Trump negotiated and signed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in his first term, replacing NAFTA in 2020. Beginning February 1, 2025, he imposed sweeping tariffs on Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, violating the terms of the agreement he had created. Canada retaliated with targeted tariffs on U.S. automobiles, alcohol, and dairy. Three federal courts ruled the IEEPA tariffs unlawful, and on February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court affirmed 6-3 that IEEPA does not grant the president authority to impose tariffs - a power the Constitution assigns to Congress. The same day, Trump announced replacement tariffs under a different statute. After trade negotiations with Canada collapsed in August 2026, he invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 - never previously used by any president - to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian automobiles, alcohol, and dairy. The U.S. also declined to renew USMCA for a full term on July 1, 2026, shifting it to annual reviews. The sequence illustrates a pattern of violating legal agreements, using executive authority beyond its legal limits, absorbing judicial rebukes, and immediately seeking alternative mechanisms to achieve the same result.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, launched in May 2025, has secured settlements from IBM ($17 million, April 2026) and Deloitte ($21.5 million, August 2026) over DEI hiring practices at firms holding federal contracts. Both cases were brought under the False Claims Act, a statute historically used to prosecute healthcare and defense procurement fraud, on the theory that the firms falsely certified compliance with anti-discrimination requirements while maintaining race and sex-based hiring goals. Neither firm admitted wrongdoing. Google and Verizon have received document requests. Legal experts have noted the novel use of a fraud statute to regulate private employment practices at companies whose only connection to the federal government is a contractor relationship.

Two months after the Supreme Court temporarily blocked Trump's initial effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the White House sent Cook formal notice that the president was "considering" her removal, giving her until August 26 to respond. The removal effort is based on mortgage fraud allegations first raised in August 2025 by Bill Pulte, then director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency - the same official Trump later appointed as acting Director of National Intelligence. Cook, whose term runs until 2038, stated the president was acting "on a manufactured pretext because I refused to bow to political pressure." No president has previously sought to remove a Federal Reserve governor in the institution's 113-year history.

Trump posted on Truth Social demanding that NBC anchor Kristen Welker be "reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment" after she described his midterm endorsement record as producing "mixed results" during a local affiliate appearance. The remark was factually accurate - over a dozen Trump-backed candidates had lost their races during the current election cycle. The FCC, led by a Trump appointee, has already initiated early license reviews of ABC stations following a similar presidential complaint. No president has previously directed a federal regulatory agency to punish an individual journalist for a news report.

After ABC and NBC declined to interrupt regular programming to air his election integrity address, Trump publicly demanded their broadcast licenses be revoked, claiming without evidence that their editorial decision proved complicity in election fraud. The FCC, which holds authority over broadcast licenses, is led by a Trump appointee. No president has previously called for license revocation in direct response to a network's editorial programming decisions.

Federal agents appeared at the homes of four New York Times reporters on a Friday night to deliver grand jury subpoenas demanding testimony about their reporting on security concerns surrounding the Qatari-gifted Air Force One. FBI Director Kash Patel met with White House officials and spoke with Trump by phone the same day the subpoenas were issued. The administration stated the reporters were not the targets - the sources were - but press freedom organizations noted that compelling journalists to identify confidential sources produces the same chilling effect as targeting them directly.

Trump appointed Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as acting Director of National Intelligence. He has no intelligence background of any kind. The position was created by Congress after September 11 to coordinate 18 federal agencies and, by statute, requires “extensive national security expertise.”

The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, who won two civil judgments against Trump totaling $88 million after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The investigation centers on whether Carroll committed perjury in a 2022 deposition when she said no one was paying her legal fees, though billionaire Reid Hoffman later covered some costs.

The Justice Department agreed to permanently bar the IRS from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons, affiliated individuals, and Trump Organization businesses for any tax matters arising before the settlement date.

The Senate declined to require authorization for military action, reflecting continued congressional inaction on constitutional war powers responsibilities.

A federal judge documented numerous violations of court orders, warning of potential contempt and raising concerns about compliance with judicial authority.

Investigations found additional records withheld despite statutory requirements, raising concerns about completeness of disclosure and executive compliance.

A federal judge held a prosecutor in contempt for failing to comply with court orders, highlighting conflict between executive actions and judicial authority.

Federal prosecutors sought charges against lawmakers for public statements; the grand jury declined, raising concerns about use of criminal process.

The Justice Department tracked legislators’ access to disclosed materials, raising concerns about executive monitoring of congressional oversight activities.

The Justice Department released millions of pages while withholding additional records, raising concerns about compliance with statutory disclosure requirements.

Federal agents fatally shot a civilian and restricted state investigators’ access to evidence, raising concerns about accountability and intergovernmental legal process.

U.S. forces captured a foreign leader without congressional authorization, raising concerns about executive war powers and constitutional requirements.

State and local governments filed suit alleging constitutional violations in federal enforcement actions, highlighting conflict between federal authority and state protections.

Officials reported arrest figures that could not be independently verified, while declining to release supporting data, raising concerns about transparency and accuracy.

Federal agents conducted enforcement operations involving warrantless arrests and detentions, prompting legal challenges over constitutional protections and federal authority.

After a prosecutor declined charges, an interim U.S. attorney pursued indictments later dismissed, raising concerns about political influence over prosecutions.

Justice Department filings advanced broad interpretations of presidential immunity, testing limits of executive authority in ongoing legal proceedings.

A federal grand jury indicted John Bolton on charges involving classified information, raising questions about application of national security statutes.

The administration publicly criticized and signaled review of a Federal Reserve governor, raising concerns about pressure on central bank independence.

Administration officials labeled certain protest participants as terrorists, escalating rhetoric and raising concerns about treatment of domestic dissent.