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 and is a member of the Republican Party. Currently, he holds the position of 47th president of the United States. His career spans real estate, television, and politics, marked by significant policy changes and a distinctive communication style. He remains a prominent and often controversial figure in American public life.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1973: Trump countersues the U.S. government

In 1973, Donald Trump countersued the U.S. government for $100 million (equivalent to $708 million in 2024) over charges of racially discriminatory practices.

1976: Trump refused to release tax returns

Since 1976, every major candidate released tax returns.

1984: Trump posed as "John Barron"

In 1984, Donald Trump, posing as a Trump Organization official named "John Barron", called journalist Jonathan Greenberg in an attempt to get a higher ranking on the Forbes 400 list of wealthy Americans.

1986: Stock Transactions

From 1986 Donald Trump purchased significant blocks of shares in various public companies while suggesting that he intended to take over the company.

1988: Stock Transactions

Until 1988 Donald Trump purchased significant blocks of shares in various public companies while suggesting that he intended to take over the company.

1989: Central Park jogger case accusations

In 1989, Trump insisted that five Black and Latino teenagers were guilty of raping a white woman in the Central Park jogger case.

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 services and supplies.

January 1994: Formation of Apartment Management Associates

In January 1994, Donald Trump and his siblings formed Apartment Management Associates to take over management fees formerly collected by Trump Management, as well as inflating rents to transfer assets from Fred Trump.

1995: Trump declared loss of $916 million

In 1995, Donald Trump declared a loss of $916 million which could have let him avoid taxes for up to 18 years.

2002: Central Park jogger case exoneration

In 2002, the Central Park Five were exonerated after the actual rapist confessed and his DNA matched the evidence.

2005: Trump cofounded Trump University

In 2005, Donald Trump cofounded Trump University, a company that offered real estate seminars for prices as high as $35,000.

2005: "Hot Mic" Recording

In 2005, a "hot mic" recording surfaced where Donald Trump bragged about kissing and groping women without their consent.

2006: Trump's Alleged Affair with Stormy Daniels

Donald Trump allegedly had an affair with Stormy Daniels from 2006 to 2007.

2007: Trump's Alleged Affair with Stormy Daniels

Donald Trump allegedly had an affair with Stormy Daniels from 2006 to 2007.

2011: Promotion of Birther Conspiracy

In 2011, Donald Trump became a leading proponent of the "birther" conspiracy theory, falsely claiming that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

2013: New York State filed civil suit against Trump University

In 2013, the State of New York filed a $40 million civil suit against Trump University, alleging that the company made false statements and defrauded consumers.

2014: Trump promised to release tax returns

In 2014, Donald Trump promised to release his tax returns if he ran for office.

2014: Trump weakened U.S. sanctions imposed after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.

Trump weakened the toughest U.S. sanctions imposed after the 2014 Russian 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.

August 2015: Criminal Cases Invoking Trump's Rhetoric

From August 2015 to April 2020, a review identified at least 54 criminal cases in which Donald Trump was invoked in direct connection with violence or threats of violence.

2015: Trump promised to release tax returns

In 2015, Donald Trump promised to release his tax returns if he ran for office.

July 2016: FBI Launches Crossfire Hurricane

In July 2016, the FBI initiated Crossfire Hurricane, an investigation into potential connections between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

September 2016: Acknowledgment of Obama's Birthplace

In September 2016, Donald Trump acknowledged that Barack Obama was born in the United States, although he reportedly expressed birther views privately in 2017.

October 2016: Public Apology

In October 2016, after widespread media coverage of the 2005 "hot mic" recording, Donald Trump issued his first public apology, videotaped during his 2016 presidential campaign.

October 2016: Trump's state filings leaked

In October 2016, portions of Donald Trump's state filings for 1995 were leaked to a reporter from The New York Times, revealing he had declared a loss of $916 million.

December 2016: Trump's team announced dissolution of the Donald J. Trump Foundation

In December 2016, Donald Trump's team announced that the Donald J. Trump Foundation would be dissolved.

2016: Emergence of Trumpism

Beginning with his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump's politics and rhetoric led to the creation of a political movement known as Trumpism, characterized by right-wing populism and the mainstreaming of far-right ideas. His actions and rhetoric have been described as authoritarian.

2016: Cover Up of Alleged Affair

Donald Trump booked Michael Cohen's hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels as business expenses to cover up his alleged affair with Daniels during the 2016 election.

2016: Trump Campaigns: Rigged Election

Donald Trump campaigns mentioned "rigged election" and "election interference" earlier and more frequently in the 2016 campaigns.

2016: Urging or Praising Physical Attacks

During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump urged or praised physical attacks against protesters or reporters.

2016: Trump pledged that 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.

2016: Trump supported the use of interrogation torture methods.

In 2016, Trump said he supported the use of interrogation torture methods "a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding."

2016: Media Coverage in 2016 Campaign

In the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump benefited from a record amount of free media coverage and accused the press of bias, labeling it as "fake news media" and "the enemy of the people".

2016: Trump settled Trump University lawsuits

Shortly after winning the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump agreed to pay a total of $25 million to settle three cases related to Trump University.

January 2017: Trump signs executive order denying entry to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.

In January 2017, Trump signed an executive order that temporarily denied entry to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, causing protests and legal challenges.

January 2017: Intelligence Agencies Report on Russian Interference

In January 2017, U.S. intelligence agencies jointly stated with "high confidence" that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to favor Donald Trump.

February 2017: Seizure of Medical Records

In February 2017, three of Donald Trump's agents reportedly seized his medical records in a raid on Harold Bornstein's office.

May 2017: Trump dismissed FBI director James Comey.

In May 2017, Trump dismissed FBI director James Comey, saying he was concerned about Comey's role in the Trump-Russia investigations.

May 2017: FBI Opens Second Investigation After Comey Firing

In May 2017, following the firing of James Comey, the FBI launched a second investigation into Donald Trump's personal and business dealings with Russia.

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.

2017: Reported Birther Views

In 2017, Donald Trump reportedly expressed birther views privately.

2017: Decline in U.S. Leadership Approval

In 2017, international estimation of U.S. leadership declined most among allies, during Donald Trump's first term.

2017: Reduction in Press Briefings

In 2017, the first Trump presidency reduced formal press briefings from about one hundred.

2017: Trump comments on Unite the Right rally.

Trump's comments on the 2017 Unite the Right rally, condemning "this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides" and stating that there were "very fine people on both sides", were criticized as implying a moral equivalence between the white supremacist demonstrators and the counter-protesters.

January 2018: Trump refers to El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and African nations as "shithole countries."

In January 2018, during a discussion of immigration legislation, Trump reportedly referred to El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and African nations as "shithole countries." His remarks were widely condemned as racist.

June 2018: Trump mandates migrant families be detained together.

In June 2018, Trump acceded to public pressure and mandated that migrant families be detained together unless there is a concern of risk for the child, in response to public outrage over family separations at the border.

June 2018: New York attorney general's office filed civil suit against Trump Foundation

In June 2018, the New York attorney general's office filed a civil suit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation, Donald Trump, and his adult children, seeking $2.8 million in restitution and additional penalties.

June 2018: Trump administration argues to eliminate Obamacare

In June 2018, the Trump administration joined 18 Republican-led states in arguing before the Supreme Court that eliminating the financial penalties associated with the individual mandate had rendered the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. Their pleading would have eliminated health insurance coverage for up to 23 million Americans, but was unsuccessful.

December 2018: Government shutdown begins due to border wall funding dispute.

In December 2018, Trump's refusal to sign any spending bill unless it allocated funding for the border wall resulted in the longest-ever federal government shutdown, lasting 35 days.

December 2018: Trump Foundation ceased operation

In December 2018, the Donald J. Trump Foundation ceased operation and disbursed its assets to other charities.

2018: Bornstein's Statements on the Health Letter

In 2018, Harold Bornstein said that Donald Trump had dictated the contents of the 2015 health letter.

2018: Characterization as Racist

In 2018, approximately half of respondents in a national poll considered Donald Trump to be racist, with a greater proportion believing he emboldened racists. Studies indicated that racist attitudes were significant in his political ascent.

2018: American Political Science Association Ranks Trump as Worst President

In 2018, members of the American Political Science Association ranked Donald Trump as the worst president.

2018: Reduction in Press Briefings

In 2018, the first Trump presidency reduced formal press briefings to about half that in 2017.

2018: Media Response to Falsehoods

Until 2018, the media rarely referred to Donald Trump's falsehoods as lies, even when he repeated demonstrably false statements.

January 2019: Government shutdown ends without border wall funding.

In January 2019, the government shutdown ended after Trump agreed to fund the government without any funds for the wall.

March 2019: Mueller Submits Final Report

In March 2019, Robert Mueller submitted his final report, which found that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to favor Donald Trump, who welcomed the effort, but that evidence did not establish a conspiracy.

April 2019: House Oversight Committee Issues Subpoenas

In April 2019, the House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas seeking financial details from Donald Trump's banks, Deutsche Bank and Capital One, and his accounting firm, Mazars USA, leading to legal challenges.

July 2019: Trump's racist comments against Democratic congresswomen.

In July 2019, Trump tweeted that four Democratic congresswomen, all minorities, should "go back" to the countries they "came from." The House of Representatives condemned his "racist comments".

November 2019: Trump ordered to pay charities for misusing foundation funds

In November 2019, a New York state judge ordered Donald Trump to pay $2 million to a group of charities for misusing the Donald J. Trump Foundation's funds, in part to finance his presidential campaign.

December 2019: House Votes to Impeach Trump

In December 2019, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, stemming from his interactions with the Ukrainian president.

2019: Trump Impeachment

In 2019, Donald Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress; the Senate acquitted him.

2019: E. Jean Carroll Accuses Trump of Rape

In 2019, journalist E. Jean Carroll accused Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s and sued him for defamation over his denial.

2019: Supreme Court upholds travel ban.

In 2019, the Supreme Court ultimately upheld Trump's travel ban.

2019: Reduction in Press Briefings

In 2019, the first Trump presidency reduced formal press briefings to two.

January 2020: Trump considers cuts to Medicare and social safety-net programs

In January 2020, Trump expressed a willingness to consider cuts to Medicare and other social safety-net programs, going back on his 2016 campaign promises.

February 2020: Trump Acquitted by the Senate

In February 2020, Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate following his impeachment by the House of Representatives.

April 2020: Criminal Cases Invoking Trump's Rhetoric

From August 2015 to April 2020, a review identified at least 54 criminal cases in which Donald Trump was invoked in direct connection with violence or threats of violence.

April 2020: Trump halted funding of the World Health Organization.

In April 2020, after weeks of attacks to draw attention away from his slow response to the Coronavirus, Trump halted funding of the World Health Organization.

May 2020: Twitter Fact-Checks

In May 2020, Twitter began attaching fact-checks to tweets in which Donald Trump made false claims, leading to his threat to regulate or shut down social media platforms.

May 2020: Criminal Cases Invoking Trump's Rhetoric

In May 2020, a nationwide review identified at least 54 criminal cases from August 2015 to April 2020 in which Donald Trump's rhetoric was directly connected with violence or threats of violence.

June 2020: Controversial removal of protesters and photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church.

In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, federal law-enforcement officials controversially removed protesters from Lafayette Square. Trump then posed with a Bible for a photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church, drawing condemnation.

August 2020: Federal Judge Halts Trump Administration's rollback of anti-discrimination protections for transgender patients.

In August 2020, a federal judge halted the Trump administration's attempted rollback of anti-discrimination protections for transgender patients after a Supreme Court ruling extended employees' civil rights protections to gender identity and sexual orientation.

November 2020: Biden Wins 2020 Election

In November 2020, Joe Biden won the presidential election, receiving 81.3 million votes to Donald Trump's 74.2 million. Trump declared victory prematurely and alleged election fraud.

December 2020: Reports Emerge of Military on "Red Alert"

In December 2020, reports emerged that the U.S. military was on "red alert" due to concerns that Donald Trump might declare martial law or initiate military action.

2020: Promotion of Conspiracy Theories

After the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump promoted conspiracy theories for his defeat that were characterized as "the big lie".

2020: Trump Campaigns: Rigged Election

Donald Trump campaigns mentioned "rigged election" and "election interference" earlier and more frequently in the 2020 campaigns.

2020: Trump's False Claims and Republican Party Voting Restrictions

Following his 2020 election defeat, Donald Trump's continuing false claims concerning the 2020 election were used by the Republican Party to justify imposing new voting restrictions in its favor.

2020: Drop in International Approval Ratings

From 2017 to 2020, during Donald Trump's first term, international approval ratings of U.S. leadership dropped to just 16 percent in a Pew Research poll.

2020: Promotion of Antimalarial Drugs

In 2020, Donald Trump promoted antimalarial drugs as a treatment for COVID-19, causing a shortage and panic-buying.

2020: Defamation Lawsuits Against Media Outlets

In 2020, Donald Trump's presidential campaign sued The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN for defamation in opinion pieces about his stance on Russian election interference; all the suits were dismissed.

2020: COVID-19 Pandemic Response

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump downplayed its severity, contradicted health officials, and signed the CARES Act.

2020: Trump's Efforts to Overturn the 2020 Election

In connection with Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the U.S. House committee recommended criminal charges against him.

January 6, 2021: Trump Addresses Rally and Supporters Attack Capitol

On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump held a rally at the Ellipse, urging supporters to march to the Capitol. Following the rally, his supporters attacked the Capitol building while Congress was certifying the election results.

January 13, 2021: House Charges Trump with Incitement of Insurrection

On January 13, 2021, the House of Representatives charged Donald Trump with incitement of insurrection following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

February 2021: Supreme Court allowed release of Trump's tax returns

In February 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the release of Donald Trump's tax returns and other records to the Manhattan district attorney for a criminal investigation.

May 2021: Trump Uses "Big Lie" Terminology

In May 2021, Donald Trump began using the term "big lie" to refer to the election itself with his supporters.

2021: Refugee admissions reduced to record lows.

By 2021, Trump reduced the number of refugees admitted to record lows, from an annual limit of 110,000 before he took office to 15,000.

2021: Trump resigned from SAG-AFTRA

In 2021, Donald Trump, who had been a member since 1989, resigned from SAG-AFTRA to avoid a disciplinary hearing regarding the January 6 attack. Two days later, the union permanently barred him.

2021: C-SPAN Survey Ranks Trump as Fourth-Worst President

In 2021, a C-SPAN survey of presidential historians ranked Donald Trump as the fourth-worst president in history. The survey indicated his lowest ratings were in the leadership characteristic categories of moral authority and administrative skills.

2021: January 6 Capitol Attack

In 2021, after losing the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump attempted to overturn the result, culminating in the January 6 Capitol attack. Also in 2021, he was impeached for incitement of insurrection.

2021: Gallup Poll Results

In a 2021 Gallup poll, Donald Trump was the only president never to reach a 50 percent approval rating, and he was the first not to be named most admired in his first year in office.

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, that Donald Trump had taken to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House.

July 2022: Trump Continues to Pressure State Legislators

As of July 2022, Donald Trump continued to pressure state legislators to overturn the 2020 election results.

August 8, 2022: FBI Searches Mar-a-Lago

On August 8, 2022, FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago for illegally held documents, including those in breach of the Espionage Act, collecting 11 sets of classified documents.

September 2022: Settlement Reached with Mazars USA

In September 2022, Donald 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 Donald Trump for obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and inciting or assisting an insurrection.

2022: Civil Lawsuits and Judgements

In 2022, E. Jean Carroll sued Donald Trump again for battery and more defamation. New York also filed a civil lawsuit against Trump accusing him of inflating the Trump Organization's value. He was later found liable in both cases.

2022: Siena College Survey Ranks Trump as Third-Worst President

In 2022, the Siena College Research Institute's survey ranked Donald Trump as the third-worst president. He was ranked near the bottom in all categories except for luck, willingness to take risks, and party leadership and ranked last in several categories.

March 2023: Campaign Diverts Donations to Leadership PAC

In March 2023, Donald Trump's campaign began diverting 10 percent of donations to his leadership PAC.

June 2023: Trump Indicted on Espionage Act Charges

In June 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Donald Trump on 31 counts of "willfully retaining national defense information" under the Espionage Act, among other charges, and he pleaded not guilty.

August 2023: Trump Indicted in Georgia

In August 2023, Donald Trump was indicted on 13 charges, including racketeering, by a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election in the state.

December 2023: Colorado Supreme Court Rules Trump Disqualified

In December 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump disqualified for the Colorado Republican primary due to his role in inciting the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress.

2023: Legal Liabilities

In 2023, Donald Trump was found liable in civil cases for sexual abuse and defamation and for business fraud.

May 2024: Trump Convicted on 34 Felony Counts

In May 2024, Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments.

July 2024: Judge Dismisses Classified Documents Case

In July 2024, judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case, ruling Special Counsel Jack Smith's appointment as special prosecutor was unconstitutional.

2024: Support for Outlawing Political Dissent

By 2024, Donald Trump repeatedly voiced support for outlawing political dissent and criticism, suggesting reporters should be prosecuted and media companies should possibly lose their broadcast licenses for unfavorable coverage.

2024: Attacks Against Kamala Harris's Racial Identity

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump made false attacks against the racial identity of his opponent, Kamala Harris, that were described as reminiscent of the birther conspiracy theory.

2024: Trump Refuses to Commit to Accepting Election Results

In 2024, Donald Trump refused to commit to accepting the election results.

2024: Conviction and Election

In 2024, Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records, becoming the first U.S. president convicted of a felony. He won the 2024 presidential election against Kamala Harris.

2024: IRS Investigation into Trump International Hotel and Tower

In 2024, The New York Times and ProPublica reported that the Internal Revenue Service was investigating whether Donald Trump had twice written off losses incurred through construction cost overruns and lagging sales of residential units in the Trump International Hotel and Tower building he had declared to be worthless on his 2008 tax return.

2024: American Political Science Association Ranks Trump as Worst President

In 2024, members of the American Political Science Association ranked Donald Trump as the worst president.

2024: Defamation Lawsuit Over Central Park Jogger Case

In 2024, the men who were falsely accused in the 1989 Central Park jogger case sued Trump for defamation after he said in a televised debate that they had committed the crime and killed the woman.

January 10, 2025: Trump Given No-Penalty Sentence

On January 10, 2025, the judge gave Donald Trump a no-penalty sentence known as an unconditional discharge.

February 2025: Meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

In February 2025, Donald Trump and Vice President Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. The televised meeting was described as contentious, involving a public confrontation between Trump and Zelenskyy.

2025: Executive Orders and Clemency

In 2025, after taking office, Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, some mirroring Project 2025 proposals, and granted clemency to January 6 rioters. These actions faced legal challenges and were criticized for potentially violating federal laws and contributing to democratic backsliding.