Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• ICE agents shoot and kill Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez during traffic stop in Franklin Park, Illinois — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initiated a traffic stop of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, a Mexican national and cook, in Franklin Park, Illinois on Friday. During the encounter near a school, agents shot and killed Villegas-Gonzalez. DHS claimed he resisted arrest and dragged an officer with his car; surveillance video shows him backing up and driving forward as agents pulled on his door. After the shooting, agents broke the car window and removed his body. Illinois lawmakers, including US Representative Delia Ramirez and Governor JB Pritzker, called for a full investigation, stating the incident exemplifies violence from Trump's deportation campaign.

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• ICE detains William Alberto Gimenez Gonzalez at barber shop during Operation Midway Blitz — ICE agents detained William Alberto Gimenez Gonzalez at a barber shop in Chicago on Friday as part of Operation Midway Blitz, an ICE enforcement campaign. The Latino Union of Chicago expressed concern that Gimenez may have been targeted for his involvement in a lawsuit against Home Depot and off-duty Chicago police officers over physical assaults and detention of recently arrived immigrants documented in a 2024 City Bureau investigation.

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• Immigration judge orders deportation of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil — An immigration judge in Louisiana ordered the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian protest leader and legal permanent resident, citing alleged misrepresentation of facts on his green card application. The judge found willful misrepresentation rather than oversight. Khalil's lawyers announced they would appeal and noted that a separate federal district court order prohibits his immediate removal while his civil rights case proceeds. Khalil characterized the order as retaliation for his exercise of free speech.

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• ICE enforcement surge and protests in Chicago area — ICE conducted a week-long surge of immigration enforcement operations across the Chicago area, including a day-long protest outside an ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois on September 12. Demonstrators clashed with federal agents; reports indicate a protester was shot in the leg with a pepper ball. The operations are part of Trump's pledged immigration crackdown. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, both Democrats, have condemned the enforcement actions and called for resistance.

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• Teachers and school officials investigated for Kirk assassination comments — Teachers, firefighters, elected officials, and a cable news contributor were placed on leave or faced investigation after making comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination. School employees in Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mississippi, and Ohio were all being investigated for social media posts made less than 24 hours after Kirk's death.

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• Judge Cannon interrupts and cuts off Ryan Routh's opening statement in Trump assassination attempt trial — Ryan Routh, 59, representing himself without legal training, began his opening statement in his trial for attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Florida golf resort in September 2024. Judge Aileen Cannon interrupted him three times within five minutes, citing improper procedure and accusing him of making "a mockery of the court" after he discussed evolution, global conflicts, and Hitler rather than mounting a defense. Cannon excused the jury to reprimand him, then suspended his remarks entirely. The trial proceeded with prosecution witnesses including Secret Service agent Robert Fercano, who testified he spotted a rifle near Trump and fired at the armed person.

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• First Circuit Court of Appeals lifts injunction, allows Trump administration to block Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood — The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the Trump administration may proceed with blocking Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements under a provision in its tax and spending bill. The decision lifts a lower court's preliminary injunction. Planned Parenthood estimates up to 200 clinics may close, affecting 1.1 million Medicaid-eligible patients who rely on the organization for cancer screenings, STI testing, contraception, and other services. Litigation continues as the court prepares to hear substantive arguments in coming weeks.

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• Brazilian Supreme Court convicted Bolsonaro of coup plotting — Four out of five justices on a panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court found former president Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of Donald Trump, guilty of plotting a coup, attempting to overturn the country's 2022 election, and committing violent acts against state institutions. They sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison.

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• Rear Admiral questioned legal basis for boat strike — Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter, a retired top judge advocate general for the Navy from 2000 to 2002, questioned the legal basis for the boat strike, noting that if the men on the boat were retreating, there was no "imminent threat" to justify the use of force under the laws of war.

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• Iowa county official defies governor's half-staff flag order for Charlie Kirk — Jon Green, chair of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors in Iowa, publicly announced he would not comply with Governor Kim Reynolds's directive to lower flags at half-staff in honor of Charlie Kirk, a rightwing activist fatally shot on September 11. Green cited Reynolds's failure to issue similar orders after other prominent gun violence cases, including the killing of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. Reynolds responded by criticizing Green's decision as "disgraceful" and putting "politics above human decency." Green stated he would accept any legal or electoral consequences for his refusal.

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• Rep. Nancy Mace spreads false claim that shooter was transgender — Rep. Nancy Mace ranted on the Capitol steps claiming the shooter was transgender or "pro-tranny," stating "This shit needs to end! Enough is enough. It sounds like the shooter was a tranny or pro-tranny." When it was revealed that Robinson was a straight, white male from a Republican family, Mace did not apologize for spreading the false narrative.

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• Trump compares right-wing and left-wing radicalism, blames left — When host Ainsley Earhardt suggested that radicals exist on both the right and left, Trump responded by stating that right-wing radicals are motivated by opposition to crime, while left-wing radicals are "the problem," refusing to acknowledge equivalent threats from the right.

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• Trump prioritizes White House ballroom construction over Kirk's death — When asked by a reporter about his condolences for Charlie Kirk's death, Trump pivoted to discussing construction of a new White House ballroom, stating it would be "an absolutely magnificent structure" and noting the project had been sought for 150 years.

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• White House issues release summarizing Trump interview on Fox & Friends — The White House published a release on September 12, 2025, summarizing an exclusive interview President Trump gave to Fox & Friends. The release quotes Trump's remarks on Charlie Kirk's death, deployment of the National Guard to Memphis, economic performance, criticism of Democratic-run cities, investigations into George Soros, Supreme Court merit-based decisions, obstruction of administration nominees by Senate Democrats, criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and trade policy. The document frames these as "key moments" from the interview.

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• Kash Patel uses "Valhalla" language echoing Christchurch mass murderer — FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X: "To my friend Charlie Kirk - rest now, brother. We have the watch. And I'll see you in Valhalla." The phrase "I will see you in Valhalla" were the final words of the Christchurch mass murderer's farewell letter, a reference associated with white nationalist extremism.

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• US Deputy Secretary of State threatens visa revocation against Mexican officials over Charlie Kirk comments — Christopher Landau, US Deputy Secretary of State and former ambassador to Mexico, publicly warned on X (formerly Twitter) that "foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country" and invited Americans to report foreign nationals making critical comments about Charlie Kirk's death. After a Mexican congressional staffer's televised remarks criticizing Kirk were flagged, Landau responded with an image reading "El Quitavisas" (visa remover) and directly attacked the Mexican news network Milenio, threatening visa consequences. The staffer resigned and Milenio issued a public apology.

Supporting reports

• Russia sent drones into Polish airspace — On the day of Kirk's murder, Russia sent 19 drones into Poland—some armed and some unarmed—testing the strength of the neighboring country. With the help of allies, Poland shot down four of them. Poland belongs to NATO, with which the U.S. shares a mutual defense agreement. After the attack, Poland called an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic Council. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker apparently did not attend.
• Trump characterized Russian drone incursion as possible mistake — Although Kaja Kallas, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, called Russia's violation of Polish airspace "intentional, not accidental," Trump told reporters that Russia's sending of drones into Poland "could've been a mistake."
• Polish officials contradict Trump on Russian drone attack — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk, and Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski all publicly contradicted President Trump's characterization of the Russian drone incursion as a potential mistake, with Tusk stating "We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn't. And we know it." Tomczyk called it "a deliberate Russian attack" and Sikorski simply stated "No, that wasn't a mistake."
• Trump dismisses Russian drone incursion into Poland as "mistake" — When asked about Russian drones flying deep into Poland's airspace before being shot down, President Trump responded "It could have been a mistake." Polish officials, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk, and Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, all contradicted Trump, stating the drone attack was deliberate and not a mistake.

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• Trump claims he has already sanctioned Russia and ended Congo war — When asked by Fox host Brian Kilmeade what "clamping down on Putin" would look like, Trump responded that it would involve "hitting hard with sanctions to banks and having to do with oil and tariffs" but claimed "I've already done it, I've done a lot." A reporter later confronted Trump about his claim that he ended the war in Congo, noting that more than 60 people were killed there this week, with ISIS-affiliated groups taking advantage of the situation.

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• 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

• Governor Bill Lee sought to redirect National Guard deployment — Governor Bill Lee released a statement saying he was set to speak with Trump about a "strategic mission" to use state law enforcement more effectively with an already established FBI mission in Memphis, apparently attempting to redirect the federal deployment toward state control.
• Memphis Mayor Paul Young disputes Trump's characterization of National Guard deployment — Memphis Mayor Paul Young stated he was informed the Governor and President were considering deploying the National Guard and other resources to Memphis, but clarified that what the city needs most are "financial resources for intervention and prevention, additional patrol officers, and case support," not military troops. Young emphasized Memphis is already making measurable progress in reducing crime through existing law enforcement partnerships.
• White House announces federal deployment to Memphis for crime reduction — The White House issued a release announcing President Trump's plan to deploy federal resources to Memphis, Tennessee, citing the city's violent crime statistics and characterizing the action as part of an "aggressive push to dismantle" crime attributed to "failed Democrat governance." The release cites 2024 crime data showing Memphis had the highest violent crime rate nationally and presents bail reform as a contributing factor, citing specific cases of defendants released without bail.
• Trump announced National Guard deployment to Memphis — Trump announced he was sending the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, despite the Memphis Police Department reporting that "Overall crime is at a 25-year low, with robbery, burglary, and larceny also reaching 25-year lows. Murder is at a six-year low, aggravated assault at a five-year low, and sexual assault at a twenty-year low." Although Trump said he had the support of the mayor and governor, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris asked Republican Governor Bill Lee to "please reconsider," stating that local government would welcome more state troopers but that "to have individuals with military fatigues, semi-automatic weapons and armored vehicles patrolling our streets is way too far, anti-democratic and anti-American."
• Trump announces National Guard deployment to Memphis instead of Chicago — President Trump announced he is deploying the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee instead of Chicago, stating Memphis is "deeply troubled" and that the Democratic mayor and Republican governor are "happy" with the deployment. Trump said he would prefer to go to Chicago but that they "don't want us" and he doesn't want to go into a "hostile area."

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• Trump announces Kirk arrest on Fox & Friends and minimizes gravity — President Trump announced the arrest of Charlie Kirk's killer on Fox & Friends, framing the announcement as breaking news and making light of the moment by joking about host Ainsley Earhardt's fiancé Sean Hannity being disappointed he wasn't given the exclusive. Trump then complained that due process takes too long in the U.S. and suggested China's rapid trial system as a model.
• Trump criticizes constitutional due process, praises Chinese trials — Trump complained that due process in the United States takes too long because of "our pesky Constitution" and expressed admiration for China's rapid trial system, stating that trials should occur "the following day" rather than taking years.

Supporting reports

• Florida teacher removed from classroom for calling Kirk "racist" and "neo-Nazi" — Matthew Theobald, a social studies teacher in Florida, was removed from the classroom for a post on his personal social media account describing Charlie Kirk as "not a good guy" and "a racist, misogynistic, fear-mongering neo-Nazi." On September 11, Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas sent a letter to all Florida schools announcing the state would investigate every teacher who makes "vile" comments about Kirk. The removal occurred as part of the broader coordinated pressure campaign.

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• Larry Bushart sues Tennessee county over arrest and 37-day jailing for Facebook meme — Larry Bushart, a former law enforcement officer, filed a lawsuit against Perry County, Tennessee, Sheriff Nick Weems, and investigator Jason Morrow after being arrested and jailed for 37 days in September 2025 for posting a Facebook meme. The meme, shared in comments on a vigil post for assassinated activist Charlie Kirk, showed Trump with a quote from a 2024 Iowa school shooting ("We have to get over it"), captioned "This seems relevant today." Police arrested Bushart the next day, charging him with "threatening mass violence at a school," though the meme referenced a shooting in Iowa, not the local Tennessee school. The criminal charge was dropped in late October. Bushart alleges violations of his First and Fourth Amendment rights and seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Supporting reports

• Three former FBI agents filed lawsuit against Kash Patel — Three former FBI agents filed a lawsuit against FBI Director Kash Patel portraying him as a "partisan neophyte more interested in social media and swag" than professional law enforcement, occurring on the same day Patel mishandled the Kirk shooting investigation.
• Three former FBI officials sue Kash Patel for wrongful termination over Trump investigations — Three senior FBI officials—Brian Driscoll Jr., Steven Jensen, and Spencer Evans—filed a federal lawsuit in Washington DC against FBI Director Kash Patel and the federal government, alleging wrongful termination and unlawful political influence. The complaint alleges Patel stated he was instructed by the White House to fire agents who worked on Trump investigations, and that Emil Bove pressured officials to compile lists of agents involved in January 6 investigations. The officials seek reinstatement, backpay, and a declaration that their firings were illegal.
• Three former FBI officials sued Patel and DOJ for politicizing the FBI — Three former top officials at the FBI filed a lawsuit against FBI Director Patel, the FBI, Attorney General Bondi, the Department of Justice, and the president, accusing them of unlawfully politicizing the FBI and purging anyone who had ever worked on a criminal investigation of Trump. The lawsuit suggests Bongino had an "intense focus on [using] his social media profiles to change his followers' perceptions of the FBI."
• FBI director and deputy director focused on social media rather than investigation — FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, both MAGA influencers without law enforcement experience, appeared to prioritize social media activity over the investigation into Kirk's shooting. Hours after the shooting, Patel's personal social media account posted a picture of himself and Kirk; minutes later, Patel's official FBI account posted conflicting updates about the suspect's custody status. Both officials appeared focused more on posting than conducting investigative work.

Supporting reports

• House passes Stop Illegal Entry Act imposing mandatory 10-year sentences for migrants re-entering after removal — The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed HR3486, the Stop Illegal Entry Act, on 11 September 2025, imposing mandatory minimum sentences of 5–10 years for migrants convicted of illegal re-entry combined with other crimes. The bill passed largely along party lines with 11 Democratic votes and White House support. Criminal justice groups warn it would incarcerate thousands for non-violent offenses, cost approximately $440,000 per person, paralyze federal courts by eliminating plea incentives, and disproportionately affect migrants fleeing violence or seeking family reunification. Senator Ted Cruz is advancing the measure in the Senate, where it requires 60 votes to proceed.