatings and teargas use. Florida's Division of Emergency Management denied the reports, calling them "manufactured." The facility operates under a federal judge's order to close within 60 days for environmental violations.

Supporting reports

• Alleged denial of medical care and due process at Alligator Alcatraz — Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez collapsed unconscious at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz detention facility in mid-August and was hospitalized with a respiratory infection. Guards were reportedly slow to respond; a Cuban nurse detainee provided CPR. His family and attorneys lost contact for an extended period, leading family to believe he had died. The facility has been criticized for harsh conditions by design, alleged abuse, and denial of due process to detainees awaiting deportation.
• ICE moves detainee without notice to family or attorneys — Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez, a Venezuelan national detained at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz immigration facility, collapsed and was hospitalized with a respiratory infection in mid-August. After his family believed him dead due to communication blackout, ICE secretly transferred him to Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss, Texas, without notifying his lawyers or family. He was subsequently moved again to an ICE processing center in El Paso. His attorney characterizes the transfers as "enforced disappearance" and potential retaliation for denouncing detention conditions.

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• Nearly 1,000 labor protests planned for Labor Day week opposing Trump administration policies — Labor unions and advocacy groups, led by the AFL-CIO, organized nearly 1,000 "worker over billionaire" protests across all 50 states for Labor Day week beginning August 29, 2025. The actions target Trump administration policies including rescission of collective bargaining rights for 1 million federal workers, cuts to federal contractor minimum wage from $17.75 to $13.30 per hour, proposed elimination of wage protections for 3.7 million childcare and home care workers, and rescission of minimum wage requirements for disabled workers. Protests include marches in major cities and rallies in smaller communities nationwide.

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• Trump administration ends de minimis tariff exemption for all countries — The Trump administration ended the longstanding de minimis tariff exemption on Friday, August 29, 2025, eliminating duty-free entry for packages valued under $800. The exemption, established in the Tariff Act of 1930 and raised to $800 in 2015, had covered approximately 1.36 billion shipments annually. The White House cited protection of American manufacturers and national security concerns, claiming bad actors use the exemption to smuggle drugs. The change is expected to cost consumers up to $13 billion and disproportionately affect lower-income Americans and small overseas businesses.
• International postal service to U.S. collapsed due to tariff policy — Postal traffic into the United States plunged by more than 80% after the Trump administration ended a tariff exemption for low-cost imports. Eighty-eight postal operators told the United Postal Union they suspended some or all postal service to the U.S. until a solution is implemented regarding U.S.-bound parcels valued at $800 or less. The UPU reported that global postal traffic to the U.S. fell 81% on August 29, 2025, compared with a week earlier, affecting nearly all 192 member countries.
• Trump administration imposed tariffs on previously exempt international packages — Multiple international shipping companies announced they will refuse to deliver packages to the United States once a new Trump administration policy takes effect on August 29, imposing tariffs on packages valued at $800, which have always been exempt from tariffs. The Atlantic's David Frum noted that "DHL is suspending commercial package deliveries to US because of Trump tariffs. It's as if the US were imposing punitive trade sanctions on itself."

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• Federal appeals court rules most of Trump tariffs illegal under IEEPA — The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington DC ruled 7-4 on Friday that President Trump overstepped his constitutional authority by imposing most of his tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The court found the tariffs "unbounded in scope, amount and duration" and that IEEPA does not explicitly grant tariff-imposition power. The ruling does not take effect until 14 October, allowing time for appeal to the Supreme Court. Trump immediately disputed the decision on social media, claiming the tariffs remain in effect and accusing the court of political bias.
• Federal appeals court struck down Trump's emergency tariffs as illegal — A federal appeals court, by a 7–4 majority, upheld a May decision by a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of International Trade striking down President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs as illegal. The court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) has "meaningful limits" and that "an unlimited delegation of tariff authority would be unconstitutional." The court stated "Congress manifestly is not permitted to abdicate or to transfer to other the essential legislative functions with which it is thus vested." The decision concluded Congress did not give the President "wide-ranging authority to impose" sweeping tariffs, noting such authorization would mean "Congress had bestowed on a federal agency the taxing power," a "sharp break with our traditions." The decision will not take effect until October 14 to allow the administration to appeal to the Supreme Court.

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• Missouri governor calls special legislative session to redraw congressional districts — Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced a special legislative session to redraw the state's congressional districts, following pressure from Donald Trump to reshape boundaries to favor Republicans. The move aims to help the GOP gain an additional House seat in the 2026 midterms. Kehoe's announcement came hours after Texas Governor Greg Abbott ratified a similar map designed to gain five Republican seats. Trump publicly celebrated the announcement and urged Missouri lawmakers to pass a "new, much fairer" map. The session will also address initiative petition reform to restrict citizen-led ballot measures.

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• Texas Governor Abbott signs new redistricting bill favoring Republicans — Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law on Friday a new redistricting bill designed to create five additional Republican House seats, as declared by President Trump. The new map faces multiple lawsuits, including one alleging racial discrimination in the drawn districts. The action is part of a broader national arms race in mid-decade redistricting aimed at locking in partisan advantage ahead of the 2026 midterms.
• Texas governor signs redistricting bill favoring Republicans, reducing Democratic House seats — Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a redistricting bill on Friday that redraws the state's congressional map to heavily favor Republicans, creating as many as five additional Republican districts. The Texas House approved the map 88-52 on party lines, and the state Senate approved it early Saturday. The new map will reduce Democratic-majority districts in Houston, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth, shifting Republican-favored districts from 25 of 38 to 30 of 38. The bill followed Trump's request for new maps and prompted weeks-long Democratic walkouts.

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• Pentagon restores Robert E Lee portrait to West Point library — The Pentagon, under the Trump administration, is restoring a nearly 20-foot portrait of Confederate General Robert E Lee to the West Point library. The painting, which depicts Lee with an enslaved man holding his horse, had been removed in 2022 following a 2020 law mandating removal of Confederate tributes from military installations. Army communications director Rebecca Hodson stated the academy is "prepared to restore historical names, artifacts, and assets to their original form and place," framing the action as honoring history rather than erasing it. The legal mechanism for reinstalling the portrait without violating the 2020 law remains unclear.

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• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard publicly named undercover CIA officer — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released the name of a senior undercover Central Intelligence Agency officer when she published a list of 37 current and former officials from whom she was stripping security clearances. Gabbard did not consult with the CIA before posting the list on X. At the time, Gabbard stated she was acting on Trump's orders. Outing an undercover intelligence officer has historically been sufficient to lead to indictment of an administration official.

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• Trump revokes Kamala Harris's Secret Service protection extension — President Donald Trump issued a memorandum to the Secretary of Homeland Security on August 29, 2025, directing the Secret Service to discontinue security protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris beyond what federal law requires, effective September 1, 2025. Harris's protection had been extended for one additional year by President Biden before leaving office; the extension ended her statutory six-month protection period. Trump's directive cancels that extension, leaving Harris with only legally mandated coverage.

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• White House Office of Management and Budget unilaterally cancelled $4.9 billion in foreign aid — The White House Office of Management and Budget, overseen by director Russell Vought, announced it was unilaterally cancelling $4.9 billion in foreign aid funding that had been passed by Congress. The Constitution grants Congress alone the power of spending money, and the executive branch has no authority to refuse to spend appropriated funds. Vought has argued that because the law permits the president to request Congress stop spending on certain items with 45 days to consider, Trump can send a request with fewer than 45 days remaining in the fiscal year and consider it rubber-stamped. Both Republican Susan Collins and Democratic Patty Murray, the top two lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Committee, rejected the move. Collins called it "a clear violation of the law" and Murray called it a "brazen attempt to usurp" the power of Congress.

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• Trump defied court ruling on tariffs and claimed they remain in effect — Shortly after the federal appeals court decision striking down his tariffs, Trump posted on social media claiming "ALL TARIFFS ARE STILL IN EFFECT" and calling the court's decision "Highly Partisan" and incorrect. Trump stated the United States would "win in the end" and that if the tariffs were removed it would be "a total disaster for the Country." Trump asserted that tariffs are "the best tool to help our Workers" and expressed confidence that "with the help of the United States Supreme Court, we will use them to the benefit of our Nation." Trump's statement represents a direct defiance of the court's ruling and an assertion that executive will supersedes judicial authority.

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• ICE transfers detained LA teen to Arizona without family notification — Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, 18, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles on August 8 while walking his dog. He was held at Adelanto detention facility in San Bernardino County, then transferred late Monday to a remote holding site in Arizona without notifying his family. ICE subsequently prepared to send him to Louisiana for deportation processing but removed him from the plane at the last moment. He remains in custody at Adelanto. Congresswoman Luz Rivas introduced legislation requiring ICE to notify detainees' families within 24 hours of transfer.

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• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau closed pending bank examination matters without action — Last week, as the Trump administration prepared to fire nearly 90% of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's workforce, virtually all pending matters flagged by bank examiners were simply closed without action. This represents a wholesale abandonment of consumer protection oversight.

Supporting reports

• Trump signed Executive Order 14343 excluding additional federal agencies from labor-management relations protections. — President Trump signed Executive Order 14343 on August 28, 2025, further amending Executive Order 12171 to exclude additional federal agencies and subdivisions from Chapter 71 of title 5, United States Code (the Federal Labor-Management Relations Statute). The order determines that the Bureau of Reclamation hydropower units, International Trade Administration, Patent and Trademark Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration subdivisions (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service and National Weather Service), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and United States Agency for Global Media have primary national security functions and cannot be subject to federal labor-management relations requirements. The order also extended the deadline for Defense and Veterans Affairs exclusion orders issued under Executive Order 14251.
• Trump issues executive order expanding exclusions from federal labor-management relations protections — President Trump issued Executive Order "Further Exclusions From the Federal Labor-Management Relations Program" on August 28, 2025, amending Executive Order 12171 to exclude additional federal agencies and subdivisions from Chapter 71 labor protections. The order designates units in the Bureau of Reclamation (hydropower facilities), the International Trade Administration, Patent and Trademark Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration subdivisions, NASA, and the U.S. Agency for Global Media as having primary national security functions, thereby removing collective bargaining rights protections. The order also extends a deadline for Defense and Veterans Affairs secretaries to issue related orders by 15 days.
• Trump signed executive order excluding additional federal agencies from labor-management relations protections — President Trump signed an executive order on August 28, 2025, further amending Executive Order 12171 to exclude additional federal agencies and subdivisions from Chapter 71 of title 5, United States Code (the Federal Labor-Management Relations Statute). The order designates units in the Bureau of Reclamation managing hydropower facilities, subdivisions of the Department of Commerce (International Trade Administration, Patent and Trademark Office, and specified NOAA divisions), NASA, and the United States Agency for Global Media as having primary national security functions and therefore exempt from federal labor-management relations requirements. The order also extends a deadline for Defense and Veterans Affairs orders under a prior March 2025 exclusion order.
• White House issues fact sheet on executive order exempting national security agencies from federal collective bargaining — The White House published a fact sheet on August 28, 2025, describing an executive order signed by President Trump that exempts six federal agencies with national security missions from collective bargaining requirements under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The agencies named are: Bureau of Reclamation (hydropower facilities), NASA, NOAA (National Weather Service and NESDIS), Patent and Trademark Office, and U.S. Agency for Global Media. The fact sheet states the order aims to enable these agencies to implement policies swiftly without delays caused by union bargaining procedures.

Supporting reports

• Presidential memorandum directing Attorney General to investigate federal grant funds allegedly used for illegal lobbying and partisan political activity — On August 28, 2025, the President issued a memorandum directing the Attorney General, in consultation with executive department and agency heads, to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used to illegally support lobbying activities in violation of 31 U.S.C. § 1352 and other federal law. The Attorney General is instructed to take appropriate enforcement action and report progress within 180 days. The memorandum characterizes such spending as wasteful, abusive, and potentially fraudulent use of taxpayer money.
• White House issues fact sheet on presidential memorandum directing investigation of federal grant funds allegedly diverted to political lobbying — The White House published a fact sheet on August 28, 2025, announcing that President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the Attorney General to investigate whether federal grant funds are being illegally used to support lobbying activities and to report findings within 180 days. The fact sheet characterizes specific NIH and NSF grants as having "highly political overtones" and asserts that taxpayer funds must not be diverted to political or lobbying activity.
• White House issues memorandum directing Attorney General to investigate federal grant funds for illegal lobbying and partisan political activity — The White House issued a presidential memorandum on August 28, 2025, directing the Attorney General to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used to support illegal lobbying activities or partisan political causes in violation of federal law (31 U.S.C. 1352). The memorandum states that "taxpayer funds are being spent on grants with highly political overtones" and characterizes such use as "wasteful, abusive, and potentially fraudulent." The Attorney General is directed to consult with executive departments and agencies and report progress within 180 days.

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• FBI accessed private Signal group chat of immigration court-watch activists — The FBI gained access to encrypted Signal conversations of New York immigration activists organizing "courtwatch" efforts to monitor public federal immigration court proceedings. An August 2025 joint FBI-NYPD report quoted from the private chat and characterized court watchers as "anarchist violent extremist actors," despite the courtwatch activities being non-violent legal observation of public hearings. The report was distributed to law enforcement agencies nationwide. The method of access to the encrypted platform remains unclear.

Supporting reports

• DOGE official placed Social Security database on unsecure server — A whistleblower identified as Social Security Administration chief data officer Charles Borges alleged that a former senior DOGE official copied a key Social Security database containing the names, birthdays, and Social Security numbers of more than 300 million Americans to an unsecure cloud server accessible to other former DOGE employees. Borges alleged the copy constitutes violations of laws, rules, and regulations, abuse of authority, gross mismanagement, and creation of a substantial and specific threat to public health and safety. As of late June, there were no verified audit or oversight mechanisms in place to oversee where DOGE was sharing the data or what it was using it for. The agency assessed that a breach would be "catastrophic" for Social Security beneficiaries, making them susceptible to identity theft and loss of benefits.

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• Corporation for Public Broadcasting defunded, eliminating severe weather alert system — The Trump administration defunded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with $1.1 billion in cuts, claiming to target "bias" at NPR and PBS. The cuts mean that CPB can no longer provide public broadcasting stations with severe weather alerts. CPB had administered the Next Generation Warning System in partnership with FEMA to issue alerts and information over radio and television stations, many in rural America, which can continue to operate when other systems fail.

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• Secret Service arrested flag-burning protester near White House — The Secret Service arrested a man who burned an American flag near the White House in protest of Trump's executive order criminalizing flag burning. The arrest occurred despite the Supreme Court's established protection of flag-burning as constitutionally protected speech under the First Amendment.

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• Mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis — A gunman identified as Robin Westman opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis during a mass, firing approximately 120 shots from three guns. Two children were killed: Fletcher Merkel, age 8, and Harper Moyski, age 10. At least 21 people were injured, the majority of them children. The suspect was found dead at the rear of the church with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police chief Brian O'Hara stated the suspect had "a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters" and acted "with the intention of causing as much terror, as much trauma, as much carnage as possible."
• Mass shooting at Minneapolis Catholic school kills two children, injures 17 — On the morning of August 28, 2025, a shooter identified as Robin Westman, 23, opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Catholic School's church during morning mass in Minneapolis. Two children aged 8 and 10 were killed; 14 other children aged 6–15 and three elderly adult parishioners were injured. Police said locked church doors prevented the shooter from entering, likely saving "countless lives." Westman was found dead behind the church. The FBI is investigating as domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration requests Navy base for immigration enforcement — The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Trump administration made a request to use a Navy base near Chicago to assist in the crackdown on undocumented immigrants. While a final decision hasn't been made, federal immigration agents and possibly National Guard troops would operate out of the base for much of September, a plan that one Navy captain says raises "a lot of concerns and questions."
• White House requests military base support for immigration enforcement in Chicago area — The Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security requested that Naval Station Great Lakes near Chicago provide facilities and logistical support for immigration operations targeting "sanctuary cities." The request, confirmed by the base on Thursday, includes potential National Guard deployment from September 2–30. Illinois Democratic leaders, including Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin and Governor JB Pritzker, condemned the plan as unconstitutional and unauthorized, arguing it undermines military readiness and represents federal overreach into a city that has not requested assistance.

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• Trump administration threatens to defund sex education programs in 46 states unless they remove transgender references — The Trump administration's Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sent letters to 46 states, territories, and Washington DC on August 27, 2025, demanding they remove all references to transgender people and "gender ideology" from sex education curricula within 60 days or lose federal funding from the Personal Responsibility Education Program (Prep). The administration cited specific curriculum examples it deemed outside Prep's scope. This follows the administration's termination of a multimillion-dollar grant to California for refusing similar demands. Federal funding at stake ranges from $333,000 (Delaware) to $6 million (New York).

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• Fulton County Superior Court orders $10,000 daily fine for election board non-compliance with Republican appointments — Fulton County commissioners in Georgia face a $10,000-per-day fine after Superior Court Judge David Emerson found them in civil contempt for refusing to appoint two Republican nominees to the county election board. The county charter mandates appointment of two Republicans and two Democrats nominated by their respective party chairs. Democratic commissioners rejected the Republican nominees—Jason Frazier, a prolific voter-registration challenger, and Julie Adams, an election-denier affiliated with Cleta Mitchell's activist network—citing concerns about election integrity. The court ruled the appointment language "mandatory" and rejected the commissioners' argument that they were preserving appellate rights.

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• Federal judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit against Maryland judges over deportation orders — US District Judge Thomas Cullen (Virginia Western District, Trump-nominated) dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against all 15 judges of Maryland's federal district court. The administration had challenged an order by Maryland's chief judge temporarily barring deportations for two business days if immigrants filed detention challenges. Cullen ruled the judges were "absolutely immune" from such suits and that the administration should have appealed through proper legal channels instead. Cullen also criticized the administration's public attacks on federal judges nationwide as "unprecedented and unfortunate."