The Trump Unpresidential Library

Details

Thomas Fugate was selected to head the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) despite a lack of government or security experience. He served one year as a "special assistant" in CP3. Before that, he worked on the Trump campaign and with the Heritage Foundation, the think tank responsible for Project 2025.

References

• Trump Appoints 22-Year-Old Ex-Gardener and Grocery Store Assistant to Lead U.S. Terror Prevention (thedailybeast.com)

Details

Trump stated Musk would recuse himself from any conflict of interest, but Musk never did. DOGE had unprecedented access to government data (which may have violated the Privacy Act of 1974), influence on government contracts, and oversight of agencies that were investigated Musk's companies.

DOGE aides who led massive layoffs at federal agencies were also reported to own stock that agency employees are prohibited from owning due to conflicts of interest.

References

• Duplicitous Oligarch Grifting Endlessly (citizen.org)
• Trump is enabling Musk and DOGE to flout conflicts of interest (epi.org)
• Impact: Senators Call on DOJ to Investigate Potential DOGE Conflicts of Interest After ProPublica Report (propublica.org)
• Elon Musk’s Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up (nytimes.com)

Details

The contracts were awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the development of mRNA vaccines. The new Health Secretary, RJK Jr, is an mRNA vaccine skeptic and previously suggested poultry farms should let the bird flu spread unchecked to study chicken immunity.

References

• Trump administration cancels $766 million Moderna contract to fight pandemic flu (apnews.com)
• US cancels more than $700 million funding for Moderna bird flu vaccine (reuters.com)

Details

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) allows the president to declare a national emergency in response to a threat to national security, foreign policy, or the US economy. It also grants the president a limited set of powers to address the emergency.

The US Court of International Trade found that the IEEPA did not give Trump unlimited power with tariffs and immediately blocked them.

References

• Court says Trump doesn't have the authority to set tariffs (axios.com)
• U.S. Code Chapter 35 - INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY ECONOMIC POWERS (cornell.edu)

Details

Trump fueled conspiracy theories about the storm to attack Biden during the presidential campaign, claiming Biden stole FEMA funds to bribe illegal immigrants to vote for them (undocumented immigrants cannot vote). Republican governors from Virginia and South Carolina thanked Biden for his rapid response to the crisis.

Since assuming office, Trump has been attempting to dismantle FEMA. Total damages were estimated to be around $60B.

References

• Trump’s FEMA Denies North Carolina’s Request for Hurricane Helene Aid (rollingstone.com)
• Trump’s Lies About the Hurricane Response Are Getting More Outrageous (rollingstone.com)
• Trump undermined Biden’s FEMA in North Carolina. Now the cleanup is lagging on his watch. (politico.com)

Details

In lawsuits against the federal government, the courts sometime issues injunctions or temporary restraining orders (TRO) that block or reverse the government's policy. If the government does not comply, courts may issue contempt citations. Courts typically require the party requesting an injunction or TRO to pay a "security" bond to cover damages in case the order is later overturned, but often waive them in public interest or constitutional cases. Dozens of injunctions and TROs have been issued against the Trump administration without a security.

The new GOP law requires a security "given when the injunction or order was issued" for courts to enforce a contempt citation. It creates a new loophole for Trump to ignore all pre-existing injunctions and TROs that were issued without a security.

The proposed measure was buried in the "Big Beautiful Bill" for the budget, which was over 1,000 pages long.

References

• A hidden measure in the Republican budget bill would crown Trump king (theguardian.com)

Details

Despite a "Fact Check" by the White House that "The Trump Administration will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits", the GOP's "Big Beautiful Bill" is estimated to cut $698 billion in Medicaid. It also reduces SNAP food assistance by $267 billion.

The bill extends corporate and individual cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthy, which is why the bill is estimated to add $3.8 trillion to the national debt.

Overall, the bill represents a 2% loss for poor families and a 4% gain for wealthy families.

Hypocritically opposite DOGE's aggressive attack on government spending, the bill will also increase federal spending and raise the debt ceiling.

References

• Congressional Budget Office: Preliminary Analysis of the Distributional Effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (cbo.gov)
• FACT CHECK: President Trump Will Always Protect Social Security, Medicare (whitehouse.gov)

Details

The Trump Administration revoked Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program, effectively preventing Harvard from accepting any international students onto its campus. The government is threatening Harvard to extort data on their international students, which Harvard worries would be a violation of the law.

The administration has repeatedly targeted the university, including pulling all federal research funding, citing a rise in antisemitism on campus.

The decision affects 27% of Harvard's student body. It punishes foreign students collectively, including Israeli students.

References

• Trump Administration Says It Is Halting Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students (nytimes.com)

Details

The government deported 7-12 men with only 12 hours notice. The government was under court order to not deport men to "third-party" countries without due process, with the Supreme Court also ruling that 24 hours notice was insufficient.

The government refused to provide details on the flight to the courts. The men were allegedly told they were going to South Sudan, even though a majority of the men appear to be from Southeast Asia.

References

• Trump’s Deportations to South Sudan Are More Twisted Than They Seem (newrepublic.com)
• Trump admin deportation flight to South Sudan violated court order, judge rules (politico.com)

Details

While campaigning, Trump repeatedly promised to end the Ukraine war "in one day". Four months into his presidency, Trump backed away from the talks saying that Russia and Ukraine would need to find a solution to the war themselves.

Trump had threatened Russia with sanctions if they failed to negotiate a ceasefire with Ukraine, but he has pivoted instead to normalizing trade with Russia even as other European nations impose sanctions.

References

• ‘Very dangerous’: Zelensky on Trump’s claim he could end Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours (cnn.com)
• Trump’s New Position on the War in Ukraine: Not My Problem (nytimes.com)

Details

Trump wanted to tweak the US budget bill because, "We don't want to benefit Democrat governors [...] We want to benefit Republicans."

Rating justification

Although Trump covered his bases saying, "we don't want to do any damage to a state... we want to help all the states," he can't do both. Democratic governors are benefited when their constituents are benefited - ensuring Dem governors are not benefited means penalizing their constitutents. It is a clear ethics violation to penalize US citizens based on the party affiliation of their governors.

References

• 'Trump says 'big bill' should only help GOP states: 'Don't want to benefit Dem governors' (rawstory.com)

Details

Has anyone noticed that, since I said "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT," she's no longer "HOT?"

References

• Trump's social media post (trumpstruth.org)

Details

The Emoluments Clause states that officials cannot accept gifts from foreign countries without express permission from Congress.

Trump is reportedly preparing to accept a $400 million plane from Qatar following production delays for a new Air Force One. The report alleges that one of the conditions of the gift is that the plane gets transferred to Trump's presidential library foundation, which will enable Trump to continue using the plane for his personal travel. The US Air Force will pay for modifying the plane to US military specifications via taxpayer funds.

Trump's Attorney General, Pam Bondi, sent a memo to the White House counsel stating the transfer was legal under US law. Bondi was previously a foreign lobbyist for Qatar, where she was paid $115,000 per month.

References

• Trump administration poised to accept 'palace in the sky' as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources (go.com)
• Former Qatar Lobbyist Pam Bondi Approves Jet Deal (readsludge.com)

Details

The proposed sale of federal lands in Utah and Nevada come as Trump and Republicans seek to replace money lost by $4.5 trillion in tax cuts

References

• Republicans to Pay for Trump Tax Cuts With Sales of Public Land (bloomberg.com)

Details

Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025. As the Vatican began the process to elect the new pope, Trump posted on social media an AI-generated image of himself as pope. The image was also posted by the White House account.

The New York State Catholic Conference condemned the image, saying “There is nothing clever or funny about this image. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”

Trump would claim he "had nothing to do with it" four days later, though it was unclear whether he was referring to the post or the generation of the AI image.

A few days before the image was posted, Trump stated "I'd like to be pope. That would be my No. 1 choice."

References

• Catholic outrage grows over 'Pope Trump' image on official White House media (ncronline.org)
• Trump Denies Posting Image of Himself as Pope, Laughing Off Critics (nytimes.com)

Details

Trump previously displayed a photo of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's hand tattoos - a marijuana leaf, a smiley face, a cross, and a skull - as evidence of his involvement with the gang MS-13. Text spelling out M-S-1-3 was added above the symbols.

When an interviewer for ABC News told Trump that the tattoos were interpreted as MS-13, Trump replied, "Terry, Terry, don't do that. It says M-S-one-three". When the interviewer pushed back that the text was photoshopped, Trump insulted him, "That was photoshopped? Terry, you can't do that. Hey, they're giving you the interview of a lifetime. I picked you because, frankly, I never heard of you but that's ok [...] He had MS-13 tattooed [...] He had M-S, as clear as you can be. Not interpreted. This is why people no longer believe the news, because it's fake news.

References

• President Trump the First 100 Days: The Interview in the Oval Office (abc.com)
• Experts cast doubt on Trump's claim that Abrego Garcia's finger tattoos prove MS-13 membership (cbsnews.com)

Details

Walczak failed to pay $10 million in employment taxes, Social Security, and Medicare for the doctors and nurses at his company. He instead used company funds to purchase a yacht and other personal expenses.

Walczak did not receive a pardon until three weeks after his mother attended a $1 million-per-plate dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

The pardon means Walczak will not need to pay $4.4 million in restitution and avoids an 18-month prison sentence.

References

• Trump Pardoned Tax Cheat After Mother Attended $1 Million Dinner (nytimes.com)

Details

The Trump administration demanded Harvard institute a number of reforms, including:

- A comprehensive mask ban, with no apparent exception for medical need

- Shutter all DEI programs, offices, initiatives, and policies "to the satisfaction of the federal government"

- Allow the government to audit their admissions process

- Screen for students "hostile to [] American values"

- Hire new faculty to meet viewpoint diversity

The $2.2B in research funding was already granted by Congress, and is unrelated to the issues above.

Harvard has produced the most Nobel laureates of any university. The freeze immediately threatened or upended research projects on cancer, infectious disease, and neurological disorders as well as military advancement and national security.

References

• Letter to Harvard (harvard.edu)
• Harvard v. US Department of Health and Human Services et al (harvard.edu)
• Can the President Do That? Understanding Trump’s threat to freeze Harvard’s funds. (dynamisllp.com)
• Harvard has an endowment of over $50 billion. So why do federal cuts of a few billion matter? (cnn.com)

Details

The comments came in the midst of the Trump administration claiming they could not facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia since El Salvador was a separate country and they had no authority to demand his return.

References

• 'Homegrowns are next': Trump hopes to deport and jail U.S. citizens abroad (npr.org)

Details

The Supreme Court unanimously determined that the government must "facilitate the return" of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Officials made no serious effort to do so, instead arguing that Garcia is a member of MS-13, that they could not compel El Salvador to return the man, and that the ruling said facilitate and not effectuate.

An ABC News interviewer challenged Trump, saying "You could get him back." Trump replied, "I could."

References

• KRISTI NOEM, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, ET AL., APPLICANTS v. KILMAR ARMANDO ABREGO GARCIA, ET AL. (supremecourt.gov)
• President Trump the First 100 Days: The Interview in the Oval Office (abc.com)

Details

Trump issued an executive order against Susman Godfrey that sought to eliminate contracts and security clearance for the law firm and bar employees from federal buildings and jobs.

The executive order claimed the firm has degraded the quality of American elections and engaged in discrimination. The election comment likely refers to firm's representation of Dominion Voting Systems in their lawsuits against Fox News and others for false claims of fraud in the 2020 election. In 2023, Fox News acknowledged they made false statements and settled for $787.5 million, which was the largest settlement for defamation in US history.

Rating justification

A similar executive order against Perkins Coie was found to be unconstitutional for violation of the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment.

References

• Fox News to Pay $787.5 Million to Settle Defamation Claims Brought by Susman Godfrey Client, Dominion Voting Systems (susmangodfrey.com)
• ADDRESSING RISKS FROM SUSMAN GODFREY (whitehouse.gov)

Details

Trump's tariffs included a 10% tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands, both uninhabited.

Russia and North Korea were not on the tariff list due to existing sanctions. However, even with the sanctions the US imports more from Russia than it does Ukraine. Russia is one of the US's largest trade deficits and would merit a 41% tariff according to the administration's formula. Meanwhile, the US actually runs a trade surplus against Ukraine.

References

• Russia Trade Summary (ustr.gov)
• Ukraine Trade Summary (ustr.gov)

Details

A tariff is a tax on imported goods. A trade deficit is when one country imports more than it exports.

When Trump announced sweeping tariffs against nearly all countries, the announement poster showed "Tariffs Charged to the U.S.A.". These number were not tariffs, they were the trade deficit. This made it appear as though other countries were heavily taxing American imports when many were not. It also falsely justified Trump's rhetoric around his new tariffs being "reciprocal tariffs".

References

• “Liberation Day” Tariffs Explained (csis.org)

Details

Trevor Milton was founder and CEO of an electric truck startup, Nikola. Milton lied about creating an electric truck, the technology used, and the purchase orders. When Milton claimed the prototype was "fully functional and works", it was missing basic car parts like gears or a motor. He was convicted of four counts of fraud for lying to the public to induce retail investors to buy Nikola stock.

Milton was represented by Brad Bondi, the brother of Trump's US Attorney General Pam Bondi. He also donated more than $1.8M to Trump's campaign after his conviction. Milton's full pardon also prevented shareholders from seeking $661 million in restitution.

References

• Trevor Milton Sentenced To Four Years In Prison For Securities Fraud Scheme (justice.gov)
• Convicted of bilking investors, Nikola founder and Trump donor gets a presidential pardon (apnews.com)

Details

Trump issued an executive order against WilmerHale that sought to eliminate contracts and security clearance for the law firm and bar employees from federal buildings and jobs.

The executive order cited WilmerHale's employment of Robert Mueller and colleagues, who lead the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. It also criticized WilmerHale for taking on clients for suits related to DEI, immigration, and voting. Finally, it accused WilmerHale of discriminatory hiring practices.

Rating justification

A similar executive order against Perkins Coie was found to be unconstitutional for violation of the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment.

References

• ADDRESSING RISKS FROM WILMERHALE (whitehouse.gov)

Details

Trump issued an executive order against Jenner & Block that sought to eliminate contracts and security clearance for the law firm and bar employees from federal buildings and jobs.

The executive order cites Jenner & Block's employment of Andrew Weissman, who was part of the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as their work on transgender rights, immigration, and DEI.

Rating justification

A similar executive order against Perkins Coie was found to be unconstitutional for violation of the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment.

References

• Why My Firm Is Standing Up for the Constitution (theatlantic.com)
• Addressing Risks from Jenner & Block (whitehouse.gov)

Details

Atlantic reporter Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a group chat on Signal that included JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and others. The chat discussed military operations against Houthis in Yemen, including the timing and equipment deployed. The use of Signal represented a national security concern and led to questions of whether Trump officials were properly preserving records.

When questioned by a reporter, Hegseth replied, "You're talking about a decietful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes [...] Nobody was texting war plans."

The Trump administration claimed this information was not classified. Trump did not admonish anyone in his administration, despite prevoiusly criticizing Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server, and instead attacked Goldberg as a "sleazebag".

References

• The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans (theatlantic.com)
• Trump on war plans group chat: ‘It’s just something that can happen’ (thehill.com)
• Sources say the details shared by Hegseth in Signal chat were classified as Atlantic publishes additional messages (cnn.com)

Details

Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport "all Venezuelan citizens [...] who are members of Tren de Aragua", a criminal organization.

The Alien Enemies Act stipulated: "Whenever there is a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation or government, [...] all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, [...] shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies."

The proclamation did not mention the better-known El Salvadorian gang MS-13. The Trump administration would later announce a deal to send those deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador.

Some of the claims made by the proclamation were later disputed by the National Intelligence Council.

Rating justification

Trump's abuse of the Alien Enemies Act gives him sweeping powers to deport immigrants not otherwise available to him.

References

• Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua (whitehouse.gov)
• The Alien Enemies Act (house.gov)
• An Intelligence Memo Casts Further Doubt on Trump's Nonsensical Definition of 'Alien Enemies' (reason.com)

Details

Prior to any deportation planes taking off, Judge Boasberg (chief judge of the United States District Court for DC) ordered that 5 men who initiated a lawsuit not be deported. He scheduled another hearing that evening to discuss the planes themselves.

During a break in the hearing, as a Trump official was meant to check on the status of the flights, the Trump administration put 2 planes in the air.

Judge Boasberg ordered that all planes stay grounded or return to the US. Both planes in the air continued to El Salvador, and a third plane left for El Salvador.

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, posted on social media, "Oopsie... too late 😂".

References

• Hour by Hour: How Trump Deported Migrants Despite Judge’s Order (nytimes.com)

Details

The Supreme Court's unanimous opinion for Mathews v. Diaz (1976) emphasized, "There are literally millions of aliens within the jurisdiction of the United States. The Fifth Amendment, as well as the Fourteenth Amendment, protects every one of these persons from deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Even one whose presence in this country is unlawful, involuntary, or transitory is entitled to that constitutional protection.

The majority of migrants deported by Trump had no criminal record. Most were from Venezuela and are now incarcerated in a foreign country where they committed no crime.

The Trump administration has even refused to name the deportees, preventing lawyers from representing them in trials that continue in the US.

References

• Mathews v. Diaz, 426 U.S. 67 (1976) (justia.com)
• Trump’s Deportees to El Salvador Are Now “Ghosts” in U.S. Courts (newyorker.com)

Details

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was born in El Salvador and entered the US illegally. He was arrested for loitering outside a Home Depot and accused of being a member of MS-13 by a confidential informant. Garcia requested asylum and was granted a "witholding of removal" order that prevented the US government from deporting him to El Salvador.

The order was still in effect when Garcia was arrested by ICE agents on March 12, 2025. He was moved from Maryland to Texas and then deported to El Salvador.

The government later admitted that the deportation of Garcia was an "administrative error", but also commented that US courts lack the jurisdiction to order his return.

References

• What we know about Kilmar Abrego Garcia and MS-13 allegations (bbc.com)
• An ‘Administrative Error’ Sends a Maryland Father to a Salvadoran Prison (theatlantic.com)

Details

Trump issued an executive order against Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (Paul Weiss) that sought to eliminate contracts and security clearance for the law firm and bar employees from federal buildings and jobs.

The executive order cites a Paul Weiss partner's suit against individuals involved in January 6th, the firm's employment an Mark Pomerantz who investigated The Trump Organization for fraud, and discrimination.

The executive order was revoked after Paul Weiss agreed to $40 million in pro bono legal services to causes aligned with the Trump administration, issued a statement of wrongdoing against Pomerantz, and ending DEI initiatives.

Pomerantz released a statement, “I engaged in no wrongdoing by working as a prosecutor to uphold the rule of law."

Rating justification

A similar executive order against Perkins Coie was found to be unconstitutional for violation of the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment.

References

• Trump withdraws order targeting Paul Weiss, says law firm promised free legal work (reuters.com)
• ADDRESSING RISKS FROM PAUL WEISS (whitehouse.gov)

Details

The banned words is not a formal list, but rather department's trying to avoid running afoul of Trump's numerous executive orders. A selection of words (as of April 28, 2025):

- Sex and gender: bisexual, female, gay, gender, lesbian, orientation, prnouns, queer, sex, sexuality, they/them, transgender, women

- Race: BIPOC, Black, hate speech, hispanic, indigenous, minorities, Native American, race, racism

- Science and health: abortion, alternative energy, autism, carbon footprint, carbon sequestration, clean energy, clean water, climate change, climate models, climate science, Covid-19, global warming, measles, mental health, nuclear energy, obesity, peanut allergies, pollution, runoff, steam cell research, vaccines, water pollution, wind power

- DEI: accessible, advocacy, affordable housing, DEI, disability, inequality, low-income housing, underrepresented

- Common words: belong, bias, community, diverse, Gulf of Mexico, marijuana, trauma, victim

References

• Federal Government’s Growing Banned Words List Is Chilling Act of Censorship (pen.org)

Details

Trump issued an executive order against Perkins Coie that sought to eliminate contracts and security clearance for the law firm and bar employees from federal buildings and jobs.

In 2016, Perkins Coie performed work for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Perkins Coie hired Fusion GPS to do opposition research on Donald Trump, who in turn hired Christopher Steele. Steele wrote a dossier alleging collaboration between the Trump campaign and Russia to interfere with the 2016 election and leaked details to news outlets a week before the election.

A judge would later rule that the executive order violated the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment to the Constitution.

References

• Judge rules Trump executive order targeting law firm Perkins Coie is unconstitutional (cbsnews.com)
• The ‘dossier’ and the uranium deal: A guide to the latest allegations (washingtonpost.com)
• Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP (whitehouse.gov)

Details

A leaked memo revealed the Trump administration aims to reduce the VA by 17%. DOGE laid off over 1,000 VA employees in February, and over 14,000 applied for the adminstration's buyout and early retirement options. This includes more than 1,700 nurses and 200 physicians. A wave of resignations at the Danville VA Medical Center already led to the closure of their acute care unit.

References

• Memorandum: Department of Veterans Affairs Agency Reduction in Force (RIF) and Reorganization Plan (ARRP) (afge.org)
• Disarray at Department of Veterans Affairs imperils patient care, internal documents reveal (theguardian.com)
• VA says its job cuts will limit doctor, nurse resignations (npr.org)
• Trump Administration Pursues Deep DOGE-Driven Cuts to Veteran Service Providers (cbpp.org)

Details

The video includes Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoying drinks poolside as well as a giant golden statue of Trump.

Details

DOGE laid off thousands at the IRS as part of their efforts to reduce "waste, fraud, and abuse" in the US government. But the IRS itself *finds* waste, fraud, and abuse and *collects* money for the government. For every dollar spent by the IRS, it is estimated to return $5 to $12.

The layoffs came at peak tax season and included nearly 50% of the Large Business and International division, the IRS's most profitable division, which audits high-net-worth individuals and companies like pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and tech.

References

• How DOGE’s Cuts to the IRS Threaten to Cost More Than DOGE Will Ever Save (propublica.org)

Details

Musk erroneously claimed that $50 million in condoms were sent to Gaza in the Middle East. He later admitted this was incorrect while standing next to Trump, stating, "some of the things I say will be incorrect and should be corrected."

One week later, Trump would embellish the already-disproven story and claim that $100 million in condoms were being to Hamas and used in makeshift bombs.

References

• Musk walks back administration’s claim about $50 million condom allotment for Gaza (timesofisrael.com)
• ‘Does everyone know what a condom is?’ Trump asks baffled audience as he repeats contraception aid lie (independent.co.uk)

Details

The social media post also claimed Zelenskyy refused to have elections and was "very low in Ukranian polls". Later that day, Trump claimed Zelenskyy's approval rating was just 4%.

The Ukrainian Constitution forbids holding elections during martial law, which has been in effect since the Russian invasion started. Even Zelenskyy's main political opponents stated that the war must end before an election could be held.

No poll placed Zelenskyy's approval rating at 4%. Though it dropped since the early days of the invasion, his approval has remained above 50%.

References

• Truth Social post (trumpstruth.org)
• Ukrainians are proudly democratic but resoundingly reject wartime elections (atlanticcouncil.org)
• Fact Check: Zelenskiy's latest approval rating is 63%, not 4%, contrary to Trump's claim (reuters.com)

Details

ASMR videos are meant to evoke a pleasant, euphoric feeling often through sound. The video shows individuals being handcuffed and boarding a plane with their legs chained together.

References

• White House posts video of immigrants in shackles, calls deportation footage ‘ASMR’ (cnbc.com)

References

• A deeper look at the talks between US and Russian officials as Trump suggests Ukraine is to blame (apnews.com)

Details

The layoffs were part of DOGE cost-cutting recommendations even though the US was in an active outbreak driving up egg and poultry prices. The USDA quickly sought to reverse the firings.

References

• The USDA fired staffers working on bird flu. Now it's trying to reverse course (npr.org)
• Trump administration firings hit key office handling bird flu response (politico.com)

Details

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) maintains the safety and preparedness of the US nuclear arsenal. New hires require a high level of security clearance, and trianing can take 18 months of longer.

The layoffs were part of a massive campaign by DOGE targeting probationary employees, which included individuals recently promoted to transferred. Supervisors were given 2 hours to appeal using only 2-3 sentences, but were promptly told all employees would be fired anyways.

After the government realized its mistake, it was unable to reach a number of employees and had to ask employees remaining at the NNSA to help contact those let go. It is unclear how many returned.

References

• How DOGE detonated a crisis at a highly sensitive nuclear weapons agency (washingtonpost.com)
• Dismissed nuclear bomb specialists recalled by Energy Department (fortune.com)
• Trump officials fired nuclear staff not realizing they oversee the country’s weapons stockpile, sources say (cnn.com)
• Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can’t figure out how to reach them (nbcnews.com)

Details

Probationary employees are both recent hires, individuals who transferred, and individuals who were promoted. The loss of recently promoted employees means some of the governments best and rising federal workers were lost.

The layoffs targeted probationary employees because they lack legal protections like prior notice, severance, or right to appeal.

Many fired employees had stellar performance reviews. The mass firing for "poor performance" may impact their ability to find another job in the federal government.

References

• Thousands of probationary employees fired as Trump administration directs agencies to carry out widespread layoffs (cnn.com)
• Trump's spending cuts target probationary workers. What does the status mean? (npr.org)
• US court won't lift judge's block on Trump's government overhaul (reuters.com)
• Trump administration fires thousands for ‘performance’ without evidence, in messy rush (washingtonpost.com)

Details

Social Security automatically halts payments to anyone over the age of 115 and a 2023 report acknowledged that most people over 100 in the database were not receiving benefits, but noted it would be too costly to correct the database.

Inexperienced DOGE staffers seemingly failed to address their concerns with Social Security employees, leading DOGE staffers Musk to repeatedly claim DOGE had uncovered massive fraud.

References

• Trump, Musk Exaggerate Scale of Improper Social Security Payments to the Dead (factcheck.org)
• No, 150-Year-Olds Aren’t Collecting Social Security Benefits (wired.com)
• Former head of Social Security says Elon Musk and DOGE are wrong about the agency (npr.org)
• Office of the Inspector General Audit Report: Numberholders Age 100 or Older Who Did Not Have Death Information on the Numident (perma.cc)

Details

The bill also authorizes Trump to enter into negotiations with Denmark to "purchase or otherwise acquire Greenland"

References

• Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025 (congress.gov)

Details

Marko Elez made several racist tweets, including:

- Jul 2024: "Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool."

- Sept 2024: "Normalize Indian hate"

- Sept 2024: "You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity"

- Dec 2024: "I just want a eugenic immigration policy, is that too much to ask."

JD Vance called for his reinstatement, and Trump wouuld later state, "I'm with the vice president."

Elez never apologized for his statements.

References

• Member of Elon Musk's DOGE team resigns after racist posts resurface (npr.org)
• Musk reinstates DOGE staffer who resigned over racist posts after JD Vance leads outcry (usatoday.com)

Details

Literature for the diversity program read, "In building strong teams, embracing diversity and inclusion are key elements for success."

References

• They trained on diversity under Trump. Now he’s punishing them for it. (washingtonpost.com)

Details

Trump's issued an executive order obstensibly to preserve single-sex spaces and activities designed for women. It declares that the United States will only recognize two sexes, male and female. It listed a female as "a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell" (ie XX), and a male as "a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the small reproductive cell" (ie XY).

A number of people are left out from this EO. Individuals with chromosomal (DNA) anomalies do not fall into either category, such as Turner syndrome (X) and Klinefelter syndrome (XXY). Other factors cause individuals to outwardly develop as the opposite sex, such as Swyer syndrome and de la Chapelle syndrome.

Additionally, the EO condemned gender ideology for maintaining that it is possible for a person to be born in the wrong sexed body and pulled all grants related to gender ideology.

Rating justification

Regardless of the conversation around single-sex spaces, the order makes biologically inaccurate assertions, denies the existence of transgender people, discriminates against a protected class, and interferes with funds allocated by Congress.

References

• DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT (whitehouse.gov)
• Trump’s ‘Biological Truth’ Executive Order is Not Based in Biology or Truth (time.com)
• Judge blocks Trump’s orders to curb youth gender transition care (washingtonpost.com)

Details

The Fourteenth Amendment starts "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.". Records of debate on the Fourteenth Amendment showed that Congress interpreted the amendment to extend citizenship to everyone born in the US excluding children of ambassadors and Native Americans.

Trump's executive order denies citizenship to those granted citizenship through the Fourteenth Amendment by rejecting:

1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth

2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States at the time of said person’s birth was lawful but temporary (such as, but not limited to, visiting the United States under the auspices of the Visa Waiver Program or visiting on a student, work, or tourist visa) and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.

It is unclear why there is a difference in gender in the application of this executive order.

Rating justification

The Fourteenth Amendment can only be amended or repealed by an Act of Congress.

References

• Fourteenth Amendment (congress.gov)
• Q&A: Birthright Citizenship (immigrationforum.org)
• PROTECTING THE MEANING AND VALUE OF AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP (whitehouse.gov)

Details

DOGE replaced the US Digital Service, which was meant to advise federal agencies on tech.

Although DOGE was not granted any formal unconstitutional power, DOGE holds unprecented authority over other agencies and has directed the dismantling of agencies, the layoffs of federal employees, and the termination of federal funds.

Even as an advisory group, DOGE likely violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires that "the advisory committee have a fair balance in viewpoints represented, that they do not meet in secret, and that their records and work product be made available for public inspection."

References

• Establishing and Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" (wikisource.org)
• Is DOGE unconstitutional? Let’s dive in… (pacificlegal.org)
• Watchdog group sues for DOGE records, arguing they should be made available to public (cbsnews.com)

Details

Former President Jimmy Carter died on December 29, 2024. According to US Flag Code 4 U.S. Code § 7(m): "The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President". This was enforced by Biden's Proclamation 10876.

Trump overrode the Flag Code with his Proclamation to ensure flags would flown at full staff for his inauguration (and all future inaugurations).

References

• FLYING THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES AT FULL-STAFF ON INAUGURATION DAY (whitehouse.gov)

Details

Trump's full, complete, and unconditional pardons included organizers of Jan 6th and those convicted of attacking police officers. Crimes pardoned included choking of an officer, stomping on officers' heads, spraying officers with pepper spray, using a stun gun on an officer, and hitting officers with flagpoles, chairs, and fire extinguishers.

Officer Brian Sicknick (42 years old) was pepper sprayed, collapsed, and died of a stroke the following day. Four officers who responded on Jan 6 committed suicide in the following days and months. Officer Jeffrey Smith's suicide was ruled as "in the line of duty".

References

• GRANTING PARDONS AND COMMUTATION OF SENTENCES FOR CERTAIN OFFENSES RELATING TO THE EVENTS AT OR NEAR THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6, 2021 (whitehouse.gov)
• The Jan. 6 attack: The cases behind the biggest criminal investigation in U.S. history (npr.org)
• DOJ finds police officer’s suicide after Jan. 6 attack was a death in the line of duty (nbcnews.com)

Details

Special government employees are meant to advise or consult, but Musk exercised power as head of DOGE.

References

• Trump hired Musk as a 'special government employee.' Here's what that means (npr.org)
• Trump praises Musk's DOGE cuts in address to Congress (axios.com)

Details

Before 1883, the incoming party would fire government workers of any opposing political party and award their position to party loyalists. The Pendleton Act made this practice illegal and instead required merit-based hiring, which has obvious long-term benefits from a stable and functioning government.

Trump's executive order exploited a loophole to eliminate employment protections for any civil servants deemed by the administration to be in a role "of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making or policy-advocating character", allowing them to be easily fired and replaced by Trump loyalists.

Rating justification

There is a reasonable case to be made for ensuring government employees act in accordance with the President's directives. However, this Executive Order appears to skirt both the Pendleton Act and Administrative Procedure Act, and is likely to result in a spoils system of government.

References

• Trump's revenge (axios.com)
• RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY TO POLICY-INFLUENCING POSITIONS WITHIN THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE (whitehouse.gov)

Details

Rather than overhauling the security clearance process or prioritizing individuals, Trump issued a memorandum allows him to bypass protocols altogether and grant six months of TS/SCI (the highest level of security clearance) to any personnel without proper vetting.

Rating justification

Trump's executive order is a major threat to national security.

References

• Memorandum to Resolve the Backlog of Security Clearances for Executive Office of the President Personnel (whitehouse.gov)

Details

The World Health Organization helps coordinate response to global health threats and assists poorer countries. The US did account for 15% of the WHO's budget, more than most countries but less per capita than Germany. The US will lose access to WHO datasets and a leading role in health diplomacy, while vital resources may be lost to other communities.

References

• Trump declares U.S. will withdraw from the World Health Organization (npr.org)
• Who funds the World Health Organization? A list of its biggest donors (apnews.com)
• WITHDRAWING THE UNITED STATES FROM THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (whitehouse.gov)

Details

Days before becoming president, Trump announced on social media that he had launched a cryptocurrency, $TRUMP. Cryptocurrencies are anonymous and unregulated, so any big business or foreign government can use the coin to "donate" to Trump. By mid-February, Trump's companies owned nearly $3B in $TRUMP and generated an additional $100M in trading fees.

References

• Trump promotes new meme coin before taking office on pro-crypto agenda (apnews.com)
• Thousands of investors in Trump’s memecoin lost $2 billion in just weeks while the family and its partners racked up $100 million in trading fees (fortune.com)

Details

Escalating his prior comments about "Governor Trudeau", Trump claimed without evidence that "many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state".

References

• Trump: Making Canada the 51st state is a ‘great idea’ (politico.eu)

Details

Shortly after discussions about tariffs and trade, Trump insulted Canada and its Prime Minister by referring to the "Great State of Canada" and "Governor Trudeau"

References

• Trump takes jab at 'governor' Trudeau (bbc.com)

Details

RFK Jr has no prior education or formal experience in public health. His notoriety in the public health field stems from promoting numerous conspiracy theories.

RFK Jr has claimed vaccines cause autism and that vaccination is a "holocaust" against children. He cited a study in frogs to claim that a pesticide caused gender dysmorphia. He believes the clouds that form behind airplanes are chemicals being sprayed on the public, and has suggest Lyme disease was a bioweapon developed in Connecticut despite existing for hundreds of years. He also posited that COVID-19 was ethnically targeted to spare Chinese people and Ashkenazi Jews and attack white and black people.

The spread of the antivax movement has caused the resurgence of diseases like measles and resulted in deaths.

RFK Jr announced he was running for president in 2023. He was highly critical of Trump, stating in May 2023 that "UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will I join Donald Trump on an electoral ticket," and in July 2024 a “terrible human being. The worse president ever and barely human. He is probably a sociopath.” Once it became clear he was not going to win, RFK Jr reportedly attempted to trade his endorsement for a cabinet position. Harris did not take the meeting.

Prior to his confirmation, Kennedy admitted to dumping the carcass of bear pup in Central Park and claimed his neurological issues stemmed from a worm that ate part of his brain.

References

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign of conspiracy theories: PolitiFact’s 2023 Lie of the Year (politifact.com)
• RFK Jr. Endorses Trump After Calling Him ‘Sociopath’ — His Reversal, Explained (forbes.com)
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to meet with Kamala Harris to discuss Cabinet job (washingtonpost.com)
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/13/rfk-jr-campaign-presidential-bid

Details

Trump was delivering a speech in Palmer's hometown when he told the audience, "when [Palmer] took showers with the other pros, they came out of there — they said ‘oh my god, that’s unbelievable."

References

• Donald Trump Warmly Discusses Arnold Palmer’s Penis Size: ‘They Said, Oh My God, That’s Unbelievable (yahoo.com)

Details

Trump claimed "they have abortion in the ninth month" and that Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz "says abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine. He also says execution after birth, it's execution, no longer abortion, because the baby is born, is okay."

Third trimester abortions are incredibly rare and never elective. They are reserved only for cases of severe fetal conditions that are incompatible life and/or serious risk to the life of the mother. There is no such thing as abortion after birth.

References

• Trump made false claims about 'late-term abortion' during the debate, experts say (nbcnews.com)

Details

Since Trump started campaigning in 2015, he repeatedly called Obamacare a "total failure" and promised to "replace Obamacare with something terrific". He made numerous attempts to weaken Obamacare while in office without a federally-backed plan to replace it.

During the 2024 Presidential debate with Kamala Harris, Trump admitted he only had "concepts of a plan."

References

• Trump Tells Congress to Repeal and Replace Health Care Law ‘Very Quickly’ (nytimes.com)
• Trump’s Alternative for Obamacare Is Now Just ‘Concepts of a Plan’ (nytimes.com)

Details

During a nationally televised presidential debate, Trump repeated rumors that Haitian immigrants were eating the pets of residents in Springfield, Ohio. The original author backtracked on their claim, while Trump and Vance never rescinded their statements. The negative attention led to several bomb threats on the city.

In reference to the stories, Vance stated, "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do."

References

• Origin of Trump and JD Vance’s lies about Haitian immigrants eating pets revealed (independent.co.uk)
• READ: Harris-Trump presidential debate transcript (go.com)
• JD Vance defends baseless rumor about Haitian immigrants eating pets (cnn.com)

Details

The comments were made at the National Association of Black Journalists conference. Harris is of Jamaican and Indian descent, but Trump falsely alleged Harris only promoted her Indian heritage.

He added, "So I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black? But you know what, I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she went - she became a Black person."

The following day, he posted a photo of Harris in wearing a sari with the caption: “Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated.”

References

• 'Is she Indian or Black?' Trump questions Harris' identity at Black journalists' convention (reuters.com)
• Fact Check: Kamala Harris has long identified as Black, contrary to Trump claim (reuters.com)
• Trump Escalates Race Attacks on Harris, Worrying Some Republicans (nytimes.com)

Details

One month before the 2016 election, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels so she would deny having an affair with Trump in 2006 (Trump married Melania in 2005). Trump reimbursed Cohen for the hush money.

Trump falsified business records to hide the payments and committed fraud by labeling them as "legal expenses" for the Trump Organization. Because the payments were made in order to protect Trump's 2016 presidential election, they violated campaign finance laws and became to felonies.

References

• People v Donald J. Trump (nycourts.gov)
• Trump is found guilty on 34 felony counts. Read the counts here (npr.org)

Details

Trump promoted the God Bless the USA Bible after they entered into a paid licensing agreement to use his name. A Trump-signed copy was listed at $1,000. Over 100,000 copies were printed in China for $3 each.

Religious figures called it an overpriced money grab and criticized tying an ancient religious text to American politics. The Bible includes text from the US Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Pledge of Allegiance.

References

• Trump is selling ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles for $59.99 as he faces mounting legal bills (apnews.com)
• Trump has long blasted China’s trade practices. His ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles were printed there (apnews.com)

Details

Trump and the Trump Organization submitted false financial statements to secure better loan terms and lower taxes. Some of the falsified information includes:

- Valued a plot of land at $161 million when it was worth $5.5 million (SFC)

- Valued a golf course as though 2,500 homes had already been built at £83,164. No homes had been built, the government only permitted 500, and they were appraised at £33,296.

- Tripled the square footage of Trump's apartment

- Overvalued apartments at Trump Park Avenue by 700%

- Valued a development at $101 million despite a $45 million appraisal, and kept the higher valuation despite the number of units reduced from 71 to 31

- Continued to value Mar-a-Lago as a single-family residence, despite having signed away that right in exchange for lower taxes

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified Trump would arbitrarily decide on his net worth and indirectly task Cohen and other to reverse engineer finances to achieve that number.

Trump and his companies were ordered to return $354.8 million in ill-gotten gains, with interest of an extra $100 million.

References

• Summary Judgment (ny.gov)

Details

The bill was a compromise package after months of negotiation. The Democrats sought foreign aid to Ukraine, while the Republicans requested the border protections . After Trump came out against the bill, Republicans abandoned it.

References

• Failure of border bill creates a political opening for Biden (cnn.com)

Details

E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a department store in 1995/1996. Her allegations were published by New York magazine in 2019 alongside statements from two friends whom she confided in shortly afterwards. Trump released an official statement that he never met Carroll and the accusations were for financial gain or politically motivated.

The January 26, 2024 decision was in response to the first lawsuit brought by Carroll. A second lawsuit for battery and defamation was filed in October 2022 and the trial concluded in May 2023, which found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse.

The jury unanimously found that Trump was guilty of defamation and awarded Carroll $83.3 million.

References

• Hideous Men (thecut.com)

Details

During New York v Trump, Trump posted the name, photograph, and social media account of the judge's law clerk on two separate websites. The judge imposed a gag order and ordered it taken down, but Trump only removed it from one website. Trump was fined for violating the gag order.

Trump then told reporters, "This judge is a very partisan judge, with a person who's very partisan sitting alongside of him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is," resulting in a second gag order violation.

Trump also made comments against the judge's wife as well as a social media post that linked to a story containing Attorney General Letitia James's home address.

Trump's attacks on the clerk led to "hundreds of threatening and harassing voicemail messages", with the clerk stating they receive 20-30 calls a day and 30-50 messages via social media, LinkedIn, and email

References

• Trump immediately attacks judge’s wife after gag order reinstated in fraud trial (independent.co.uk)
• Trump's Courtroom Attacks Allegedly Led To Deluge Of Hate-Filled Threats (huffpost.com)

Details

After an election in the United States, each state sends a delegation of "electors" that cast the state's official votes for president. The Vice President presides over the count.

The indictment alleged that after the 2020 election, Trump and his co-conspirators:

1) Lied about voter irregularities to pressure state officials to change their vote count and/or electors, even though they knew their statements were false

2) Organized fake electors in seven states, who sent fake certificates to the Vice President

3) Pressured Mike Pence to accept the fake electors

4) Urged a mob to disrupt the electoral vote count and delay vote certification

After Trump was elected for his second term, the case was dismissed (with prejudice, meaning it can be refiled in the future), because the Department of Justice has a policy that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted while in office.

A report by the special counsel stated "the Office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial."

References

• United States of America v. Donald J. Trump (justice.gov)
• FINAL REPORT ON THE SPECIAL COUNSEL'S INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS (justice.gov)

Details

All presidential documents must be returned by the end of their term to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

NARA first learned Trump kept documents at Mar-a-Lago in May 2021 and began repeatedly demanding their return. Trump returned 15 boxes in January 2022 and certified all documents were returned in June 2022. The FBI discovered this was not true and conducted a search of Mar-a-Lago, finding dozens of boxes with 102 documents carrying classified markings.

The documents "included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack." Some documents were marked "SECRET", "TOP SECRET", or "CONFIDENTIAL". They were stored in "a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room."

In a recorded meeting at Mar-a-Lago in July 2021, Trump showed a plan of attack to individuals without security clearance, stating the plans were highly confidential and, "as president, I could have declassified it. Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret."

A Trump-appointed judge dismissed the case on July 15, 2024 after finding the appointment of the special counsel who investigated Trump to be unconstitutional.

References

• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DONALD J. TRUMP, WALTINE NAUTA, and CARLOS DE OLIVEIRA (justice.gov)
• Judge dismisses Trump documents case over special counsel appointment (npr.org)

Details

E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a department store in 1995/1996. Her allegations were published by New York magazine in 2019 alongside statements from two friends whom she confided in shortly afterwards.

The May 9, 2023 decision was in response to the second lawsuit brought by Carroll. After Carroll's first lawsuit in 2019, Trump continued to deny knowing Carroll and accuse her of fabricating the story in a social media post in October 2022. Carroll responded with a second lawsuit for defamation and sexual abuse.

The jury unanimously found that Trump was guilty of sexual abuse, but not rape. The jury also found Trump defamed Carroll with false statements. She was awarded $5 million in damages.

References

• Hideous Men (thecut.com)

Details

The NFTs were sold at $99 each and depict Trump in different costumes such as a superhero, astronaut, and Nascar driver.

References

• Former US President Donald Trump sells out NFT trading cards (bbc.com)

Details

Trump finished his speech at 1:10pm and did not address the rioters until 4:17pm. In a video, he repeated claims of election fraud but that "We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You're very special. In the 187 minutes between these events, the following occurred:"

- Rioters broke windows and doors to enter the Capitol

- Pipe bombs were discovered and dismantle outside DNC and RNC headquarter

- Vice President Mike Pence was hidden by the Secret Service

- The House and Senate were locked down

- Trump tweeted that Mike Pence "didn't have the courage to do what should have been to protect our Country and our Constitution"

- Trump tweeted "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!" and "I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue"

- The Senate Chamber was breached by rioters

- Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed by Capitol Police climbing through a window near the House Chambers

- Capitol police are pepper sprayed, tazed, and beaten

- Rioters broke into the offices of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

No official records were kept regarding the President's phone calls or his activities in the Presidential Daily Diary. He did not make any calls to law enforcement. Immediately after a curfew was imposed, Trump tweeted, "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"

Rating justification

Trump's inaction was one of many attempts to change the outcome of the 2020 election. He waited to see if his supporters could delay the election certification, an unconstitutional action.

References

• (Wikipedia) Timeline of the January 6 United States Capitol attack (wikipedia.org)
• Final Report of the Select Committee (npr.org)

Details

Trump riled up his supporters with false claims of election fraud. He then directed them to march over the Capitol "peacefully and patriotically", while at the same time telling them this was "a matter of national security" and "if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore". Some other quotes from his speech:

- All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats, which is what they're doing.

- We will never give up, we will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved.

- We will not let them silence your voices. We're not going to let it happen, I'm not going to let it happen. (Audience chants: "Fight for Trump.") Thank you. And I'd love to have if those tens of thousands of people would be allowed. The military, the secret service.

- But we look at the facts and our election was so corrupt that in the history of this country we've never seen anything like it.

- No third-world countries would even attempt to do what we caught them doing.

Rating justification

Trump's speech was one of many attempts to change the outcome of the 2020 election. He directed his supporters to fight against the election certification, an unconstitutional action.

References

• Read Trump's Jan. 6 Speech, A Key Part Of Impeachment Trial (npr.org)

Details

Goya's CEO had praised Trump, leading to calls for a boycott.

References

• https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-president-is-shilling-beans

Details

The event took place during the George Floyd protests in DC as a show of strength following Trump being moved to an underground bunker in the White House.

Relocating the protestors was already planned, but accelerated and aggrevated by law enforcement and Trump's sudden visit. The rector of the church stated the protesters were peaceful.

Trump spent 5 minutes on church grounds to pose for photographs and left. He did not enter the church.

Rating justification

Violation of the right to assemble

References

• How Trump’s Idea for a Photo Op Led to Havoc in a Park (nytimes.com)

Details

Less than a month before the 2020 election, the New York Post published a story that Hunter Biden's laptop was abandoned at a computer repair shop in Delaware and they received copies of his hard drive. Five days later, a group of 51 former intelligence officials issued a public statement cautioning that the story had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation". Although the statement explicitly stated "We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails [...] are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement", it was quickly republished and more widely distributed on Politico with the sensationalized headline "Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say".

Trump's Executive Order targeted these former officials for advocating for caution, punishing them for the Politico headline rather than the content of their own words.

References

• Smoking-gun email reveals how Hunter Biden introduced Ukrainian businessman to VP dad (nypost.com)
• Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails (politico.com)
• Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say (politico.com)
• HOLDING FORMER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND IMPROPER DISCLOSURE OF SENSITIVE GOVERNMENTAL INFORMATION (whitehouse.gov)

Details

After weather forecasts had already indicated Hurricane Dorian would not reach Alabama, Trump tweeted "[...] South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, will most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated". He maintained his correctness despite statements by national weather servies and the alarm this caused to Alabama residents.

Trump displayed the original forecast map several days later, with the trajectory altered by marker to show the hurricane hitting Alabama.

The Trump administration subsequently coerced individuals at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support Trump's narrative around the hurricane's path.

References

• Trump Insists His Hurricane Warning Was Right Even After NWS Corrected Him (huffpost.com)
• NOAA watchdog chides agency for how it handled Hurricane Dorian's ‘Sharpiegate' (science.org)

Details

Trump wanted to advance two conspiracy theories that would help shape the 2020 election, one targeting Joe Biden and another shifting the blame for 2016 election interference from Russia (helping Trump) to Ukraine (helping Clinton). Trump asked the new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to open investigations into the theories on a phone call July 25. The funds were frozen later that day.

After a whistleblower complaint, Trump released the funds. Zelenskyy subsequently canceled an interview where he was reportedly to announce an investigation into the Bidens.

Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Senate Republicans subsequently voted to acquit Trump.

References

• Read Trump’s phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky (cnn.com)
• Ukraine’s Zelensky Bowed to Trump’s Demands, Until Luck Spared Him (nytimes.com)
• Trump impeachment: The short, medium and long story (bbc.com)

Details

Trump's social media posts attacked "'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen", referring to the Progressive coalition called the Squad. The Squad consisted of Bronx-born Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Puerto Rican heritage), Cincinatti-born Ayanna Pressley (Black heritage), Detroit-born Rashida Talib (Palestinian heritage), and Somali-born Ilhan Omar.

References

• Congresswomen Denounce Trump Tweets Telling Them To 'Go Back' To Their Home Countries (npr.org)
• 'Go Back Where You Came From': The Long Rhetorical Roots Of Trump's Racist Tweets (npr.org)

Details

The comments were later condemned by Trump's own White House chief of staff John Kelly.

References

• Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’ (theatlantic.com)
• Exclusive: John Kelly goes on the record to confirm several disturbing stories about Trump (cnn.com)

Details

It was also reported that Trump said of lowering the flags to half-staff, "What the fuck are we doing that for? Guy was a fucking loser." Trump previously declared that McCain was not a war hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War.

References

• Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’ (theatlantic.com)

Details

The decision left the US without a dedicated team to respond to pandemics and was sharply criticized. COVID-19 would hit the US less than two years later.

References

• Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly (washingtonpost.com)

Details

The comment came as Trump rejected a bipartisan plan for immigration from Africa as well as countries recently affected by natural disaster (Haiti, El Salvador, and Guatemala).

References

• Trump: Why allow immigrants from ‘shithole countries’? (apnews.com)

Details

Trump has made numerous statements about a "Muslim problem" and called for increased surveillance of Muslims in America, including a Muslim database. He also invented and spread a false story of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating the 9/11 attacks.

Trump and his administration readily referred to the Executive Order as a Muslim travel ban, which targeted Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen. It was blocked by the courts.

The Trump administration eventually tweaked the ban into Proclamation 9645, which added non-Muslim countries and adjusted the ban process. The Supreme Court narrowly upheld the proclamation.

References

• Supreme Court upholds travel ban (cnn.com)
• Brody File Exclusive: Donald Trump Says Something in Koran Teaches a 'Very Negative Vibe' (cbn.com)
• Trump claims thousands in Jersey City cheered 9/11 terrorist attacks (cbsnews.com)
• Donald Trump's Plan for a Muslim Database Draws Comparison to Nazi Germany (nbcnews.com)

Details

Trump was asked if he would condemn David Duke and other white supremacists. Trump deflected, saying, "I knows about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists." Back in 2000, Trump cited David Duke as one of the reasons he left the Reform Party.

After facing public uproar, Trump completely backtracked one week later stating, "David Duke is a bad person, who I disavowed on numerous occasions over the years."

References

• Trump Blasted by Rivals and Civil Rights Groups for Refusing to Condemn the KKK (time.com)
• Trump denounces David Duke, KKK (cnn.com)

Details

Serge Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, which causes his right arm to be stiff and contracted to his chest.

At a rally, Trump said, "Written by a nice reporter... now the poor guy, you've got to see this guy - ". Trump then flailed his arms.

Trump later claimed "Despite having one of the all-time great memories, I certainly do not remember him." Kovaleski responded, "Donald and I were on a first-name basis for years. I’ve interviewed him in his office. I’ve talked to him at press conferences. All in all, I would say around a dozen times, I’ve interacted with him as a reporter while I was at The Daily News."

References

• Donald Trump Says His Mocking of New York Times Reporter Was Misread (nytimes.com)

Details

Trump never ruled out that US citizens would be included in the registry.

References

• Donald Trump's Plan for a Muslim Database Draws Comparison to Nazi Germany (nbcnews.com)

Details

Audience member: "We have a problem in this country, it’s called Muslims. Our current President is one. We know he’s not even an American. We have training camps growing where they want to kill us. That’s my question, when can we get rid of them?"

Trump: "A lot of people are saying that and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there. We’re going to be looking at that and a lot of different things."

References

• Here’s How Donald Trump Responded to a Person Saying President Obama is Muslim (time.com)

References

• Speech: Donald Trump Participates in a Town Hall in Ames, IA - July 18, 2015 (rollcall.com)

Details

The remarks where made when Trump announced his candidacy for president.

References

• Here’s Donald Trump’s Presidential Announcement Speech (time.com)

Details

Obama won the popular vote by ~5 million votes. Trump would lose the popular vote by ~3 million votes in the next election. Trump also asserted that "The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy."

Trump also added comments that would resurface in 2020, including "We should march on Washington and stop this travesty" and "Lets fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice".

References

• Donald Trump's 2012 Election Tweetstorm Resurfaces as Popular and Electoral Vote Appear Divided (go.com)

Details

Even after President Obama released his short-form birth certificate proving his birth in Hawaii (his mother was from Kansas), Trump questioned whether Obama was a US citizen and eligible for the presidency. He continued to promote this conspiracy theory even after the release of Obama's long-form birth certificate.

References

• The birth of the Obama 'birther' conspiracy (bbc.com)

Details

The National Enquirer paid McDougal $150,000 for the rights to the story in August 2016 and suppressed the story. The Enquirer had endorsed Trump for the 2016 election and its CEO was friends with Trump. The Enquirer was later fined by the FEC for violating US election laws for the "catch and kill".

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted to paying hush money "at the direction of a candidate of federal office [...] with the purpose of influencing the election" to McDougal and Stomry Daniels. He also released a recording where he and Trump discussed either paying McDougal directly or paying the National Enquirer for the story.

References

• Donald Trump, a Playboy Model, and a System for Concealing Infidelity (newyorker.com)
• Karen McDougal: Trump escapes fine in Playboy model payment case (bbc.com)

Details

Trump was wearing a microphone prior to an interview for Access Hollywood. He was recorded saying the following:

"I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn't get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she's now got the big phony tits and everything."

"You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything."

References

• Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005 (washingtonpost.com)

References

• On 9/11, Trump pointed out he now had the tallest building in Lower Manhattan. He didn’t. (washingtonpost.com)