Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• ICE agents deploy teargas and pepper balls against protesters at Broadview facility — ICE agents at the Broadview immigration processing centre in Chicago deployed teargas canisters and pepper ball irritants against approximately 100 protesters who were blocking government vehicles and demonstrating against detention conditions. Agents also physically removed protesters from the street, including body-slamming at least one person. The escalation occurred as protesters attempted to obtain information about detained family members.

Supporting reports

• DHS announces mass arrests of undocumented immigrants in Chicago — The Department of Homeland Security announced on October 3 that more than 1,000 undocumented immigrants had been arrested in and around Chicago since September when the operation began. DHS claimed those arrested included "the worst of the worst pedophiles, child abusers, kidnappers, gang members, and armed robbers," but has produced little evidence for the claim. Federal data shows that more than 70 percent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees as of the previous month had no criminal convictions.

Supporting reports

• Journalist Mario Guevara deported to El Salvador after 100 days in ICE custody — Emmy-winning journalist Mario Guevara, who has lived in the Atlanta area for 20 years and holds a work permit, was arrested on June 2025 while livestreaming "No Kings Day" protests on petty charges that were immediately dismissed. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reopened his dormant deportation case following the arrest and held him for 100 days. On Friday, October 3, 2025, immigration officials deported him to El Salvador at 4 a.m., separating him from his two American citizen children and family.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration launches Operation Midway Blitz immigration enforcement in Chicago — The Trump administration conducted a major immigration enforcement operation dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago, targeting undocumented immigrants for arrest and deportation. The operation involved ICE agents conducting raids, detaining hundreds of people at the Broadview immigration processing centre in squalid conditions, and using force against protesters. Trump threatened to deploy the National Guard to the city and referenced the operation during a eulogy for Charlie Kirk, a rightwing organizer killed in September.

Supporting reports

• Trump designates "antifa" as major terrorist organization — President Trump designated "antifa" as a "major terrorist organization" in late September 2025. The designation is based on an inaccurate narrative that antifa is a centralized organization, when in fact antifa—short for anti-fascist—is an ideology with a loose network of activists rather than a formal organization with membership or hierarchy.

Supporting reports

• Russ Vought froze federal infrastructure funding in blue states — Russ Vought, acting in his federal role, placed a hold on $2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects, specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project, citing concerns about race-based contracting. The action represents a continuation of Vought's pattern of freezing federal funding on infrastructure projects in Democratic-led states.
• Trump administration freezes $2.1bn in Chicago transit funding, citing diversity concerns — OMB Director Russ Vought announced a freeze of $2.1 billion in federal funding for Chicago infrastructure projects, including Red Line extensions and modernizations of the city's mass transit system. Vought justified the hold as ensuring "funding is not flowing via race-based contracting," citing a new Transportation Department rule effective Wednesday. The move targets a Democratic-led city during a federal government shutdown and follows a similar $18 billion freeze on New York transit projects announced the previous day.
• Trump administration withholds $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding citing race-based contracting concerns — Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced that $2.1 billion in federal funding for two transit infrastructure projects in Chicago had been placed on hold, citing concerns about "race-based contracting." The action occurred during the ongoing federal shutdown and was characterized as part of the Trump administration's strategy to retaliate against Democratic-led areas by canceling federal dollars for projects in those jurisdictions.

Supporting reports

• Federal court rejects administration's attempt to end birthright citizenship as unconstitutional — A second federal court rejected the Trump administration's attempt to end birthright citizenship, ruling that such action would be unconstitutional. This represents judicial rejection of a major administration policy initiative targeting the 14th Amendment's guarantee of citizenship to those born in the United States.

Supporting reports

• DOJ Civil Rights Division investigation into Portland Police Department initiated — Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Portland's police chief on October 3, 2025, warning that the city's response to ongoing protests at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility "may be based on viewpoint discrimination," in violation of a federal consent decree placed on the department in 2015. Dhillon simultaneously tweeted the letter and has made numerous public statements about the investigation on social media and news outlets, discussing the department's handling of anti-ICE protests.

Supporting reports

• Judge Immergut hears arguments in Portland National Guard deployment case — On Friday, October 3, U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, a Trump appointee, heard arguments in the case challenging the federalization of Oregon National Guard troops. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric Hamilton argued the administration deployed troops to defend against "cruel radicals" who had "laid siege" to the ICE facility. Portland's lawyers countered that local police had handled the situation and the deployment order came months after the cited incidents.

Supporting reports

• Homeland Security Secretary Noem accuses IceBlock founder of obstructing justice; Attorney General Bondi threatens legal action — In June 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly stated that IceBlock and its founder Joshua Aaron were "obstructing justice" and suggested prosecuting CNN for reporting on the app. In July, Attorney General Pam Bondi stated on Fox News that crowdsourced apps tracking law enforcement locations are "not allowed" and warned Aaron to "watch out" because "that's not a protected speech," implying legal consequences.

Supporting reports

• Labor Department withholds monthly jobs and unemployment data during shutdown — The US Labor Department did not release its monthly data on job creation and unemployment on Friday, October 3, 2025, citing the federal funding lapse as the reason. The action occurred as the Trump administration threatened to use the shutdown to retaliate against Democrats, suggesting the data withholding may be part of a broader strategy to weaponize the shutdown against political opponents.
• Federal government shutdown enters third day with economic data gaps — Three days into the government shutdown, critical economic data collection has halted. The Labor Department's monthly jobs report, scheduled for Friday release, was not published, marking the first casualty in what officials expect will be a series of delayed or missed economic data. The absence of updated labor market and inflation figures creates extraordinary difficulty for the Federal Reserve, which relies heavily on government data to guide interest rate decisions at its upcoming meeting later in the month.

Supporting reports

• White House issues fact sheet attributing government shutdown economic impacts to Democratic opposition to funding restrictions on healthcare for undocumented immigrants — The White House published a fact sheet on October 3, 2025, presenting state-by-state economic projections attributed to a government shutdown. The document claims the Council of Economic Advisers warns of $15 billion in weekly GDP losses, projects 43,000+ additional unemployed Americans over a month-long shutdown, and lists estimated impacts on WIC recipients, SNAP beneficiaries, consumer spending, and gross state product by state. The fact sheet frames the shutdown as caused by Democratic demands to fund healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

Supporting reports

• Energy Department slashes climate funding and freezes construction projects during shutdown — The U.S. Energy Department is cutting nearly $8 billion in climate-related funding for projects across 16 states and freezing $18 billion allocated for two New York City construction projects. Trump stated he would meet with Russell Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget, to determine which agencies aligned with his political priorities should face cuts, describing the shutdown as an "unprecedented opportunity" to eliminate what he called "Democrat Agencies."
• Energy Department terminated 321 awards for 223 projects — Hours after Russ Vought pledged to revoke climate-related funding, the Energy Department announced it had terminated 321 awards for more than 223 projects, claiming the investments did not "advance the nation's energy needs" and were not "economically viable." The agency provided scant details about the cuts.
• Vought announced cancellation of $8 billion in climate funding — OMB Director Russ Vought posted that nearly $8 billion in "Green New Scam" funding was being cancelled to halt the "Left's climate agenda." He listed projects in 16 states, all of which are blue states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

Supporting reports

• Wisconsin Planned Parenthood suspends abortion services due to Trump tax bill Medicaid defunding provision — Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin ceased abortion provision on October 2, 2025, in response to a provision in Trump's tax and spending bill that blocks abortion providers receiving over $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements from participating in the program for one year. The organization attempted to preserve Medicaid funding for other services (cancer screenings, STI tests, contraception). The provision applies almost exclusively to Planned Parenthood. The suspension is believed to be the first in a state where abortion remains legal.

Supporting reports

• Maine Family Planning announces primary care closure due to Medicaid defunding — Maine Family Planning announced on October 2, 2025, that it will cease offering primary care at its clinics by October 31, 2025, due to loss of Medicaid reimbursements under Trump's tax and spending bill. The organization will continue offering STI screenings and contraception to all patients regardless of insurance status "for as long as we are able." Approximately 70% of Maine Family Planning patients receive all healthcare from the organization, making the closure a significant access loss.

Supporting reports

• ADP reported private sector job losses of 32,000 in September — The ADP National Employment Report, released on October 2, reported that the U.S. private sector lost 32,000 jobs in September 2025. The report, which measures labor market conditions based on weekly payroll data from more than 26 million private-sector employees, also revised August's employment growth downward from 54,000 jobs to a loss of 3,000 jobs. The independent ADP report gained additional significance because Trump had undermined the credibility of the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics by firing its commissioner in August.
• Private-sector job losses reported for September — According to payroll-processing giant ADP, the U.S. shed 32,000 private-sector jobs in September, down from a revised loss of 3,000 in August. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had expected an increase of 45,000 jobs. The report does not include government workers, but economists are scrutinizing it closely because the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly jobs report, scheduled for Friday, will be delayed if the government remains shut down.

Supporting reports

• Judge denies Kilmar Ábrego García’s bid for asylum in the US — An immigration judge in Baltimore denied Kilmar Ábrego García's asylum request, giving him 30 days to appeal the decision. Ábrego, a Salvadoran national, was deported to El Salvador in March by the Trump administration but returned to the US in June. He faces criminal charges related to human smuggling, which he denies. The Trump administration has been actively campaigning against him, labeling him as a gang member despite no convictions. Ábrego's lawyers have filed motions for a gag order due to prejudicial statements made against him.
• Immigration judge denies asylum bid for Kilmar Ábrego García — An immigration judge in Baltimore denied Kilmar Ábrego García's asylum application on October 3, 2025. Ábrego, a Salvadoran national with an American wife and children who has lived in Maryland for years, was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March 2025 and returned to the US in June following public pressure. He faces criminal charges related to human smuggling (which his lawyers dispute) and has 30 days to appeal the asylum denial. The Trump administration has publicly campaigned against him, labeling him MS-13 despite no convictions, and announced plans to deport him to Uganda and Eswatini.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court begins new term with cases threatening voting rights and election access — The Supreme Court's 2025–26 term opens with multiple cases poised to restrict voting access and election administration. Two redistricting cases (Louisiana v. Callais and Robinson v. Callais) challenge Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by attacking race-conscious redistricting even when it complies with VRA requirements. A case brought by Rep. Mike Bost seeks to prevent counting of late-arriving mail-in ballots postmarked before Election Day. A separate case challenges Mississippi's late-ballot law. National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, with Vice President Vance as a challenger, threatens to eliminate coordination limits between parties and candidates, potentially circumventing individual campaign contribution caps.

Supporting reports

• JD Vance makes false claims blaming Democrats for government shutdown — Vice President JD Vance appeared at the White House briefing room and falsely claimed Democrats shut down the government demanding "billions of dollars of funding to healthcare for illegal aliens." In reality, US law bars undocumented immigrants from receiving such benefits and Democrats have not called for changing that law. Vance warned of imminent federal worker layoffs if the shutdown continues, with approximately 750,000 employees expected to be furloughed. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed agencies are preparing for cuts.
• Trump administration circulates AI-generated racist memes of Democratic leaders — The Trump administration released a video depicting Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with an AI-generated moustache and sombrero, accompanied by mariachi music imagery. Vice President Vance defended the memes as humor and joked about stopping them if Democrats help reopen the government. Jeffries denounced the memes as racist. Vance dismissed the racism charge, questioning whether a Mexican American would be offended by sombrero imagery.
• White House displays racist deepfake videos of Democratic leaders in briefing room — The Trump administration played racist deepfake videos on loop in the White House briefing room for hours on Wednesday. The videos, posted by Trump on Monday, used fabricated audio and imagery to mock Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, depicting Jeffries with a fake sombrero and mustache and falsely attributing inflammatory language to Schumer. Vice President JD Vance defended the videos as humor during a briefing room appearance, dismissing Jeffries's characterization of them as racist. The deepfakes promoted false claims linking Democrats to providing benefits to undocumented immigrants and invoked white supremacist "great replacement" conspiracy theory rhetoric.

Supporting reports

• White House issues press release misrepresenting Tylenol-autism research — The White House released a press release linking to scientific studies to support Trump's claim that acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy causes autism. Medical experts found the studies provided only "weak" and "inconclusive" evidence. The release duplicated citations to create a false appearance of multiple independent confirmations, misrepresented study findings (claiming biological mechanisms were established when authors stated mechanisms remain unknown), and omitted contradictory research, including a large Swedish study showing associations disappear under rigorous sibling-control analysis.

Supporting reports

• Department of Education employees' email accounts manipulated with partisan talking points — NBC News reported that Department of Education employees who were furloughed discovered their email out-of-office messages had been altered to include partisan talking points blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. Five civil servants provided copies of their manipulated messages, which had been rewritten in the first person without their consent. Employees stated the alterations violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
• Department of Education changed furloughed employees' out-of-office messages to blame Democrats — During the government shutdown, the Department of Education changed automated out-of-office email replies for furloughed employees from generic messages to ones blaming Democrats for the shutdown. When employees changed the messages back to neutral language, the Department changed them again to blame Democrats. This represents use of government communications infrastructure to advance partisan messaging during a shutdown.

Supporting reports

• Howard Lutnick made claims about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and alleged blackmail — Howard Lutnick, a former acquaintance of Jeffrey Epstein and current Commerce Secretary, appeared on a podcast and made detailed claims about Epstein's "massage room" and alleged blackmail operation. Lutnick stated that Epstein showed him the room in 2005 and speculated that videos made in the room were used as blackmail. He further speculated that Epstein received an 18-month sentence in exchange for trading videos to authorities, allowing him to leave jail during the day and receive visitors.

Supporting reports

• Energy Department slashes climate funding and freezes construction projects during shutdown — The U.S. Energy Department is cutting nearly $8 billion in climate-related funding for projects across 16 states and freezing $18 billion allocated for two New York City construction projects. Trump stated he would meet with Russell Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget, to determine which agencies aligned with his political priorities should face cuts, describing the shutdown as an "unprecedented opportunity" to eliminate what he called "Democrat Agencies."
• OMB Director Vought impounded $8 billion in climate funding targeting Democratic states — Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, announced on October 2 that he was canceling $8 billion in congressionally approved funding for programs he claimed "fuel the Left's climate agenda." The targeted states were California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington—all states with Democratic senators. Vought stated the impoundments were illegal and used them selectively against Democratic-led states during the government shutdown.
• OMB Director Vought vowed to cut $26 billion from New York City projects — Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought vowed to cut $26 billion from projects in New York City that Congress had previously approved. Legal experts note that such impoundments lack lawful basis, as a government shutdown does not grant the OMB director additional authority to unilaterally rescind congressionally appropriated funds. Vought also vowed to slash the federal government broadly without legal justification.
• Vought announced $18 billion hold on New York City infrastructure projects — Russell Vought announced on October 2 that approximately $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects had been placed on hold. He stated the action was to ensure funding was not flowing based on "unconstitutional DEI principles" and specifically cited the Hudson River Tunnel Project (Gateway) and the Second Avenue Subway project. The announcement came during the government shutdown and targeted infrastructure in a state with Democratic senators.
• Maine Family Planning announces primary care closure due to Medicaid defunding — Maine Family Planning announced on October 2, 2025, that it will cease offering primary care at its clinics by October 31, 2025, due to loss of Medicaid reimbursements under Trump's tax and spending bill. The organization will continue offering STI screenings and contraception to all patients regardless of insurance status "for as long as we are able." Approximately 70% of Maine Family Planning patients receive all healthcare from the organization, making the closure a significant access loss.
• White House pauses infrastructure and clean energy funding to Democratic states — OMB Director Russ Vought announced on social media that approximately $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been placed on hold to prevent funding flowing to "unconstitutional DEI principles." Vought also announced cancellation of nearly $8 billion in clean energy funding, characterizing it as fueling "the Left's climate agenda." The actions target Democratic-leaning states during the government shutdown impasse.
• Energy Department terminated 321 awards for 223 projects — Hours after Russ Vought pledged to revoke climate-related funding, the Energy Department announced it had terminated 321 awards for more than 223 projects, claiming the investments did not "advance the nation's energy needs" and were not "economically viable." The agency provided scant details about the cuts.
• Vought announced cancellation of $8 billion in climate funding — OMB Director Russ Vought posted that nearly $8 billion in "Green New Scam" funding was being cancelled to halt the "Left's climate agenda." He listed projects in 16 states, all of which are blue states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
• Vought announced freeze on $18 billion in NYC infrastructure projects — OMB Director Russ Vought announced that roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects, specifically the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Avenue Subway, had been put on hold. Vought claimed the freeze was to ensure funding was not flowing based on "unconstitutional DEI principles."
• Russ Vought froze federal infrastructure funding in blue states — Russ Vought, acting in his federal role, placed a hold on $2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects, specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project, citing concerns about race-based contracting. The action represents a continuation of Vought's pattern of freezing federal funding on infrastructure projects in Democratic-led states.
• Trump administration freezes $2.1bn in Chicago transit funding, citing diversity concerns — OMB Director Russ Vought announced a freeze of $2.1 billion in federal funding for Chicago infrastructure projects, including Red Line extensions and modernizations of the city's mass transit system. Vought justified the hold as ensuring "funding is not flowing via race-based contracting," citing a new Transportation Department rule effective Wednesday. The move targets a Democratic-led city during a federal government shutdown and follows a similar $18 billion freeze on New York transit projects announced the previous day.
• Trump administration withholds $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding citing race-based contracting concerns — Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced that $2.1 billion in federal funding for two transit infrastructure projects in Chicago had been placed on hold, citing concerns about "race-based contracting." The action occurred during the ongoing federal shutdown and was characterized as part of the Trump administration's strategy to retaliate against Democratic-led areas by canceling federal dollars for projects in those jurisdictions.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration declared formal armed conflict with drug cartels — The Trump administration informed congressional committees that the president has declared the U.S. is in a formal "armed conflict" with drug cartels labeled as terrorist organizations. Under this declaration, individuals suspected of smuggling drugs for cartels are classified as "unlawful combatants." The administration cited this justification retroactively for strikes on three boats in the Caribbean in September that killed 17 people. Legal experts, including retired Army JAG lawyer Geoffrey S. Corn, characterized the declaration as an "abuse" that "shreds" established law of war principles, noting that drug trafficking does not constitute armed conflict under international law.

Supporting reports

• Trump posted support for Project 2025 and Vought's agency cuts — Trump posted on social media that he was meeting with OMB Director Russell Vought to determine which "Democrat Agencies" to cut and whether cuts would be temporary or permanent. Trump explicitly tied himself to "PROJECT 2025 Fame," contradicting his pre-election 2024 assurances to voters that he had nothing to do with Project 2025 and knew nothing about it. An NBC News poll from late September 2024 showed only 4% of voters liked Project 2025, and only 9% of MAGA Republicans supported it.
• Trump admitted Project 2025 was blueprint for his administration — Trump posted that he was meeting with Russ Vought, described as "he of PROJECT 2025 Fame," to determine which "Democrat Agencies" to cut and whether cuts would be temporary or permanent. Trump stated he could not believe Democrats gave him this "unprecedented opportunity." This contradicted his July 2024 post denying any connection to Project 2025, which he had called "disinformation" when it was unpopular in polls.
• Trump announced plans to use shutdown to cut federal agencies — Trump posted that Republicans should use the government shutdown as an opportunity to "clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud" and save "Billions of Dollars." He later stated on OAN that he could cut projects permanently and that "a lot of people are saying I wanted this" shutdown, though he claimed he did not. He characterized cuts as removing "Democrat things."