Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Donald Trump
Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Donald Trump.
Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman. He served as the 45th U.S. President from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Trump is also known for his real estate development and branding ventures. He is a controversial figure known for his populist rhetoric, policies, and frequent use of social media.
1973: Countersuit Against U.S. Government
In 1973, Donald Trump countersued the U.S. government for $100 million over charges of racial discrimination at his properties.
1992: Formation of All County Building Supply & Maintenance Corp.
In 1992, Donald Trump and his siblings formed All County Building Supply & Maintenance Corp., alleged to be a shell company for marking up vendor costs.
2013: Civil Suit Against Trump University
In 2013, the State of New York filed a $40 million civil suit against Trump University, alleging false statements and consumer fraud.
2014: Weakened U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea
Trump weakened the toughest U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
June 2015: NBC and Univision Drop Pageants
In June 2015, NBC and Univision dropped the Miss Universe pageants in reaction to Donald Trump's comments about Mexican immigrants.
July 2016: FBI launched Crossfire Hurricane
In July 2016, the FBI initiated Crossfire Hurricane, an investigation into potential connections between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
2016: Pledged Roe v. Wade would be overturned
During the 2016 campaign, Trump pledged that Roe v. Wade would be overturned "automatically" if he were elected and given the opportunity to appoint two or three anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court.
2016: Settlement of Trump University Lawsuits
In 2016, Donald Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle lawsuits related to Trump University.
2016: Rigged Election Claims
In 2016, Trump mentioned 'rigged election' and 'election interference'.
2016: Supported the use of interrogation torture methods
In 2016, Trump voiced his support for using interrogation torture methods, including waterboarding. His stance reflected a tough-on-terror approach during his campaign.
2016: Affair Alleged
In 2016, during the election cycle, Trump allegedly had an affair with Stormy Daniels.
January 2017: Travel ban executive order
In January 2017, Trump signed an executive order temporarily denying entry to citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. This action sparked widespread protests and legal challenges, leading to nationwide injunctions.
January 2017: Intelligence Agencies State Russia Favored Trump
In January 2017, three U.S. intelligence agencies jointly stated with 'high confidence' that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to favor Trump.
May 2017: FBI Opened Second Investigation After Comey Firing
After Trump fired Comey in May 2017, the FBI commenced a second investigation into Trump's personal and business dealings with Russia.
May 2017: Dismissal of FBI director James Comey
In May 2017, Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey. Initially, he cited Comey's conduct in the Hillary Clinton email investigation, but later stated concerns about Comey's role in the Trump-Russia investigations.
September 2017: Resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price
In September 2017, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price was forced to resign due to excessive use of private charter jets and military aircraft, which sparked public and ethical concerns.
December 2017: Supreme Court allows travel ban to go into effect
In December 2017, the Supreme Court allowed Trump's revised travel ban to go into effect, pending further legal challenges. This decision marked a partial victory for the administration's efforts to restrict immigration.
2017: Comments on Unite the Right rally
In 2017, Trump's comments on the Unite the Right rally, where he condemned "this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides" and stated that there were "very fine people on both sides", drew criticism for seemingly equating white supremacists and counter-protesters.
January 2018: Remarks about "shithole countries"
In January 2018, during an immigration legislation discussion, Trump reportedly referred to El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and African nations as "shithole countries." These remarks were widely condemned as racist and sparked international outrage.
June 2018: Reversed family separation policy
In June 2018, amidst public outcry, Trump reversed the administration's policy of separating migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border. He mandated that families be detained together unless there were concerns about the child's safety.
December 2018: Government shutdown over border wall funding
In December 2018, Trump's refusal to sign a spending bill without border wall funding led to the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, lasting 35 days. The shutdown highlighted the conflict between Trump's campaign promises and congressional opposition.
2018: Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt resigned
In 2018, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt resigned amid multiple investigations into their conduct.
2018: Signed legislation to increase funding for drug treatments
In 2018, Trump signed legislation aimed at increasing funding for drug treatments in response to the opioid epidemic, but faced criticism for lacking a concrete strategy. The legislation was meant to combat the ongoing drug crisis.
January 2019: Resignation of Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke
In January 2019, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke resigned amid multiple investigations into his conduct. These investigations raised questions about his ethical and professional behavior.
March 2019: Mueller Report Finds Russian Interference
In March 2019, Mueller submitted his final report which found that Russia interfered in 2016 to favor Trump, and Trump's campaign welcomed this interference, but there was no established conspiracy.
April 2019: House Oversight Committee Issues Subpoenas
In April 2019, the House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas seeking financial details from Trump's banks and accounting firm. He sued to prevent the disclosures.
July 2019: Tweeted that Democratic congresswomen should "go back" to the countries they "came from"
In July 2019, Trump tweeted that four Democratic congresswomen, all minorities, should "go back" to the countries they "came from." The House of Representatives later condemned these comments as racist.
October 2019: Talks with North Korea broke down
In October 2019, talks between the U.S. and North Korea broke down, and no denuclearization agreement was reached. This setback highlighted the difficulties in achieving a lasting resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue.
December 2019: House Votes to Impeach Trump
In December 2019, the House voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to his dealings with Ukraine.
2019: First Impeachment
In 2019, Donald Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
2019: E. Jean Carroll Accuses Trump of Rape
In 2019, journalist E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s and sued him for defamation over his denial.
2019: Supreme Court upheld the travel ban
In 2019, the Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration's travel ban. This decision marked a significant victory for the administration's immigration policies and led to further enforcement of the ban.
February 2020: Senate Acquits Trump in First Impeachment
In February 2020, the Senate acquitted Trump in his first impeachment trial.
April 2020: Encouraged anti-lockdown protests
In April 2020, Trump encouraged anti-lockdown protests on Twitter, despite the targeted states not meeting his administration's guidelines for reopening. This action contradicted public health recommendations and sparked controversy.
June 2020: Controversial removal of protesters from Lafayette Square
In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, federal law enforcement officials controversially removed a largely peaceful crowd of protesters from Lafayette Square outside the White House. Trump then posed with a Bible for a photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church, sparking condemnation from religious leaders and retired military leaders.
July 2020: Handling of COVID-19 pandemic became a major issue
By July 2020, Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic had become a major issue in the presidential election. His response to the crisis faced widespread criticism and affected public perception of his leadership.
August 2020: Attempted rollback of anti-discrimination protections
In August 2020, Trump's administration attempted to roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender patients. However, a federal judge halted the rollback after a Supreme Court ruling extended civil rights protections to gender identity and sexual orientation.
October 2, 2020: Tested positive for COVID-19
On October 2, 2020, Trump tweeted that he had tested positive for COVID-19, part of a White House outbreak. His diagnosis highlighted the severity of the pandemic and raised concerns about his administration's handling of the crisis.
November 2020: Biden Wins 2020 Election
In November 2020, Joe Biden won the election, receiving 81.3 million votes to Trump's 74.2 million and 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232.
December 2020: Military on 'Red Alert' Over Trump's Actions
In December 2020, reports emerged that the U.S. military was on 'red alert', with concerns among ranking officers about Trump potentially declaring martial law or initiating military actions.
2020: Cases Dismissed
After his reelection, the 2020 election obstruction case and the classified documents case were dismissed without prejudice due to Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
2020: Trump's False Claims Concerning the Election
After leaving the White House, Trump's continuing false claims concerning the 2020 election were commonly referred to as the 'big lie'.
2020: Losing the 2020 presidential election
In 2020, Donald Trump lost the presidential election to Joe Biden and attempted to overturn the outcome.
2020: Rigged Election Claims
In 2020, Trump mentioned 'rigged election' and 'election interference'.
2020: Trump's Efforts to Overturn the Election
In 2020, Trump was involved in efforts to overturn the election and was later investigated for these activities and his involvement in the January 6 attack.
January 6, 2021: Trump Rally Precedes Capitol Attack
On January 6, 2021, Trump held a rally in Washington, D.C., calling for the election to be overturned and urging supporters to march to the Capitol, which resulted in an attack on the Capitol building.
January 13, 2021: House Charges Trump with Incitement of Insurrection
On January 13, 2021, the House charged Trump with incitement of insurrection following the January 6 attack.
May 2021: Trump Supporters Embrace Election Term
In May 2021, Donald Trump's supporters began to embrace the term 'big lie' to refer to the election itself.
2021: Second Impeachment
In 2021, Donald Trump was impeached for incitement of insurrection.
2021: January 6 Capitol Attack
In 2021, Trump's attempts to overturn the election culminated in the January 6 Capitol attack.
2021: Reduced number of refugees admitted to record lows
In 2021, the Trump administration reduced the number of refugees admitted to the United States to a record low of 15,000. This action continued the administration's trend of restricting immigration and tightening border control policies.
January 2022: National Archives Retrieves Documents from Mar-a-Lago
In January 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration retrieved 15 boxes of documents, some classified, from Mar-a-Lago.
July 2022: Trump Pressures State Legislators to Overturn Election
As of July 2022, Trump continued to pressure state legislators to overturn the 2020 election.
August 8, 2022: FBI Searches Mar-a-Lago
On August 8, 2022, FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago and collected 11 sets of classified documents.
September 2022: Settlement Reached with Mazars USA
In September 2022, Trump and the House Oversight Committee reached a settlement regarding Mazars USA, and the firm began turning over documents.
December 2022: House Committee Recommends Criminal Charges
In December 2022, the U.S. House committee on the January 6 attack recommended criminal charges against Trump.
2022: New York Files Civil Lawsuit Against Trump
In 2022, New York filed a civil lawsuit against Trump accusing him of inflating the Trump Organization's value to gain an advantage with lenders and banks.
March 2023: Campaign Diverts Funds to Leadership PAC
In March 2023, Trump's campaign began diverting 10 percent of donations to his leadership PAC.
June 2023: Trump Indicted on Espionage Act Charges
In June 2023, Trump was indicted on 31 counts of 'willfully retaining national defense information' under the Espionage Act.
August 2023: Trump Indicted in Georgia
In August 2023, Trump was indicted on 13 charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election in the state.
December 2023: Colorado Court Rules Trump Disqualified
In December 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump disqualified for the Colorado Republican primary.
2023: Held Liable in Civil Cases
In 2023, Donald Trump was held liable in civil cases for sexual abuse, defamation, and business fraud.
May 2024: Trump Convicted on 34 Felony Counts
In May 2024, Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments.
July 2024: Case Dismissed
In July 2024, a judge dismissed the Espionage Act case against Trump, ruling that the special prosecutor's appointment was unconstitutional.
2024: Convicted of Falsifying Business Records
In 2024, Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records, becoming the first U.S. president convicted of a felony.
2024: Refusal to Commit
In 2024, Trump refused to commit to accepting the election results.
January 10, 2025: Trump Receives No-Penalty Sentence
On January 10, 2025, the judge gave Trump a no-penalty sentence known as an unconditional discharge.
2025: Executive Orders and Legal Challenges
In 2025, upon taking office, Trump signed a series of executive orders that tested the limits of executive authority and drew immediate legal challenges.
