President of the United States, Republican. Every point on this page links to its source. We don't grade officials or tell you how to vote. As of 2026-09-27.
University of Pennsylvania; Fordham University; The Wharton School; New York Military Academy; The Kew-Forest School
Occupation
actor, writer, businessperson, politician, entrepreneur, merchant, chief executive officer, investor, television producer, business magnate, film producer, real estate entrepreneur, game show host
Offices outside Congress are from Wikidata, a public, crowd-edited database.
Where they stand
In their own words, from their official website and their statements on Government, summarised in plain English.
Economy and cost of living
Trump says his administration has driven economic growth through tax reforms, deregulation, and cutting wasteful spending, and that these policies have improved affordability for families.
“Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, the United States has surged into a new era of prosperity, marked by record-setting economic growth and trillions in new private-sector investments fueled by tax reforms, deregulation, and a renewed focus on American innovation.”
Trump says he wants to cut taxes for working families and reduce government waste, citing an estimated $215 billion in savings from efficiency efforts and a 10% reduction in the federal bureaucracy.
“Government efficiency efforts have saved an estimated $215 billion, equivalent to $1,335 per U.S. taxpayer.”
Trump says his administration has secured the southern border, reducing illegal entries to historic lows, and that there is no human right to illegal immigration while defending America's sovereignty over its borders.
“There is no human right to illegal immigration, but there is a right to remain a sovereign nation.”
Trump says he supports unleashing American energy production, including coal, natural gas, and other domestic resources, and has rolled back greenhouse gas regulations on power plants to reduce costs and increase energy availability.
Trump says he has expanded hunting access on federal lands, signed an executive order to reinvigorate hunting heritage, and cut regulations on hunters and anglers.
Trump says his administration follows a doctrine of peace through strength, has ended eight wars, will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, is targeting drug cartels as terrorist organizations, and rejects global governance schemes while advancing a reciprocal relationship with China.
Trump says press access to the White House is a privilege, not a right, and that outlets can be removed from White House grounds; his administration has also emphasized election integrity initiatives.
“No President is required to host a hostile operation on the grounds. Access has always been a privilege — and President Trump is applying that rule.”
From FEC filings for 2025–26. Outside spending is money a group spends on its own about a candidate — TV and online ads, mail, canvassing. It is not a donation to the campaign, and the candidate does not control it. Supporting means it was spent to help that candidate win; Opposing means it was spent to defeat them, usually on attack ads. Groups report it within 24 or 48 hours as the election nears. Raised is the campaign's own fundraising, as of its latest quarterly report. Largest donors come from each outside spender's own FEC receipts, with each donor's share of its itemized receipts; donors under $100,000 are not named. People are shown with the employer and occupation they reported. A donor that is itself a political committee is shown with its own largest donors. Companies and nonprofits don't report their funders to the FEC, so the trail ends there, and the page says so.
What named supporters and critics say, as reported. Shown in equal numbers.
Praise
Caroline Zadeh: Said Trump's endorsement was an awesome thing and that she trusts him to do the right thing apnews.com
Accurate?
Viktor Orban: Said Trump's return to office would bring a golden age between the US and Hungary abcnews.go.com
Accurate?
Isaac Herzog: Thanked Trump for his incredible leadership in securing the hostage release and ending the war, saying he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize abcnews.go.com
Accurate?
Marco Rubio: Said Trump is the only world leader capable of bringing warring sides together, citing Russia-Ukraine, Cambodia-Thailand and Gaza nytimes.com
Accurate?
Criticism
Cecillia Wang: Criticized the idea of a Trump pardon for Arpaio, saying Arpaio violated court orders prohibiting illegal detention of Latinos pbs.org
Accurate?
JB Pritzker: Called Trump an unchecked authoritarian thehill.com
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Todd Wolfson: Said the administration was pulling funding from research projects over prohibited words pbs.org
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David Bergstein: Said Trump's rise as GOP nominee was an electoral nightmare for Senator Rob Portman. cnn.com
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Controversies
Stated as reported. Most are reported by at least two independent news outlets or found in an official record; any with only one source so far is marked Single source.
Court cases
New York hush money case
A Manhattan jury unanimously found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. He was sentenced to an unconditional discharge and has appealed the conviction.
E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse and defamation verdicts Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
A federal jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, awarding her $5 million; a second jury later awarded her $83.3 million in a related defamation case. Appeals courts upheld the $5 million verdict, and the Supreme Court let it stand in 2026. Trump has denied the allegations throughout.
Response: "The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts," a spokesperson for Trump's legal team said.
A New York judge ruled that Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization committed fraud by inflating his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements, ordering more than $450 million in disgorgement and penalties and barring Trump from serving as an officer of a New York company for three years. An appellate court affirmed the finding of liability for fraud in 2025.
New York civil fraud case over financial statements
A New York judge found Trump and his co-defendants liable for persistent fraud in inflating asset values on financial statements used to obtain favorable loan and insurance terms, initially ordering more than $450 million in disgorgement; an appeals court later vacated the disgorgement award while otherwise affirming liability findings.
The New York attorney general sued the Trump Foundation alleging Trump used charitable funds for personal, business and political purposes; a court ordered the foundation dissolved and Trump to pay $2 million in damages to charities, and Trump admitted to 19 factual findings of misconduct.
The New York attorney general sued the Trump Foundation and its board, alleging it illegally supported Trump's 2016 campaign and engaged in self-dealing; Trump was later ordered to pay $2 million to charities and the foundation was dissolved.
A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels intended to influence the 2016 election. He was sentenced to an unconditional discharge.
Federal indictment over handling of classified documents
Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation led to a federal indictment of Trump over his handling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago; Trump said he would plead not guilty.
The Manhattan district attorney's office investigated hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to women who said they had affairs with Trump, an inquiry that spanned nearly five years and led to Trump's indictment and arraignment in April 2023.
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle lawsuits, including one brought by the New York attorney general, alleging Trump University defrauded thousands of students. The settlement did not require Trump to admit wrongdoing.
New York's attorney general sued the Trump Foundation and its directors, alleging persistent illegal conduct including self-dealing and illegal coordination with Trump's 2016 campaign. Trump was ordered to pay $2 million to charities and admitted to misusing foundation funds as part of a court-ordered resolution; the foundation was dissolved.
Trump SoHo real estate lawsuit settlement Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Trump and co-defendants settled a lawsuit brought by buyers of Trump SoHo condominium units who alleged they were defrauded by inflated sales claims, agreeing to refund 90 percent of $3.16 million in deposits while admitting no wrongdoing.
The New York attorney general settled with Trump International Hotels Management over two data breaches that exposed more than 70,000 credit card numbers, requiring the company to pay $50,000 in penalties and improve data security.
Trump and family members sued the IRS and Treasury Department alleging a former IRS contractor illegally accessed and disclosed his tax returns; the parties settled, with Trump receiving a formal apology from the government but no monetary payment.
Criminal referrals against political opponents bypassing ethics rules Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Reuters reported that a Trump appointee, FHFA Director Bill Pulte, made criminal mortgage-fraud referrals against Trump's political opponents including Fed Governor Lisa Cook, NY AG Letitia James, and Rep. Adam Schiff, bypassing his agency's standard ethics/inspector-general review process. No indictments have resulted from these referrals.
'Access Hollywood' tape (2005) and multiple sexual misconduct allegations
More than a dozen women publicly accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment during the 2016 campaign, following the release of a 2005 recording in which he described grabbing women without consent; Trump denied the allegations and later questioned the tape's authenticity.
Response: These vicious claims about me of inappropriate conduct with women are totally and absolutely false
The Federal Election Commission investigated whether Trump violated campaign finance law through hush money payments to women before the 2016 election. The FEC voted to close the investigation without finding a violation, despite its general counsel's office finding there was 'reason to believe' violations occurred.
The House impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, alleging he pressured Ukraine's president to investigate Joe Biden while withholding military aid. The Senate acquitted him on both counts.
Second impeachment (January 6 incitement) Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
The House impeached Trump a second time, charging him with incitement of insurrection following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The Senate voted 57-43 to convict, short of the two-thirds majority needed, and he was acquitted.
Trump fired more than a dozen inspectors general early in his second term without the 30-day notice to Congress required by law. A federal judge ruled that Trump violated the Inspectors General Act but declined to order their reinstatement.
DOJ misconduct findings under second-term administration Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Reuters reported that federal judges have accused Trump's Justice Department of an unusual pattern of misconduct, including false statements and improper use of the legal system to target political opponents, while watchdog offices meant to police such conduct have been sharply reduced in staff.
Response: DOJ officials have broadly disputed judges’ findings of misconduct and have accused courts of being politically hostile to Trump.
Firing of intelligence community inspector general
Trump fired intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson, who had found a whistleblower complaint about Trump's dealings with Ukraine credible and shared it with Congress, a decision Atkinson said he believed stemmed from his faithful discharge of his duties.
Following the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, reporting said Trump is named in the files, including in connection with trips on Epstein's plane and a photo with Ghislaine Maxwell; The Hill reported he is mentioned more than 3,000 times, according to its count. Neither Trump nor other named individuals have been accused of wrongdoing by authorities in connection with these mentions.
Semblen analyzed 24 of Donald Trump's statements on Government; 15 used at least one manipulation technique, most often Glittering Generalities, Card Stacking, Appeal to Prejudice.
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