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Timeline

Browse events chronologically. Filter by topic to focus on specific themes.

Early Career (1970s–1980s)

Trump Takes Control of Father's Real Estate Empire

Donald Trump assumed control of his father Fred Trump's real estate company, renaming it the Trump Organization and shifting its focus from outer-borough housing to Manhattan development.

Business

Roy Cohn: The Mob Lawyer Who Taught Trump to Attack, Deny, and Never Apologize

Roy Cohn — Joseph McCarthy's henchman turned New York mob fixer — became Trump's mentor in the 1970s, teaching him the tactics that still define him: attack relentlessly, admit nothing, deny everything, counter-sue, weaponize the media, and never, ever apologize.

Relationships Legal Corruption

DOJ Sues Trump Organization for Housing Discrimination

The Department of Justice filed a civil rights suit against Trump, his father Fred, and their company for refusing to rent to Black tenants in 39 buildings across New York City.

Legal Civil Rights Business

Trumps Sign Consent Decree in DOJ Discrimination Case

Donald Trump, Fred Trump, and Trump Management signed a consent decree with the Department of Justice to settle charges of systematic racial discrimination in housing, agreeing to a set of reforms without admitting guilt.

Legal Civil Rights

Trump's First Manhattan Deal: The Grand Hyatt Hotel

Trump secured his first major Manhattan real estate deal by purchasing the aging Commodore Hotel near Grand Central Terminal and converting it into the Grand Hyatt New York, leveraging an unprecedented 40-year tax abatement from the city.

Business

Trump Tower Built with Undocumented Polish Workers

Construction of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue relied on a crew of undocumented Polish immigrants who worked 12-hour shifts for sub-standard wages, demolishing the Bonwit Teller building to make way for Trump's signature skyscraper.

Business Legal

Trump Tower Opens on Fifth Avenue

Trump Tower, a 58-story mixed-use skyscraper on Fifth Avenue, opened to the public, becoming Donald Trump's signature property, personal residence, and the physical embodiment of his brand.

Business

Trump Buys the New Jersey Generals USFL Team

Trump purchased the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League, then pushed the upstart league into a disastrous antitrust lawsuit against the NFL that contributed to the USFL's collapse.

Business

Business Empire (1980s–1990s)

Trump Purchases the Plaza Hotel

Trump purchased the iconic Plaza Hotel on the corner of Central Park South and Fifth Avenue for $407.5 million, calling it the 'Mona Lisa' of real estate, but the overleveraged acquisition would become a financial albatross within two years.

Business

Trump Takes Out Full-Page Ads Calling for Death Penalty in Central Park Five Case

Trump spent an estimated $85,000 on full-page newspaper ads in four New York City dailies demanding the return of the death penalty, in response to the Central Park jogger case involving five Black and Latino teenagers who were later exonerated by DNA evidence.

Civil Rights Media

Divorce from Ivana Trump Becomes Tabloid Sensation

The Trump divorce from Ivana became the biggest tabloid story in New York, fueled by revelations of Trump's affair with Marla Maples and a public confrontation in Aspen, consuming months of front-page coverage.

Relationships Media

Trump's Personal Debt Crisis Reaches $900 Million

Trump's reckless borrowing spree of the late 1980s caught up with him as his personal debt reached an estimated $900 million, forcing him to cede control of key assets to creditors and survive only through bank-negotiated bailouts.

Business

Trump's Atlantic City Casino Empire Begins to Collapse

Trump's Taj Mahal casino filed for bankruptcy, the first of six Trump corporate bankruptcies that would cost investors billions while Trump himself emerged largely unscathed.

Business

Trump's $916 Million Tax Loss Revealed

Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a deduction so large it could have legally allowed him to avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years.

Business Corruption

Trump Explores Reform Party Presidential Run

Trump formed a presidential exploratory committee under the Reform Party banner, proposing a one-time wealth tax and universal healthcare before ultimately withdrawing, in what many viewed as an early test of his political ambitions and media strategy.

Politics

Celebrity (2000s–2015)

Trump Ends Reform Party Presidential Campaign

Donald Trump withdrew from the Reform Party presidential race, citing the party's dysfunction, after months of exploratory campaigning that foreshadowed his eventual 2016 run.

Politics

The Apprentice Premieres on NBC

NBC debuted 'The Apprentice,' a reality television show starring Donald Trump, which drew over 20 million viewers and transformed Trump from a regional real estate figure into a national brand and household name.

Media Business

Trump Marries Melania Knauss

Donald Trump married Slovenian model Melania Knauss at his Mar-a-Lago estate in a lavish ceremony attended by celebrities and political figures including Hillary and Bill Clinton.

Relationships

Trump University Launches

Donald Trump launched Trump University, a for-profit real estate training program that would later face multiple fraud lawsuits and result in a $25 million settlement after thousands of students alleged they were deceived.

Business Legal

Access Hollywood Tape Recorded

During a visit to the set of 'Days of Our Lives,' a hot microphone captured Donald Trump making vulgar and predatory remarks about women to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush, a recording that would surface eleven years later during the 2016 campaign.

Media Relationships

Trump Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Donald Trump was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his role as producer of The Apprentice, cementing his crossover status as an entertainment celebrity.

Media

Trump Becomes Leading Voice of Birther Conspiracy

Donald Trump embraced and amplified the false conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, using it to build a political following and establish himself as a leading figure on the populist right.

Politics Media

Obama Releases Long-Form Birth Certificate After Trump Pressure

President Obama took the extraordinary step of releasing his long-form birth certificate from Hawaii, directly responding to Donald Trump's relentless promotion of the false birther conspiracy theory.

Politics

Obama Roasts Trump at White House Correspondents' Dinner

President Obama used his speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner to deliver a pointed, comedic takedown of Donald Trump, who sat stone-faced in the audience as the room laughed.

Politics Media

Trump Brings Miss Universe Pageant to Moscow

Donald Trump brought the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in partnership with Russian oligarch Aras Agalarov, an event that deepened Trump's financial ties to Russia and later drew scrutiny from federal investigators.

Business International

Trump Organization Pursues Trump Tower Moscow

The Trump Organization continued pursuing a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, engaging in negotiations with Russian developers that would extend secretly through the 2016 presidential campaign.

Business International

Trump Announces Presidential Candidacy with Escalator Ride

Donald Trump descended a golden escalator at Trump Tower in Manhattan to announce his candidacy for president, delivering a speech in which he called Mexican immigrants 'rapists' and promised to build a border wall.

Politics Media

2016 Campaign

Trump Launches Campaign with 'Rapists' Remarks About Mexican Immigrants

In his presidential campaign announcement speech at Trump Tower, Donald Trump described Mexican immigrants as 'rapists' and criminals, sparking immediate backlash from Latino communities and setting the tone for his candidacy.

Politics Civil Rights Media

Trump Clashes with Megyn Kelly at First GOP Debate

During the first Republican primary debate, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly confronted Trump about his history of calling women 'fat pigs' and 'slobs,' prompting a prolonged feud in which Trump appeared to suggest Kelly was menstruating.

Media Politics

Trump Mocks Disabled Reporter Serge Kovaleski

At a campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump physically mimicked the movements of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who has a congenital joint condition, while disputing Kovaleski's reporting on 9/11 celebrations.

Media Civil Rights

Trump Calls for 'Total and Complete Shutdown' of Muslim Immigration

In a written statement and at a rally in South Carolina, Trump called for a 'total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,' drawing bipartisan condemnation and comparisons to some of the darkest chapters in American history.

Politics Civil Rights

Trump: 'I Could Stand in the Middle of Fifth Avenue and Shoot Somebody'

At a campaign rally in Iowa, Trump boasted that his supporters were so loyal he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York City and not lose voters, a remark that became one of the most quoted lines of the 2016 campaign.

Politics Media

Trump University Fraud Lawsuits Intensify During Campaign

Multiple fraud lawsuits against Trump University gained national attention during the Republican primary, with former students alleging they were deceived into paying up to $35,000 for worthless real estate courses at what turned out to be an unlicensed institution.

Legal Business

Trump and Violence at Campaign Rallies

A pattern of violence at Trump rallies culminated in the cancellation of a major Chicago event amid clashes between supporters and protesters, as Trump repeatedly encouraged aggressive behavior from the stage.

Politics Civil Rights

Trump Attacks Judge Curiel's Mexican Heritage

Trump repeatedly claimed that federal judge Gonzalo Curiel could not fairly preside over the Trump University fraud case because of his 'Mexican heritage,' prompting Paul Ryan to call it 'the textbook definition of a racist comment.'

Legal Civil Rights

Trump Tower Meeting: Campaign Brass Welcomes 'Russia's Government Support' Pitch

Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and campaign chair Paul Manafort met at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer and an ex-Soviet intelligence operative after an email pitched the meeting as 'part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump.' Trump Jr. replied 'I love it.'

Corruption International Legal

Trump Asks Russia to Find Clinton's Emails

At a press conference, Trump publicly called on Russia to find Hillary Clinton's deleted emails, saying 'Russia, if you're listening,' in a moment that would become central to investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Politics International

Khan Family Gold Star Controversy at DNC

After Gold Star father Khizr Khan delivered a powerful DNC speech challenging Trump's proposed Muslim ban, Trump attacked the Khan family, suggesting Khan's wife was not 'allowed' to speak and questioning their motives.

Politics Media

Access Hollywood Tape Released

The Washington Post published a 2005 recording in which Trump bragged about kissing and groping women without consent, saying 'when you're a star, they let you do it,' triggering the most severe crisis of his campaign.

Media Relationships

Multiple Women Accuse Trump of Sexual Misconduct

In the weeks following the Access Hollywood tape, more than a dozen women came forward publicly to accuse Trump of unwanted kissing, groping, and sexual assault, directly contradicting his claim that the tape was mere 'locker room talk.'

Legal Relationships Media

Trump Wins the 2016 Presidential Election

Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States, winning the Electoral College 304 to 227 despite losing the popular vote by nearly three million ballots, in one of the most stunning upsets in American political history.

Politics

First Presidency (2017–2021)

Inauguration and the 'American Carnage' Speech

Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States and delivered a dark, nationalist address that former President George W. Bush reportedly called 'some weird shit.'

Politics

Inauguration Crowd Size Lies and 'Alternative Facts'

On his first full day in office, Trump sent his press secretary to falsely claim the inauguration had the 'largest audience ever,' and counselor Kellyanne Conway defended the lies as 'alternative facts.'

Media Politics

Executive Order 13769: The First Travel Ban

Just one week into his presidency, Trump signed an executive order banning entry from seven Muslim-majority countries, triggering immediate chaos at airports and a wave of federal court challenges.

Politics International Civil Rights Legal

Flynn's Lies About Russia Contacts Fully Exposed, White House Refuses to Defend Him

As multiple officials confirmed intelligence intercepts showed Michael Flynn lied about discussing sanctions with Russia's ambassador, senior White House aides refused to defend him on national television and Trump remained conspicuously silent.

Personnel International Legal

Michael Flynn Resigns as National Security Advisor After 24 Days

National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed he had lied to Vice President Pence about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak regarding U.S. sanctions.

Personnel International Legal

Trump Pressures Comey to Drop Flynn Investigation in Private Oval Office Meeting

Trump cleared the Oval Office of other officials and asked FBI Director James Comey to end the investigation into Michael Flynn, telling him 'I hope you can let this go' — a request Comey documented in a memo that became central evidence in the obstruction of justice case.

Legal Corruption Personnel

Trump Holds Unhinged 77-Minute Press Conference, Attacks Media as 'Very Fake News'

Less than a month into his presidency, Trump held a combative, rambling 77-minute press conference in which he attacked reporters, coined the term 'very fake news,' falsely claimed the largest Electoral College win since Reagan, and insisted his scandal-plagued administration was running like a 'fine-tuned machine.'

Media Politics

Trump Brands the Free Press 'Enemy of the American People'

Just 29 days into his presidency, Trump tweeted that major news outlets are 'the enemy of the American People' — echoing language used by Stalin and Mao to justify suppressing dissent.

Media Politics

Trump Invents a Terrorist Attack in Sweden

At a rally in Florida, Trump referenced a nonexistent terrorist attack 'last night in Sweden,' baffling the Swedish government and drawing international ridicule. He later claimed he was referring to a Fox News segment.

Media Politics International

Trump Fires FBI Director James Comey

President Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey while the FBI was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential ties to the Trump campaign, triggering a constitutional crisis.

Personnel Legal

Robert Mueller Appointed Special Counsel

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and any links to the Trump campaign, launching a two-year investigation that would dominate Trump's presidency.

Legal Politics

Trump Withdraws U.S. From Paris Climate Agreement

In a Rose Garden announcement built on fabricated economic numbers, Trump pulled the United States out of the global climate accord, abandoning the only nonbinding framework the world had agreed on for limiting warming. He framed the withdrawal as standing up for 'Pittsburgh, not Paris' — a city whose mayor immediately reminded the country it had voted 80 percent against him.

International Politics Corruption

Charlottesville: 'Very Fine People on Both Sides'

After a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned deadly when a neo-Nazi drove his car into counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer, Trump said there were 'very fine people on both sides' — equating white supremacists with those protesting against them.

Civil Rights Politics

Trump's First Pardon Erases a Federal Conviction for Racial Profiling — and Tells Every Subordinate the Courts No Longer Matter

Seven months into his presidency, Trump issued his first pardon — to former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who had been convicted of criminal contempt for defying a federal judge's order to stop racially profiling Latino drivers. Trump skipped the DOJ pardon review process entirely, pardoned Arpaio before he was even sentenced, and set the template he would use to pardon Manafort, Stone, Flynn, and ultimately the January 6 defendants.

Legal Civil Rights Corruption Personnel

Trump Throws Paper Towels in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria

During a visit to hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico, Trump tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd of disaster survivors in a widely criticized display, while downplaying the death toll and praising his administration's response to a catastrophe that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

Politics Media

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Signed — Massive Corporate Tax Cuts

Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the largest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in three decades, which slashed the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and delivered the majority of its benefits to corporations and the wealthiest Americans.

Politics Corruption

'Shithole Countries' Comment About African Nations

During a bipartisan meeting on immigration, Trump asked why the U.S. was accepting immigrants from 'shithole countries' in Africa and Haiti rather than from places like Norway, laying bare the racial animus behind his immigration agenda.

Politics International Civil Rights

Trump Withdraws U.S. from Iran Nuclear Deal Against Unanimous Advice of His Own Cabinet

Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the multilateral agreement that had verifiably halted Iran's nuclear weapons program — over the explicit objections of his Defense Secretary, Secretary of State, National Security Adviser, and the U.S. intelligence community, all of whom had told him Iran was complying.

International Politics Personnel

Trump Meets Kim Jong Un in Singapore: A Dictator Gets Legitimized, the U.S. Gets a Press Release

On June 12, 2018, Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to meet a North Korean leader, posing for handshake photos with Kim Jong Un in front of equal-status U.S. and DPRK flags at Singapore's Capella Hotel. In exchange for a vague joint statement that committed North Korea to nothing it had not already promised in 1992 and 1994, Trump unilaterally suspended joint U.S.–South Korean military exercises without telling Seoul, then went home and told a rally crowd that he and Kim 'fell in love.'

International Media Personnel

Family Separation Policy at the Southern Border

The Trump administration's 'zero tolerance' immigration policy resulted in thousands of children being forcibly separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, with some families never reunited, provoking widespread outrage and comparisons to internment camps.

Politics Civil Rights International

Helsinki Summit — Trump Sides with Putin Over U.S. Intelligence

Standing beside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a joint press conference in Helsinki, Trump sided with Putin's denial of election interference over the unanimous assessment of U.S. intelligence agencies, stunning allies and drawing bipartisan condemnation.

International Politics

Kavanaugh Confirmed to Supreme Court 50-48 After White House Strangled the FBI Investigation Into Christine Blasey Ford's Allegations

Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court by a 50-48 vote nine days after Christine Blasey Ford testified that he had sexually assaulted her in 1982. The 'supplemental FBI investigation' the Trump White House cited as exonerating him was, a 2024 Senate report concluded, tightly controlled by that same White House — the 4,500-tip public tip line was forwarded straight to Trump's lawyers without investigation, and key witnesses were never interviewed.

Personnel Legal Civil Rights

Khashoggi Murder and Trump's Defense of Saudi Arabia

After Saudi agents murdered and dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Trump refused to hold Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable, prioritizing arms deals over human rights and press freedom.

International Politics

Trump Fires Attorney General Jeff Sessions

The day after the 2018 midterm elections, Trump forced Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign, punishing him for recusing himself from the Russia investigation and installing a loyalist as acting attorney general to oversee the Mueller probe.

Personnel Legal

Michael Cohen Sentenced, Implicates Trump in Crimes

Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress, telling the judge he committed the crimes 'at the direction of' the president.

Legal Corruption

Trump's Charity Is Forced to Dissolve After Years of Self-Dealing

Under court supervision and after a state lawsuit detailed 'a shocking pattern of illegality,' the Donald J. Trump Foundation agreed to dissolve, distribute its remaining $1.78 million in assets to other charities at the New York Attorney General's direction, and submit Trump and his children to ongoing legal restrictions on charitable activity in the state.

Corruption Legal Business

Trump's 35-Day Shutdown: Longest in U.S. History, Triggered Over Border Wall

Trump shut down the federal government for 35 days — the longest shutdown in U.S. history — after demanding $5.7 billion for a border wall Mexico was supposed to pay for. Roughly 800,000 federal workers went without paychecks, TSA officers visited food banks, the economy lost an estimated $3 billion, and Trump ended the standoff with nothing to show for it but a fake national-emergency declaration.

Politics Personnel Corruption

Trump Declares Fake National Emergency to Fund Border Wall

After Congress refused to fund his border wall and the longest government shutdown in U.S. history failed to force their hand, Trump declared a fabricated 'national emergency' to seize billions in military funds — a brazen end-run around the constitutional power of the purse.

Politics Corruption

Mueller Report Released: Ten Episodes of Possible Obstruction, Sweeping Russian Interference Welcomed by Trump Campaign

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 448-page report documented a 'sweeping and systematic' Russian interference operation that the Trump campaign 'expected to benefit from,' identified ten separate episodes in which Trump may have obstructed justice, and explicitly stated it did 'not exonerate' him. Attorney General William Barr spent the morning of its release publicly mischaracterizing it before Congress and the public could read it.

Legal Politics Relationships International Media

Trump Tells Congresswomen of Color to 'Go Back' to Their Countries

Trump tweeted that four Democratic congresswomen of color — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib — should 'go back' to the 'totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,' a racist trope directed at American citizens and elected officials.

Civil Rights Politics

Sharpiegate: Trump Doctors a Hurricane Map and Bullies NOAA Into Backing the Lie

After Trump falsely tweeted that Alabama would be hit by Hurricane Dorian, displayed a NOAA forecast map crudely altered with a black Sharpie to support his claim, and refused to retract the error, the Commerce Department forced career meteorologists at NOAA to issue an unsigned statement disavowing the Birmingham National Weather Service's accurate forecast — a textbook case of political pressure overriding scientific judgment in a public-safety agency.

Politics Media Corruption Personnel

Ukraine Phone Call and Whistleblower Complaint

A whistleblower revealed that Trump had pressured Ukraine's president to investigate political rival Joe Biden during a July phone call, while withholding military aid, leading to Trump's first impeachment by the House of Representatives.

Politics International Corruption

House Launches Formal Impeachment Inquiry

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to formalize the impeachment inquiry into President Trump over his efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating political rival Joe Biden.

Politics Legal

Trump Impeached for First Time by House of Representatives

The House of Representatives impeached President Trump on two articles — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — making him the third U.S. president to be impeached.

Politics Legal International

Trump Orders Drone Strike Killing Iran's Top General Soleimani, Bringing U.S. to Brink of War

Trump ordered a U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, as he left Baghdad International Airport. The administration's claim that the strike preempted an 'imminent attack' on four embassies fell apart within days — Defense Secretary Mark Esper publicly contradicted it. Iran retaliated with a ballistic missile barrage on al-Asad Airbase, inflicting traumatic brain injuries on at least 109 U.S. service members that Trump initially dismissed as 'headaches.' Iraq's parliament voted to expel U.S. forces.

International Politics Personnel

Senate Acquits Trump in First Impeachment Trial

The Republican-controlled Senate voted to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment, with Senator Mitt Romney becoming the only Republican to vote for conviction.

Politics Legal

Trump Fires Impeachment Witnesses Vindman and Sondland

Two days after his Senate acquittal, Trump fired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and Ambassador Gordon Sondland in apparent retaliation for their testimony during the impeachment inquiry.

Personnel Corruption

Trump Downplays COVID-19 as Pandemic Spreads

As COVID-19 spread rapidly across the United States, President Trump repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus, comparing it to the common flu and predicting it would soon disappear.

Politics Media

Trump Suggests Injecting Disinfectant to Treat COVID-19

During a White House coronavirus briefing, President Trump mused publicly about whether injecting disinfectant or using ultraviolet light inside the body could treat COVID-19, prompting immediate alarm from medical professionals.

Politics Media

George Floyd Protests and Trump's 'When the Looting Starts' Tweet

As protests over the police killing of George Floyd spread across the country, Trump tweeted 'when the looting starts, the shooting starts' — a phrase with a violent, racist history — drawing widespread condemnation and a warning label from Twitter.

Civil Rights Politics

Lafayette Square Tear Gas Incident for Bible Photo Op

Federal officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to forcibly clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square so President Trump could walk to St. John's Church and pose for photographs holding a Bible.

Civil Rights Politics Media

Trump Sends Federal Agents to Portland Protests

The Trump administration deployed federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security to Portland, Oregon, where officers in unmarked vehicles detained protesters off the streets, provoking a constitutional crisis over federal overreach.

Civil Rights Politics

Woodward Tapes Reveal Trump Knew COVID Danger Early

Recordings from journalist Bob Woodward's interviews revealed that President Trump privately acknowledged COVID-19 was deadly and airborne as early as February 2020, even as he publicly downplayed the virus for months.

Media Politics

Trump Tells Proud Boys to 'Stand Back and Stand By'

During the first presidential debate, when asked to condemn white supremacist groups, Trump told the far-right Proud Boys to 'stand back and stand by,' a statement the group immediately adopted as a rallying cry.

Politics Civil Rights

Trump Contracts COVID-19

President Trump announced he had tested positive for COVID-19, was hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center, and received experimental treatments, raising urgent questions about presidential succession and transparency about his condition.

Politics

Trump Loses Election, Immediately Claims Fraud

After major news organizations called the presidential race for Joe Biden, Trump refused to concede and launched an unprecedented campaign to overturn the results, falsely claiming the election had been stolen through widespread fraud.

Politics Jan 6

Trump Pressures State Officials to Overturn Election Results

In the weeks following his election loss, Trump personally pressured state legislators, election officials, and governors in key battleground states to overturn certified results and declare him the winner.

Politics Jan 6 Legal

Trump's Phone Call Pressuring Georgia Secretary of State

In a recorded hour-long phone call, President Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to 'find 11,780 votes' to overturn Biden's victory in the state, a call that would later form the basis of criminal charges.

Politics Jan 6 Legal

Trump Pressures Pence to Overturn the Election — Then Sics a Mob on Him for Refusing

In an Oval Office meeting with attorney John Eastman, Trump pressed Vice President Pence to reject certified electoral votes on January 6. When Pence refused on legal grounds, Trump publicly attacked him as a 'wimp' — and tweeted that Pence lacked 'courage' minutes after being told the Capitol had been breached and the mob was chanting 'Hang Mike Pence.'

Jan 6 Politics Corruption Legal

The January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol

Following a rally where Trump urged supporters to 'fight like hell,' thousands stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory.

Jan 6 Politics Legal

Trump Impeached a Second Time for Incitement of Insurrection

The House of Representatives impeached President Trump for the second time, charging him with 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol, making him the only president in American history to be impeached twice.

Politics Jan 6 Legal

Post-Presidency (2021–2024)

Trump Skips Biden Inauguration, Breaking 152-Year Tradition

Donald Trump refused to attend Joe Biden's inauguration, becoming the first outgoing president to skip his successor's swearing-in since Andrew Johnson in 1869.

Politics

Trump Organization Under Criminal Investigation by Manhattan DA

The Manhattan District Attorney's office expanded its investigation of the Trump Organization into a full criminal probe, examining potential bank and insurance fraud, tax fraud, and falsification of business records.

Legal Business Corruption

Senate Acquits Trump in Second Impeachment Trial

The Senate voted 57-43 to convict Trump for incitement of insurrection, but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Seven Republicans crossed party lines to vote guilty, the most bipartisan impeachment vote in history.

Politics Jan 6 Legal

Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg Indicted on Tax Fraud Charges

Allen Weisselberg, the longtime CFO of the Trump Organization, was indicted along with the company itself on charges of running a 15-year tax fraud scheme involving unreported employee compensation.

Legal Business Corruption

DOJ Reverses Course, Orders Release of Trump Tax Returns to Congress

The Biden Justice Department reversed the Trump-era DOJ position and concluded that the House Ways and Means Committee was entitled to obtain Trump's tax returns, ending a years-long legal battle.

Legal Corruption

January 6 Committee Subpoenas Trump's Closest Allies

The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack issued subpoenas to members of Trump's inner circle, including former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Steve Bannon, and other key figures, setting up major legal confrontations over executive privilege.

Jan 6 Legal Politics

January 6 Committee Public Hearings Begin

The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol attack launched its public hearings, presenting evidence over multiple sessions that Trump orchestrated a multi-part plan to overturn the 2020 election.

Jan 6 Politics Legal

Dobbs Overturns Roe: Trump's Three Justices End the Constitutional Right to Abortion

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that the U.S. Constitution does not protect a right to abortion, overturning Roe v. Wade after nearly 50 years. The majority was supplied by Trump's three appointees — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — each of whom had told the Senate under oath that Roe was settled precedent. Trump immediately took credit, calling Dobbs 'the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation.'

Legal Civil Rights Politics

FBI Searches Mar-a-Lago for Classified Documents

FBI agents executed a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, seizing boxes of classified documents including materials marked top secret and sensitive compartmented information.

Legal Corruption

Trump Announces 2024 Presidential Campaign

One week after Republicans' disappointing midterm results, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election from Mar-a-Lago, becoming the first former president in decades to seek a non-consecutive second term.

Politics

January 6 Committee Refers Trump for Criminal Prosecution

The House Select Committee voted unanimously to refer Donald Trump to the Justice Department on four criminal charges, including insurrection and obstruction, concluding that he was the 'central cause' of the January 6 attack.

Jan 6 Legal Politics

Manhattan DA Indicts Trump in Hush Money Case

A Manhattan grand jury indicted Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, making him the first former president ever indicted on criminal charges.

Legal Corruption

Jack Smith Indicts Trump on Federal Classified Documents Charges

Special Counsel Jack Smith unsealed a 37-count federal indictment charging Trump with willful retention of national defense information, obstruction of justice, and making false statements related to classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.

Legal Corruption

Jack Smith Indicts Trump for January 6 and Election Subversion

Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump with four federal counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, alleging a broad conspiracy involving fake electors, pressure on the Vice President, and the weaponization of the Justice Department.

Legal Jan 6 Politics

Trump Indicted in Georgia Election Interference Case

A Fulton County, Georgia grand jury indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants under state racketeering laws for a sprawling conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, including Trump's recorded call pressuring the secretary of state to 'find' votes.

Legal Jan 6 Politics

Trump Found Liable for Fraud in New York Civil Case

A New York judge ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years by inflating the value of his real estate assets on financial statements, ordering the dissolution of some of his business entities and setting the stage for a trial on remaining claims.

Legal Business Corruption

Engoron Hits Trump With $355 Million Civil Fraud Judgment and a Three-Year New York Business Ban

After a months-long bench trial, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ordered Donald Trump and his co-defendants to disgorge $355 million in fraud proceeds — a figure that grew to over $464 million with pre-judgment interest — and barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation for three years. Engoron's 93-page opinion called the defendants' 'complete lack of contrition and remorse' 'pathological' and said they were highly likely to commit fraud again.

Legal Business Corruption

Supreme Court Invents a Presidential Immunity Doctrine to Save Trump From Jan 6 Prosecution

In a 6-3 decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents enjoy absolute immunity for 'core' constitutional acts and presumptive immunity for all other official acts — a doctrine found nowhere in the Constitution and explicitly designed to delay Jack Smith's election-subversion case past the 2024 election.

Legal Politics Jan 6 Corruption

2024 Campaign

Trump Wins Iowa Caucuses in Historic Landslide

Donald Trump won the Iowa Republican caucuses by the largest margin in the contest's history, capturing over 50% of the vote and signaling his dominant grip on the Republican Party.

Politics

E. Jean Carroll Awarded $83.3 Million in Defamation Case

A federal jury ordered Donald Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages for defaming her after she accused him of sexual assault, one of the largest defamation verdicts against an individual in U.S. history.

Legal

Supreme Court Rules Trump Can Remain on Presidential Ballots

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed Colorado's removal of Trump from the state's primary ballot, ruling that states cannot unilaterally disqualify federal candidates under the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause.

Legal Politics

Trump Found Guilty on 34 Felony Counts in Hush Money Trial

A Manhattan jury convicted Donald Trump on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a felony.

Legal Corruption

Supreme Court Invents Presidential Immunity, Placing Trump — and the Office — Above the Law

In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, the Supreme Court granted presidents sweeping immunity for 'official acts' — a doctrine found nowhere in the Constitution that gutted the federal January 6 prosecution and, in Justice Sotomayor's words, made the president 'a king above the law.'

Legal Jan 6

Trump Survives Assassination Attempt at Pennsylvania Rally

Donald Trump was shot and wounded during an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop, killing one attendee and critically injuring two others before being neutralized by Secret Service.

Politics

Judge Cannon Dismisses Jack Smith's Classified Documents Case

Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the federal classified documents case against Trump, ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith's appointment was unconstitutional, a decision that was widely criticized by legal scholars.

Legal

Biden Drops Out, Harris Becomes Democratic Nominee

President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who rapidly consolidated Democratic support and became the party's presidential nominee in an unprecedented late-stage shakeup.

Politics

Trump-Harris Presidential Debate

Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faced off in their only general election debate on ABC, in a contentious exchange where Harris put Trump on the defensive and Trump repeated debunked claims about immigrants eating pets.

Politics Media

Madison Square Garden Rally: Trump's Closing Argument Is a Comedian Calling Puerto Rico 'a Floating Island of Garbage'

Nine days before the election, Trump held a closing-message rally at Madison Square Garden featuring a procession of surrogates and a warm-up comedian who called Puerto Rico 'a floating island of garbage' and made racist jokes about Black people, Latinos, and Jews. Trump did not disavow it. He won anyway.

Politics Civil Rights Media

Trump Wins 2024 Presidential Election

Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to win the 2024 presidential election, becoming only the second president in American history to win non-consecutive terms and the first convicted felon elected to the presidency.

Politics

Second Presidency (2025–Present)

Trump Sentenced to Unconditional Discharge in Hush Money Case

Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge in the New York hush money case, imposing no jail time, probation, or fine, making Trump the first convicted felon to assume the U.S. presidency.

Legal

Trump Launches Personal Memecoin Three Days Before Inauguration, Opening a Direct Wire to the President's Bank Account

On the Friday before his second inauguration, Trump launched $TRUMP — a personal cryptocurrency whose 800 million tokens were retained by his own companies and whose buyers, anywhere in the world, could anonymously deposit value into accounts the president-elect controlled.

Corruption Business Politics

Trump Signs Executive Order Attempting to End Birthright Citizenship

Hours after his second inauguration, Trump signed Executive Order 14160 directing federal agencies to stop recognizing the U.S. citizenship of children born on American soil to undocumented parents or to parents on temporary visas — a direct attack on the 14th Amendment that was blocked by every court that reviewed it.

Civil Rights Legal Politics

Trump Issues Sweeping Executive Orders on Day One

Within hours of taking office, Trump signed dozens of executive orders targeting immigration, withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, ending federal DEI programs, and declaring a national emergency at the southern border.

Politics Civil Rights International

Trump Pardons January 6 Defendants

On his first day in office, Trump issued sweeping pardons and commutations for approximately 1,500 people charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, including individuals convicted of violent assaults on police officers.

Jan 6 Politics Legal

Trump Inaugurated for Second Term

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States in a ceremony moved indoors due to extreme cold, returning to power with promises of sweeping policy changes and retribution against political opponents.

Politics

Trump Fires 17 Inspectors General in Friday-Night Purge of Federal Watchdogs

Four days into his second term, Trump dismissed 17 of the federal government's independent inspectors general by mass email late on a Friday night, citing 'changing priorities' and ignoring the 1978 Inspector General Act's 30-day notice requirement to Congress. A federal judge later ruled the firings unlawful but declined to reinstate the watchdogs, leaving cabinet departments responsible for trillions of dollars in spending without independent oversight at the start of the most aggressive remaking of the federal government since the New Deal.

Politics Corruption Personnel

Trump Threatens to Withhold Disaster Aid from California Fires

As devastating wildfires raged across the Los Angeles area, Trump threatened to withhold federal disaster aid from California unless the state complied with his demands on water policy and immigration, drawing sharp criticism from local officials and disaster experts.

Politics

DOGE and Elon Musk's Government Efficiency Cuts

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) launched aggressive efforts to slash federal spending and reduce the government workforce, generating controversy over its access to sensitive government systems and the legality of its actions.

Politics Personnel

Trump Administration Mass Federal Worker Firings

The Trump administration launched an unprecedented effort to drastically reduce the federal workforce, firing probationary employees en masse, offering buyout packages, and reclassifying civil servants to strip employment protections.

Personnel Politics

Tariff Threats Against Canada, Mexico, and China

Trump imposed or threatened sweeping tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, roiling global markets and sparking fears of a trade war, before pausing some tariffs after last-minute negotiations with neighboring countries.

International Politics Business

Trump Fires USAID Inspector General After Critical Report on Food Aid

Trump fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin one day after his office reported nearly $500 million in food aid was at risk of spoiling due to the administration's gutting of the agency.

Corruption Personnel Politics

Trump Fires Joint Chiefs Chairman C.Q. Brown, First Female Navy Chief, and All Three Service JAGs in Pentagon Purge

In a single Friday-night announcement, Trump fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — Gen. Charles Q. 'C.Q.' Brown Jr., only the second Black chairman in U.S. history — along with the first female Chief of Naval Operations, the Air Force vice chief, and the top uniformed lawyers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. To replace Brown he picked a retired three-star, Dan 'Razin' Caine, who had to be recalled to active duty and granted a statutory waiver to take the job.

Personnel Politics Civil Rights

Trump and Vance Berate Zelensky in Oval Office, Cancel Minerals Deal, Eject Wartime Ally From the White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to Washington to sign a U.S.-Ukraine critical minerals agreement. Instead, an Oval Office press appearance descended into a shouting match with Trump and Vice President JD Vance accusing him of ingratitude, of 'gambling with World War III,' and of disrespecting them on television. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz then walked into a side room and told Zelensky to leave. The deal was scrapped, the joint press conference was canceled, and the visiting head of a wartime democracy was sent home without lunch.

International Relationships Media

ICE Arrests Columbia Student Mahmoud Khalil for Pro-Palestinian Protest, Reviving 1952 Cold War Statute to Deport a Green Card Holder

Plainclothes ICE agents arrested Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil — a lawful permanent resident married to a U.S. citizen — at his apartment in Morningside Heights and shipped him to a Louisiana detention center for participating in last year's Gaza protests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally signed a memo invoking a McCarthy-era provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that lets him deport non-citizens whose presence is deemed to have 'serious adverse foreign policy consequences,' opening the first major test case of Trump's deport-the-protesters program.

Civil Rights Politics International Legal

Trump Invokes 1798 Wartime Law to Disappear Men into a Salvadoran Mega-Prison

Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to fly Venezuelan men — and at least one Maryland man with explicit court protection from removal — to El Salvador's CECOT prison, then defied a federal judge's order to turn the planes around and a unanimous Supreme Court order to bring one of them back.

Civil Rights Legal International

Signal Chat Scandal: Top Officials Text Yemen War Plans to a Reporter

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally added The Atlantic's editor to a Signal group where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was sharing the targets, weapons, and timing of imminent U.S. strikes on Yemen — and Trump's first instinct was to defend everyone involved.

Politics Personnel International Media

'Liberation Day' Tariffs Detonate Global Markets — Trump Folds Within a Week

In a Rose Garden ceremony on April 2, 2025, Trump declared a national emergency and imposed the highest US tariff regime since 1909 — a 10% baseline on every trading partner plus 'reciprocal' rates of up to 50% — under a formula his own economists could not defend. The S&P 500 lost 12.4% in two trading sessions. Seven days later, after the bond market revolted, Trump paused most of the tariffs for 90 days. Stocks jumped 9.52% in a single afternoon — the biggest one-day rally since 2008.

Politics Business International

Pope Francis Dies, Conclave Elects First American Pope; Trump Picks a Fight Within Weeks

Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025. On May 8, the conclave elected Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost — the first U.S. pope in history — who took the name Leo XIV. Within weeks, Trump began the year-long campaign of public attacks on the new pope that would still be ongoing in May 2026.

International Relationships Media

Trump Accepts a $400 Million Boeing 747 'Gift' From Qatar — Then His Library Inherits It

The Trump administration formally accepted a $400 million Boeing 747-8 luxury jet from the Qatari royal family to be retrofitted as Air Force One and, after Trump leaves office, transferred to his presidential library foundation. Reporting later showed the Pentagon — not Qatar — initiated the request; Attorney General Pam Bondi (a former registered Qatar lobbyist) signed off on the legal memo blessing the deal; and the retrofit cost has been hidden inside a nuclear-missile modernization program, with internal Air Force estimates running as high as $1.5 billion.

Corruption International Politics Personnel

Trump Federalizes California's National Guard Over Newsom's Objection — First Time Since 1965 — and Sends 700 Marines Into Los Angeles

After ICE raids in downtown LA triggered street protests, Trump invoked 10 U.S.C. § 12406 to federalize 4,000 California National Guard troops without Governor Newsom's consent — the first such federalization over a governor's objection since Lyndon Johnson sent troops to Alabama in 1965 to protect civil-rights marchers — and ordered 700 active-duty Marines into the city. A federal judge later ruled the federalization illegal.

Politics Civil Rights Personnel Legal

Trump Bombs Iran's Nuclear Sites Without Congressional Approval, Then Lies About the Damage

On June 22, 2025, Trump ordered Operation Midnight Hammer — the first operational use of GBU-57 bunker-busters and the largest B-2 strike in US history — to attack Iran's Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities. He did not seek congressional authorization. He notified Republican leadership before the strikes and Democratic leadership only after. He then claimed on Truth Social that Iran's nuclear program had been 'completely and totally obliterated.' His own Defense Intelligence Agency concluded within days that the strikes had set the program back only a few months.

International Politics Media

Trump Signs the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' on July 4 — $3.4 Trillion in Deficits, 10 Million Off Health Insurance, Biggest Medicaid Cut in History

Public Law 119-21, signed at a White House ceremony with B-2 flyovers on July 4, makes Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent, raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and pays for it with the largest Medicaid cut in the program's 60-year history. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the law will add $3.4 trillion to the deficit and strip health insurance from at least 10 million Americans by 2034.

Politics Civil Rights Corruption Business

Trump Launches War on Iran Without Congress in 'Operation Epic Fury'

Trump joined Israel in nearly 900 strikes on Iran in 12 hours, killing Supreme Leader Khamenei, opening an undeclared war that he later told Congress he didn't need their authorization to wage.

International Politics Personnel

Trump Signs Sweeping Cuba Sanctions Order, Threatening Foreign Banks Worldwide

A new executive order builds an Iran-style secondary sanctions regime targeting Cuba, exposing any foreign company or financial institution that does business with the Cuban economy to U.S. blocking sanctions. The order layers on top of an embargo that has failed to topple the Cuban government for more than six decades.

International Politics Corruption

Federal Judge Orders Ethics Probe After DHS Falsely Smears Her Over ICE-Concealed Warrant

Judge Melissa DuBose ordered an ethics review of the Trump administration after DHS issued a press release branding her a 'Biden activist judge' for releasing a man whose homicide warrant ICE had ordered the Justice Department to hide from her court.

Legal Civil Rights Media

Trump Accuses Pope Leo of 'Endangering Catholics' as Rubio Heads to the Vatican

On the eve of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's first Vatican meeting with Pope Leo XIV, Trump publicly attacked the American-born pope as 'endangering' Catholics and falsely claimed Leo wants Iran to have a nuclear weapon. The attacks extend a year-long campaign by Trump to discredit the first U.S.-born pope, who has emerged as one of the most prominent religious critics of the Iran war.

International Media Relationships

Trump Purges Indiana Republicans Who Defied Him on Redistricting

Trump-backed challengers unseated five Republican Indiana state senators who had voted against his demand to redraw the state's congressional maps, in a $13.4 million primary spending blitz that demonstrated the cost of crossing the president.

Politics Personnel Corruption

Trump Pauses Project Freedom, Threatens 'Much Higher Level' Bombing of Iran

After launching a military operation in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Trump paused it within 24 hours and threatened on Truth Social that 'the bombing starts' at 'a much higher level' if Iran doesn't accept his peace terms.

International Politics Media

Trump's DOJ Moves to Erase His $83.3M Carroll Judgment Using Federal Resources

The Justice Department deployed the Westfall Act to ask the Supreme Court to substitute the federal government for Trump as defendant in E. Jean Carroll's defamation case — a maneuver that would make the $83.3 million judgment disappear, since the U.S. government cannot be sued for defamation.

Legal Corruption Politics

Trump's New Counterterrorism Strategy Names Antifa and 'Pro-Transgender' Groups, Drops White Supremacists

The White House released its 2026 National Counterterrorism Strategy, the first of Trump's second term. The 16-page document elevates drug cartels and 'violent left-wing extremists' — including groups it describes as 'radically pro-transgender' and 'anarchist' — to the center of U.S. counterterrorism priorities, while stripping out the Biden-era focus on white supremacist and far-right violence.

Civil Rights Politics Personnel

Pentagon Strikes Two More Boats in 48 Hours, Pushing 'Southern Spear' Death Toll Past 190

Back-to-back U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific killed five more people across May 4 and May 5, bringing the confirmed death toll from Operation Southern Spear past 190 since September. The Pentagon has still produced no evidence the targeted vessels were carrying drugs.

International Politics Civil Rights

Trump Calls Iran Strikes a 'Love Tap' as US and Iranian Forces Trade Fire in Strait of Hormuz

Three U.S. Navy destroyers came under sustained Iranian missile, drone and small-boat attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. retaliated with strikes on Iranian military sites, then Trump publicly dismissed the exchange as 'just a love tap' while threatening to hit Iran 'a lot harder, and a lot more violently' if it does not sign a deal.

International Politics Media

Reuters Pulitzer-Winning Investigation Exposes Trump Plan to Federalize State Elections via DHS

A Reuters investigation by Pulitzer-winning national reporter Ned Parker, amplified this week as Parker discussed his findings on Democracy Now!, documents how the Trump administration is using the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department, and the FBI to assert federal control over election administration in at least eight states — demanding voter rolls, attempting to access voting machines, and raiding county election offices on the basis of long-debunked 2020 fraud claims.

Politics Civil Rights Corruption

DOJ Files 12 New Denaturalization Cases as Acting AG Warns Naturalized Citizens 'Should Be Worried'

The Justice Department filed 12 new denaturalization cases in a single day and bragged it would surpass the Biden administration's four-year total within a week, while Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBS that naturalized citizens 'should be worried.'

Civil Rights Legal Politics

Court of International Trade Strikes Down Trump's 10% Global Tariff as Unlawful

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled 2-1 on May 8 that Trump's 10 percent across-the-board global tariff, imposed in February under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, was unlawful. The ruling — won by a small spice retailer, a toy company, and the state of Washington — is the latest in a string of federal court losses for Trump's signature tariff agenda, and it forces the administration to scramble for new statutory authority to keep the duties in place.

Legal Business Politics

State Department Begins Mass Passport Revocations Over Child-Support Debt

On May 8, 2026, the Trump State Department announced it will proactively revoke the passports of Americans who owe back child support, beginning with roughly 2,700 people who owe $100,000 or more and ultimately reaching anyone who owes $2,500 or more — millions of parents. The 1996 statute being invoked has existed for 30 years; what is new is the administration's decision to use it, for the first time, as an automatic mass-revocation program rather than a renewal-time check.

Politics Civil Rights

Trump Rejects Iran's Peace Counter-Offer as 'Totally Unacceptable' as Gas Hits $4.52 and Oil Tops $100

Trump killed Iran's counter-proposal to end the 10-week war he started, dismissing it in all-caps as 'TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE' — sending Brent crude over $100, the U.S. pump price to $4.52, and the Strait of Hormuz back into a deadlock with no diplomatic path forward.

International Politics Media

Trump Declares Iran Ceasefire 'On Life Support' After Rejecting Tehran's Peace Proposal

Trump called Iran's latest peace proposal 'garbage' and 'totally unacceptable,' threatened a resumption of major combat operations, and declared the ceasefire 'on massive life support' — as the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed for the 73rd consecutive day, trapping over 600 tankers and choking 20% of the world's oil supply.

International Politics

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary Forced Out After Refusing to Authorize Flavored Vapes

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned after Trump personally berated him for resisting pressure to approve fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. The agency, days earlier, had reversed course and authorized 45 flavored vape products — a policy reversal driven by Trump's desire to court young MAGA voters and demanded by the tobacco industry, over the objections of FDA scientists who warned of the risks to children.

Personnel Corruption Politics

Trump Lands in Beijing With a Planeload of CEOs to Beg Xi for Help in His Iran War

Trump arrived in Beijing with Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, and a dozen other CEOs in tow, asking Xi Jinping to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz Trump's own war had closed — while leaving a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan unsigned on his desk.

International Corruption Politics Business

Vance Freezes $1.3 Billion in California Medicaid Funds, Threatens Same to Every State That Won't Comply

Vice President JD Vance announced the Trump administration is withholding $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements to California over alleged hospice and home-health fraud, and warned that every state will soon be ordered to prove it is 'aggressively prosecuting' Medicaid fraud or have its money cut off.

Politics Corruption Civil Rights

Trump's Justice Department Accuses Yale Medical School of Race Discrimination, Escalating Campaign Against Elite Universities

The DOJ Civil Rights Division concluded a year-long investigation by formally accusing Yale School of Medicine of intentional racial discrimination against white and Asian applicants, the second elite medical school targeted in eight days. The action is part of a sweeping Trump administration campaign weaponizing civil-rights enforcement against universities, and follows similar threats to UCLA, Stanford, UC San Diego, and Ohio State.

Civil Rights Politics Personnel

ICE Deported a Colombian Woman to Congo Days After Congo Said No; Federal Judge Orders Her Returned

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that ICE 'likely illegally' deported Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata to the Democratic Republic of Congo after the Congolese government had explicitly notified ICE in writing that it could not accept her because she required medical care for diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypothyroidism. The judge ordered the administration to bring her back.

Civil Rights Legal International Corruption

Trump's 3,642 Q1 Stock Trades: A Sitting President Bet $750 Million on His Own Policy Decisions

An Office of Government Ethics filing revealed Trump executed 3,642 stock trades worth $220-750 million in the first quarter of 2026, including purchases of Nvidia, Dell, Palantir, and Axon days before his administration took actions that sent those stocks soaring.

Corruption Business Politics

Cassidy Loses Louisiana Primary as Trump Completes Revenge Against Republican Impeachment Voters

Sen. Bill Cassidy — one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump after January 6 — became the first GOP senator in nearly a decade to lose renomination, finishing third in the Louisiana primary behind Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming.

Politics Jan 6 Personnel

Trump to Drop $10B IRS Lawsuit for Control of $1.7B Taxpayer Slush Fund to Pay Himself and Jan 6 Defendants

Trump is poised to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion 'weaponization' fund — controlled by a commission he can fire at will — that can hand taxpayer money to nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants and entities tied to Trump himself, with no obligation to disclose how decisions are made.

Corruption Legal Jan 6 Politics

DOJ Drops $1.8 Billion 'Anti-Weaponization' Slush Fund — But Trump's IRS Audit Shield Stays

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told House appropriators the Justice Department was abandoning the $1.776 billion fund Trump had extracted from his own DOJ in a self-dealing IRS settlement, but the part of the deal barring the IRS from auditing Trump, his family, and his businesses remains in force.

Corruption Legal Personnel

Trump Administration Floats Tariffs on 60 Trading Partners, Citing 'Forced Labor' to Rebuild Tariff Wall After Supreme Court Loss

The U.S. Trade Representative proposed 10–12.5% tariffs on 60 trading partners — including the EU, China, Japan, the UK, and Canada — under a Section 301 'forced labor' rationale, the administration's new legal vehicle for restoring tariffs the Supreme Court struck down.

Politics International Business

Trump Strips Civil Service Protections From 8,000 Federal Workers

Trump signed an executive order formally converting roughly 8,000 senior career federal employees — including agency division heads, regulation writers, policy attorneys, and chief information officers — into at-will workers who can be fired without notice or appeal, a long-planned scheme to replace nonpartisan expertise with loyalists.

Politics Personnel Corruption

Appeals Court Lets Trump Deport Migrants Nationwide Without a Hearing

A divided D.C. Circuit panel — two Trump appointees over a Biden-appointee dissent — vacated a district court order and cleared the way for Trump to use 'expedited removal' anywhere in the United States, allowing federal agents to deport people without an immigration judge, a lawyer, or any meaningful hearing.

Legal Civil Rights Politics

Senate Passes Historic Iran War Powers Rebuke as 4 Republicans Defy Trump

The Senate voted 50-48 to direct Trump to halt military action against Iran without congressional authorization — the first time a war powers resolution has cleared both chambers of Congress in the 53-year history of the statute. Four Republicans crossed the aisle to rebuke the president after his unauthorized strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

International Politics Relationships

Hours After Senate Rebuke on War Powers, Trump Demands $87.6 Billion More for the Iran War

The White House sent Congress a supplemental spending request of $87.6 billion, the bulk of it for the Iran war Trump launched in February, just hours after he had screamed at Republican senators in a closed-door lunch over their votes on a war powers resolution. The package bundles Pentagon money for an unpopular conflict with farm bailouts and Ebola aid, daring members to vote against any of it.

International Politics Corruption

Trump Takes a Bipartisan Housing Bill Hostage to Force a Voter-Suppression Bill Through Congress

Trump abruptly cancelled the Capitol Hill signing of the largest housing affordability bill in decades, telling Congress he would not sign it until lawmakers pass the SAVE America Act, his stalled bill to add proof-of-citizenship requirements to voter registration nationwide. The move ties relief for millions facing a housing crisis to passage of an unrelated measure designed to throw eligible voters off the rolls.

Politics Civil Rights Corruption

Postmaster General Tells Senate USPS Will Block Mail Ballots in States That Refuse to Hand Over Voter Rolls

Postmaster General David Steiner told the Senate that under a proposed USPS rule, the Postal Service will refuse to deliver mail-in ballots in any state that declines to give the Trump administration its voter list. The policy formalizes a federal threat to disenfranchise voters in states the White House cannot otherwise force into compliance with its election-overhaul agenda.

Civil Rights Politics Corruption Personnel

Supreme Court Clears Trump to Strip Deportation Protections from 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians

In a 6-3 decision in Mullin v. Doe, the Supreme Court let the Trump administration terminate Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, holding that federal courts cannot meaningfully review the Homeland Security secretary's decision. Justice Kagan dissented that Trump's own statements about Haiti 'fairly shout, in their racial undertones and overtones,' that race drove the policy.

Legal Politics Civil Rights International

Bolton Pleads Guilty to a Charge Trump Walked Away From

John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser turned critic, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully retaining classified information — the first conviction in Trump's stated campaign of retribution, prosecuted under the same statute Trump himself was indicted under in 2023 before his case was dismissed.

Legal Personnel Relationships

Trump's Religious Liberty Commission Calls Church-State Separation a 'Legal Error,' Urges Government to Promote Religion

A 224-page draft report from Trump's hand-picked Religious Liberty Commission — staffed almost entirely with conservative Christians — declares the separation of church and state a 'legal error,' recommends federal agencies post 'Know Your Rights' religious-liberty notices, creates new presidential medals for religious activists, and treats government promotion of religion as a constitutional mandate. Trump received the report in the Oval Office and told a Faith & Freedom Coalition crowd, 'We saved religion.'

Civil Rights Politics Personnel

U.S. Strikes Iran Again After Hormuz Drone Attack, Shredding the Week-Old Ceasefire

One week into a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire, Trump ordered U.S. Central Command to strike Iranian missile, drone, and coastal radar sites in retaliation for an IRGC drone attack on a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump declared from the Rose Garden that the U.S. is now 'negotiating from a position of pure strength' — a familiar pattern in a presidency that has treated war as both leverage and spectacle.

International Politics

Trump Restarts the Iran War, Threatens to End the Country's Existence

U.S. forces struck five Iranian targets on Trump's order, Iran's Revolutionary Guard hit U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain in response, and Trump posted that 'the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist' if it doesn't yield — collapsing the Islamabad memorandum he had announced weeks earlier.

International Politics Media

Supreme Court Overturns 90 Years of Precedent to Hand Trump Control of Independent Agencies

In a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines, the Supreme Court overruled Humphrey's Executor v. United States — the 1935 precedent that protected independent agency commissioners from politically motivated firings — and upheld Trump's removal of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. Justice Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the majority had given the president 'a power unknown even to the English Crown.'

Legal Politics Corruption

Supreme Court Tells Trump He Cannot Abolish Birthright Citizenship by Executive Order

In Trump v. Barbara, a cross-ideological 6-3 Supreme Court majority struck down Executive Order 14160 and upheld birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. Chief Justice Roberts, joined by all three liberal justices and Justice Barrett, ruled that children born in the United States are citizens regardless of their parents' immigration status — reaffirming a 128-year-old precedent Trump's team had tried to erase.

Politics Legal Civil Rights

Trump Strips Deportation Protection From 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, Calling a 36-Year-Old Refuge Program an 'Amnesty'

Temporary Protected Status ended on July 27, 2026 for more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, exposing people who fled earthquakes and civil war to deportation back to countries the State Department still warns Americans not to visit.

Politics Civil Rights International

Trump Administration Strips Asylum Seekers of Their Right to an Interview, Clearing a Faster Path to Deportation

A DHS interim final rule announced July 27, 2026 lets immigration officers send asylum applicants straight to court — where judges can dismiss their cases on paperwork alone — by removing the longstanding right to a non-adversarial interview with an asylum officer.

Politics Civil Rights Legal

Appeals Court Lets Trump's Mail-Ballot Takeover Stand for Now, as He Claims Power Over Elections the Constitution Gives to States

A D.C. Circuit panel declined on July 28, 2026 to block Trump's executive order asserting federal control over mail-in ballots, ruling only that a challenge was premature — leaving the fate of a sweeping, likely unconstitutional attempt to police voting rolls before the midterms in the hands of the Supreme Court.

Politics Legal Jan 6

Trump Weaponizes His Own Justice Department to Erase the $83 Million He Owes E. Jean Carroll

Trump and his Justice Department — now run by his former criminal defense lawyer — asked the Supreme Court to throw out the $83 million defamation verdict Carroll won, arguing that because Trump smeared her while president, he is immune and taxpayers should stand in for him as the defendant.

Legal Corruption Civil Rights

Federal Agents' Own Texts Confirm It: The Raid on Newsom's Rally Was a 'Political Stunt'

Court filings revealed Homeland Security agents' texts and sworn testimony describing the August 2025 immigration raid staged outside Gov. Gavin Newsom's Los Angeles press conference as 'purely political' — federal law enforcement openly deployed against a political opponent.

Politics Civil Rights Corruption

Trump Reignites the Iran War, Ordering a 'Heavy Wave' of Strikes and Promising Iran a 'Beating'

After Iran fired missiles at U.S. forces on July 28, Trump told Fox News that Iran was 'going to get a beating' and ordered a 'heavy wave' of strikes on dozens of Iranian military targets — reigniting a war he started in early 2026 and again waged with no new authorization from Congress.

International Politics Media

Appeals Court Halts Trump's $400 Million Ballroom: The President Is a 'Temporary Tenant, Not the Owner' of the White House

The D.C. Circuit ordered a stop to construction of Trump's $400 million ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing, ruling 2-1 that redesigning the White House is Congress's call — 'not a matter for Executive self-help.'

Legal Corruption Politics