Trump Administration
Follow the latest Trump Administration news, videos, and analysis from ABC News.
April 17, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Lawyers for Venezuelan detainee imprisoned in El Salvador say detention is 'lawless'

The government is “paying” for his “torture in El Salvador with U.S. taxpayer dollars, his attorneys claim.
April 17, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Salvadoran soldiers stand guard, as the CECOT logo is seen, during a media tour at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison, in Tecoluca, El Salvador April 4, 2025.
April 17, 2025 at 4:38 PM

Sen. Chris Van Hollen goes to El Salvador amid erroneous deportation

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., has flown to El Salvador to seek answers over the contested deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
April 17, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., has flown to El Salvador to seek answers over the contested deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
April 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM

Trump administration faces possible contempt over deportation flights: Analysis

Former Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Isgur provides analysis on the Trump administration facing a possible contempt investigation over its failure to turn deportation flights around.
April 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM
VIDEO: Trump administration faces possible contempt over deportation flights: Analysis
April 17, 2025 at 2:48 PM

DHS demands 'detailed records' of student visa holders at Harvard

The Department of Homeland Security is demanding "detailed records" on Harvard University's student visa holders, according to a statement from the department.
April 17, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference to announce the re-launch of the VOICE office at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, April 9, 2025, in Washington.
April 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM

RFK Jr. contradicts experts on rise of autism diagnoses

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was determined to find the "environmental exposures" behind the rise of autism diagnoses.
April 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
VIDEO: RFK Jr. contradicts experts on rise of autism diagnoses
April 17, 2025 at 2:08 PM

Judge escalates battle with Trump administration over deportation flights

A federal judge is threatening to open a high-stakes contempt investigation into the Trump administration for deporting more than 200 Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
April 17, 2025 at 2:08 PM
VIDEO: Judge escalates battle with Trump administration over deportation flights
April 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM

DOJ plans to appeal Abrego Garcia ruling, releases documents it says tie him to gang

The Justice Department has released two documents that were used to allegedly tie wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the MS-13 gang.
April 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Undated photo provided by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, a man identified by Jennifer Vasquez Sura as her husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is led by force by guards through the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador.
April 17, 2025 at 12:45 PM

IRS considering revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status: Reports

ABC News’ Jon Karl has the latest on reports that the IRS is now considering whether to pull the university’s tax-exempt status after the institution rejected the Trump administration’s demands.
April 17, 2025 at 12:45 PM
VIDEO: IRS considering revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status: Reports
April 17, 2025 at 11:24 AM

Senator heads to El Salvador to find migrant deported erroneously by Trump

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., has flown to El Salvador to seek answers over the contested deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
April 17, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Sen. Chris Van Hollen speaks during a press conference in Antiguo Cuscatlan, El Salvador, April 16, 2025.
April 17, 2025 at 2:13 AM

Administration likely acted in contempt by not returning deportation flights: Judge

A judge found probable cause the Trump administration acted in contempt of court when officials defied his order to turn two planes around carrying alleged gang members.
April 17, 2025 at 2:13 AM
President Donald Trump in Washington, April 14, 2025 and James Boasberg, chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
April 16, 2025 at 11:46 PM

Law firm files suit challenging Trump administration's authority to issue tariffs

Senior counsel for Liberty Justice Center Jeffrey Schwab joins ABC News Live to discuss his firm representing a group of five small businesses that have filed a lawsuit against the president.
April 16, 2025 at 11:46 PM
VIDEO: Law firm files suit challenging Trump administration's authority to issue tariffs
April 16, 2025 at 10:17 PM

Federal judge finds probable cause that Trump administration acted in contempt

A federal judge has found probable cause that the Trump administration acted in contempt of court over the handling of two planes carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.
April 16, 2025 at 10:17 PM
VIDEO: Federal judge finds probable cause that Trump administration acted in contempt
April 16, 2025 at 6:38 PM

New York Attorney General Letitia James targeted by federal housing agency

A letter from the Federal Housing Finance Agency alleges that James "appears to have falsified records" in order to "receive favorable loan terms."
April 16, 2025 at 6:38 PM
A letter from the Federal Housing Finance Agency alleges that James "appears to have falsified records" in order to "receive favorable loan terms."
April 16, 2025 at 6:26 PM

Trump DOJ sues Maine in standoff over transgender athletes in women's sports

It alleges Maine’s policy allowing transgender athletes violates Title IX.
April 16, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Attorney General Pam Bondi attends a press conference, as she unveils actions against the state of Maine, which is locked in a dispute with the Trump administration over transgender policy, at the Justice Department in Washington, April 16, 2025.
April 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM

Abrego Garcia case 'should be alarming to all of us,' says former DOJ attorney

Liz Oyer, former pardon attorney at the DOJ, discusses Abrego Garcia case as judge orders Trump administration officials to testify under oath.
April 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM
VIDEO: Abrego Garcia case 'should be alarming to all of us,' says former DOJ attorney
April 16, 2025 at 4:45 PM

Harvard Crimson reporter on Trump administration freezing billions in Harvard funding

Senior reporter at the Harvard Crimson, Dhruv Patel, reacts to the Trump administration's decision to freeze billions in funding to Harvard University after the institution rejected their demands.
April 16, 2025 at 4:45 PM
VIDEO: Harvard Crimson reporter on Trump administration freezing billions in Harvard funding
April 16, 2025 at 3:31 PM

Mahmoud Khalil's lawyers say DHS relied on 'tabloids' as evidence

ABC News has reviewed over 100 pages of evidence submitted in immigration court by both DHS lawyers and those representing Mahmoud Khalil.
April 16, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, June 1, 2024.
April 16, 2025 at 2:46 PM

Trump administration’s standoff with Harvard escalates

The White House is suggesting that Harvard University should lose its tax-exempt status if it does not comply with a series of demands from President Donald Trump's administration.
April 16, 2025 at 2:46 PM
VIDEO: Trump administration’s standoff with Harvard escalates
April 16, 2025 at 2:31 PM

Trump DOJ sues Maine in standoff over transgender athletes in women's sports

The Justice Department has filed suit against Maine in an effort to challenge the state's policy regarding transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports.
April 16, 2025 at 2:31 PM
VIDEO: Trump DOJ sues Maine in standoff over transgender athletes in women's sports
April 16, 2025 at 2:25 PM

2 Hegseth staffers put on leave amid Signal chat leak investigation

Dan Caldwell, a top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, Hegseth’s deputy chief of staff, have both been placed on administrative leave as part of a leak investigation.
April 16, 2025 at 2:25 PM
VIDEO: 2 Hegseth staffers put on leave amid Signal chat leak investigation
April 16, 2025 at 2:24 PM

Legal implications of Trump administration's deportations, Harvard standoff

ABC News' Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams breaks down the administration's lack of compliance with the Supreme Court's order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the demands on Harvard.
April 16, 2025 at 2:24 PM
VIDEO: Legal implications of Trump administration's deportations, Harvard standoff
April 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM

High-stakes hearing in deportation standoff

A federal judge is giving the Trump administration two weeks to hand over information on what it has done to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to facilitate the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
April 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM
VIDEO: High-stakes hearing in deportation standoff
April 16, 2025 at 11:59 AM

Judge in Abrego Garcia case orders officials to testify under oath

The federal judge overseeing the wrongful deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia said she will order expedited discovery in order to "apply the law to the facts."
April 16, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Undated photo provided by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, a man identified by Jennifer Vasquez Sura as her husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is led by force by guards through the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador.
April 16, 2025 at 2:07 AM

6 times the Trump administration has clashed with opponents over court orders

The clashes range from unilaterally freezing federal funding to the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport noncitizens.
April 16, 2025 at 2:07 AM
President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in the Oval Office of the White House, April 14, 2025 in Washington.
April 16, 2025 at 12:28 AM

Who has more leverage in the US-China trade war?

"The only issue remaining is who is going to blink first," one expert said.
April 16, 2025 at 12:28 AM
China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing, March 28, 2025 and President Donald Trump, in Washington, April 7, 2025.
April 15, 2025 at 10:47 PM

Trump wants to send US citizens to foreign prisons. Legal experts say he can't.

The Trump administration's deported hundreds of migrants it alleges are gang members to El Salvador's notorious mega-prison CECOT. But could an American citizen be next?
April 15, 2025 at 10:47 PM
President Donald Trump meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, April 14, 2025.
April 15, 2025 at 10:08 PM

Columbia student arrested by ICE was one step from citizenship, lawyer says

Mohsen Mahdawi was arrested during the interview and detained in Vermont, Luna Droubi, one of his attorneys, told ABC News.
April 15, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Columbia student and Palestinian Mohsen Madawi being arrested during a visit to the immigration office in Colchester, VT, April 14, 2025.
April 15, 2025 at 10:06 PM

International students sue after Trump administration terminates their legal status

A group of international students are seeking relief from deportation in court after their F-1 student visas were revoked, jeopardizing their legal status in the U.S.
April 15, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Aerial of downtown Detroit, Michigan
April 15, 2025 at 7:01 PM

Obama blasts Trump administration's 'unlawful' Harvard demands

Barack Obama praised Harvard for its rejection of President Donald Trump's demands as the university faces a funding freeze for alleged inaction on antisemitism.
April 15, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Barack Obama participates in a book talk with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel at The Anthem on December 02, 2024 in Washington, DC.
April 15, 2025 at 5:16 PM

Obama blasts Trump administration's 'unlawful' Harvard demands

Barack Obama praised Harvard for its rejection of President Donald Trump's demands as the university faces a funding freeze for alleged inaction on antisemitism.
April 15, 2025 at 5:16 PM
VIDEO: Obama blasts Trump administration's 'unlawful' Harvard demands
April 15, 2025 at 4:45 PM

Columbia University associate of Mahmoud Khalil arrested by DHS

Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, who co-founded a pro-Palestinian campus organization with Mahmoud Khalil, was arrested by DHS agents Monday.
April 15, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Columbia student and Palestinian Mohsen Madawi being arrested during a visit to the immigration office in Colchester, VT, April 14, 2025.
April 15, 2025 at 2:37 PM

Iran-US nuclear talks to continue in Oman on Saturday, Tehran says

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the second round on Tuesday.
April 15, 2025 at 2:37 PM
This handout picture provided by Khabar Online on April 12, 2025, shows Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (2nd-L) speaking with members of the Iranian delegation after a meeting in Muscat.
April 15, 2025 at 2:10 PM

White House signals move toward pharmaceutical and semiconductor tariffs

President Donald Trump and his administration are laying the groundwork to invoke national security to impose a new tax on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.
April 15, 2025 at 2:10 PM
VIDEO: White House signals move towards pharmaceutical and semiconductor tariffs
April 15, 2025 at 1:20 PM

White House freezes funding for Harvard after it defies demands

The Trump administration has frozen more than $2 billion in federal grant money after Harvard University rejected a list of government demands, including overhauling hiring and admission practices.
April 15, 2025 at 1:20 PM
VIDEO: White House freezes funding for Harvard after it defies demands
April 15, 2025 at 1:19 PM

US and El Salvador double down on mistakenly deported man despite court order

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said during a meeting at the White House that he will not return Kilmar Abrego García, a migrant from Maryland who was wrongfully deported.
April 15, 2025 at 1:19 PM
VIDEO: US and El Salvador double down on mistakenly deported man despite court order
April 15, 2025 at 5:27 AM

Core Democratic groups are preparing to be targeted by the Trump administration

Some of the Democratic Party’s core political groups are preparing for the possibility that President Donald Trump’s allies may soon launch criminal investigations that could handicap Democratic infrastructure
April 15, 2025 at 5:27 AM
FILE - Attorney Marc Elias stands on the plaza of the Supreme Court in Washington, March 21, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
April 14, 2025 at 9:14 PM

US has responsibility to return MD man from El Salvador: Expert

ABC News' Devin Dwyer and Michael Paarlberg, associate professor at VCU, discuss El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele's visit to the White House.
April 14, 2025 at 9:14 PM
VIDEO: US has responsibility to return MD man from El Salvador: Expert
April 14, 2025 at 11:47 AM

Plans to celebrate America's 250th anniversary were underway until federal cuts

Leaders of state humanities councils throughout the country say federal funding cuts by President Donald Trump's administration will force them to scale back or eliminate celebrations next year commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary
April 14, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Mary Wearn, president of Georgia Humanities, poses for a portrait in their office in Atlanta, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)
April 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM

US reveals status of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was erroneously deported

The Trump administration told a judge on Saturday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man deported to El Salvador in error, is still in a prison in that country.
April 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM
This undated photo provided by CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, in April 2025, shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
April 13, 2025 at 1:18 AM

1st round of nuclear talks between Iran and Trump administration

The first contact between the two nations since President Trump returned to office was described by the White House as positive.
April 13, 2025 at 1:18 AM
VIDEO: 1st round of nuclear talks between Iran and Trump administration
April 12, 2025 at 4:38 PM

Judge relaxes ban on DOGE access to sensitive US Treasury information

A New York judge has relaxed a ban she'd put on Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency preventing it from accessing sensitive U.S. Treasury Department information
April 12, 2025 at 4:38 PM
FILE - Elon Musk attends the finals for the NCAA wrestling championship, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file)
April 12, 2025 at 6:24 AM

Trump admin moves to withhold federal funds from Maine over trans athlete dispute

The matter will also be referred to the Department of Justice "for further enforcement action," the Department of Education said.
April 12, 2025 at 6:24 AM
The Maine State Capitol building in Augusta, Maine.
April 12, 2025 at 4:04 AM

DOJ ends environmental justice agreement in Alabama county

The U.S. Department of Justice is ending a settlement agreement with Alabama regarding wastewater problems in a rural Alabama county where most residents are Black
April 12, 2025 at 4:04 AM
FILE - Fetid water pools outside a mobile home in a small mobile home park in rural Hayneville, Ala., Lowndes County, Aug. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves, File)
April 11, 2025 at 5:09 PM

Senate confirms Trump nominee for chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff in overnight vote

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
April 11, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine testifies at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's top military officer, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2025.
April 11, 2025 at 4:18 PM

Trump administration reviewing case of FBI informant convicted of lying about Bidens

The DOJ said it is reviewing the criminal case brought against Alexander Smirnov and is moving for a judge to release him from prison immediately.
April 11, 2025 at 4:18 PM
In this courtroom sketch Defendant Alexander Smirnov speaks in Federal court in Los Angeles, Feb. 26, 2024.
April 11, 2025 at 4:16 PM

‘Putin will meet with Witkoff,’ Kremlin confirms

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting will be “as long as President Putin needs.” ABC News’ Patrick Reevell reports.
April 11, 2025 at 4:16 PM
‘Putin will meet with Witkoff,’ Kremlin confirms
April 11, 2025 at 1:59 PM

Trump administration to refer Maine to DOJ over transgender participation in sports

The deadline has arrived for Maine officials to reach a resolution with the U.S. Education Department over a finding that the state violated antidiscrimination laws by allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports
April 11, 2025 at 1:59 PM
FILE -State Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, speaks with a colleague, Feb. 14, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, file)
April 11, 2025 at 12:13 PM

Trump says US will 'go as far as we have to' to get control of Greenland

President Donald Trump said the U.S. will "go as far as we have to go" to get control of Greenland, ahead of a planned visit to the Arctic island by the vice president.
April 11, 2025 at 12:13 PM
President Donald Trump speaks to the press before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Mar. 26, 2025 in Washington.
April 11, 2025 at 12:12 PM

Greenland status quo 'not an option,' Danish minister says after Vance visit

Denmark is open to discussions with the U.S. on how to "fix" the status quo in Greenland, the country's foreign minister said, after Vice President JD Vance's visit.
April 11, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance board Air Force Two after touring the U.S. military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, March 28, 2025.
April 11, 2025 at 11:28 AM

RFK Jr. pledges answer to 'autism epidemic' by September

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting that, by September, his agency will "know what has caused the autism epidemic."
April 11, 2025 at 11:28 AM
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting that, by September, his agency will "know what has caused the autism epidemic."