We Were Warned
This isn't hindsight. Before a single ballot was cast in 2024, the warnings were said out loud — at rallies, in interviews, on the record. Kamala Harris was right about what was coming, and so were a lot of people who got called alarmists for saying it. Here's what we were told, matched against court filings, executive orders, and lawsuit dockets. Decide for yourself whether it landed.
Receipts with a source carry the fact and its citation inline. The rest reference matters of public record — court filings, executive actions and active litigation — and are being sourced one at a time; where estimates differ we state the range, not the most flattering number. Cards marked Statement are slogans and assert no specific factual claim. Political commentary and satire on public officials and public affairs.
Estimates of the annual cost per household range from about $1,000 (Tax Foundation, 2025) to more than $2,200 (Yale Budget Lab). The National Taxpayers Union put it at $2,048 a year in August 2025; a Poynter review of the estimates centred on roughly $1,700.
NBER research on the 2025 tariffs puts consumer pass-through at about 26% — 64% of that directly, through higher prices on imported goods, and 36% indirectly, as US producers faced costlier inputs and raised their own markups.
The Dallas Fed attributed about 0.80 percentage points of March 2026 core PCE inflation to tariff collections, against core PCE running near 2.6% in total.
Trump publicly pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to charge James Comey, New York AG Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff. Prosecutor Erik Siebert left on 19 September 2025 — Trump said he fired him — and Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump attorney, brought indictments against Comey and James. In November 2025 a federal judge dismissed both, finding Halligan had not been lawfully appointed; in December a Virginia grand jury refused to indict James, which is rare. Roughly 5,500 career DOJ staff have left since January 2025 and more than 200 were fired.
Trump publicly pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to charge James Comey, New York AG Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff. Prosecutor Erik Siebert left on 19 September 2025 — Trump said he fired him — and Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump attorney, brought indictments against Comey and James. In November 2025 a federal judge dismissed both, finding Halligan had not been lawfully appointed; in December a Virginia grand jury refused to indict James, which is rare. Roughly 5,500 career DOJ staff have left since January 2025 and more than 200 were fired.
On 20 January 2025 Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon to roughly 1,500 January 6 defendants and commuted the sentences of 14 others, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.
Trump publicly pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to charge James Comey, New York AG Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff. Prosecutor Erik Siebert left on 19 September 2025 — Trump said he fired him — and Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump attorney, brought indictments against Comey and James. In November 2025 a federal judge dismissed both, finding Halligan had not been lawfully appointed; in December a Virginia grand jury refused to indict James, which is rare. Roughly 5,500 career DOJ staff have left since January 2025 and more than 200 were fired.
Trump publicly pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to charge James Comey, New York AG Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff. Prosecutor Erik Siebert left on 19 September 2025 — Trump said he fired him — and Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump attorney, brought indictments against Comey and James. In November 2025 a federal judge dismissed both, finding Halligan had not been lawfully appointed; in December a Virginia grand jury refused to indict James, which is rare. Roughly 5,500 career DOJ staff have left since January 2025 and more than 200 were fired.
In March 2025 Trump posted that Biden's pardons of the January 6 committee members were "hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT" because they were signed by autopen. He said it; he cannot do it. Fact-checkers rated the claim false: no constitutional mechanism exists to revoke a delivered pardon, an 1869 ruling held them final, and DOJ and Solicitor General opinions from 1929 and 2005 confirm a hand signature is not required.
DOGE obtained access to Social Security Administration systems holding personal data. In March 2025 Judge Ellen Hollander (D. Md.) issued a restraining order barring further access and ordering Musk and DOGE to disgorge and delete non-anonymised personal data, later granting a preliminary injunction. DOGE also targeted SSA field offices for closure and pushed to cut phone services for claims and direct deposit. Benefit levels themselves were not cut.
USAID: 83% of its programmes were cancelled on 10 March 2025 and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the agency's official closure on 1 July 2025, with functions absorbed into the State Department. Education: Trump signed an executive order on 20 March 2025 directing the Secretary to facilitate the department's closure — but the department was created by Congress and cannot be abolished without it, so the order pares back its role rather than closing it.
The ACA's enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025 — Congress did not extend them, rather than repealing the Act. About 22 million people had them, over 90% of marketplace enrollees. Average premiums paid by subsidised enrollees more than doubled, from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026 per KFF, a 114% rise. The CBO estimates 2.2 million more people uninsured in 2026 as a result. A House bill to reinstate them passed in January 2026 but has not cleared the Senate.
USAID: 83% of its programmes were cancelled on 10 March 2025 and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the agency's official closure on 1 July 2025, with functions absorbed into the State Department. Education: Trump signed an executive order on 20 March 2025 directing the Secretary to facilitate the department's closure — but the department was created by Congress and cannot be abolished without it, so the order pares back its role rather than closing it.
On 5 August 2025 HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced BARDA was terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments worth nearly $500 million, including contracts with Moderna, Pfizer and CSL Seqirus, asserting the vaccines "fail to protect effectively" against COVID and flu. Public health experts disputed that. It followed a May 2025 cancellation of Moderna prepandemic influenza grants.
NIH terminated 2,291 active research grants in 2025, withdrawing $2.45 billion. Across NIH and NSF roughly 5,300 grants worth over $5 billion in unspent funds were frozen or ended. The National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities lost the most. Terminations disrupted 3.5% of active clinical trials, affecting more than 74,000 participants. No institutes were closed.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced 31 deregulatory actions on 12 March 2025, targeting power plant and vehicle emissions limits, wastewater rules and air quality standards. In February 2026 the EPA finalised elimination of the Endangerment Finding, rescinding federal greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks. These were announced and in progress rather than all completed at announcement.
As of 9 April 2026 Just Security's tracker counted 753 cases challenging administration actions. Lawfare counts differently — treating a district case and its appeals as one matter — and logged 316 to 333 active cases. The New York Times has reported over 700 filed since January 2025.
As of 9 April 2026 Just Security's tracker counted 753 cases challenging administration actions. Lawfare counts differently — treating a district case and its appeals as one matter — and logged 316 to 333 active cases. The New York Times has reported over 700 filed since January 2025.
Trump issued 230 executive orders in his first year back in office — the highest first-year total since Franklin Roosevelt's 568 in 1933. He signed 225 in calendar 2025 and had reached 254 by 2 April 2026, alongside 59 memoranda and 136 proclamations.
Executive Order 14215, "Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies", signed 18 February 2025, requires independent regulators — including the FEC, FCC, SEC and FTC — to submit major regulations to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, to coordinate policy with OMB and White House councils, and to install a White House Liaison. It also binds agency staff to the President's interpretation of the law. It was challenged in court on 28 February 2025. The agencies were not folded into OMB outright; their rulemaking was placed under White House review.
Executive Order 14215, "Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies", signed 18 February 2025, requires independent regulators — including the FEC, FCC, SEC and FTC — to submit major regulations to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, to coordinate policy with OMB and White House councils, and to install a White House Liaison. It also binds agency staff to the President's interpretation of the law. It was challenged in court on 28 February 2025. The agencies were not folded into OMB outright; their rulemaking was placed under White House review.
Inspectors general at 17 federal agencies were fired on 24 January 2025, in what members of Congress described as a Friday-night purge.
On 20 February 2026 the Supreme Court held 6-3, Chief Justice Roberts writing, that "IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs", invalidating both the reciprocal tariffs and those on China, Canada and Mexico (Learning Resources v. Trump). Collection stopped on 24 February; tariffs under other authorities such as Section 232 remain.
In September 2025 the Supreme Court allowed the administration to withhold $4 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, finding the Impoundment Control Act precluded the challengers' suit. The freeze was issued fewer than 45 days before the fiscal year ended — a "pocket rescission" that cancels funds without a congressional vote. Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee put the total withheld across government at $436.87 billion.
In September 2025 the Supreme Court allowed the administration to withhold $4 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, finding the Impoundment Control Act precluded the challengers' suit. The freeze was issued fewer than 45 days before the fiscal year ended — a "pocket rescission" that cancels funds without a congressional vote. Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee put the total withheld across government at $436.87 billion.
USAID: 83% of its programmes were cancelled on 10 March 2025 and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the agency's official closure on 1 July 2025, with functions absorbed into the State Department. Education: Trump signed an executive order on 20 March 2025 directing the Secretary to facilitate the department's closure — but the department was created by Congress and cannot be abolished without it, so the order pares back its role rather than closing it.
Around 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines were deployed to Los Angeles in June 2025 over Governor Newsom's objections, after protests against immigration raids. On 2 September 2025 US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled the administration had violated the Posse Comitatus Act, finding it "systematically used armed soldiers and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control".
Around 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines were deployed to Los Angeles in June 2025 over Governor Newsom's objections, after protests against immigration raids. On 2 September 2025 US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled the administration had violated the Posse Comitatus Act, finding it "systematically used armed soldiers and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control".
ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel off air in September 2025 after his remarks on Charlie Kirk's killing, following FCC chair Brendan Carr's public threat — "we can do this the easy way or the hard way" — and his suggestion that ABC's licence could be pulled. Kimmel returned roughly a week later, though Sinclair, which runs 35+ ABC affiliates, replaced the show with news. The FCC received more complaints about the suspension than about the original remarks.
Four federal judges blocked the order between June 2025 and August 2025, after the Supreme Court narrowed nationwide injunctions in June 2025. In June 2026 the Supreme Court struck the order down outright.
A 25 March 2025 executive order directed DHS and SSA to build a citizenship-verification database for election officials, repurposing SAVE — a tool built to check immigration status for benefits. The Justice Department has filed 31 federal lawsuits, against 30 states and DC, demanding voter data; most states refused on privacy grounds, and no court at district or appellate level has ruled for DOJ. Common Cause sued on 21 April 2026 to block a national voter database. Reporting shows the tool wrongly flags eligible voters.
On 24 February 2025 — the invasion's third anniversary — the United States voted against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russian aggression and calling for the return of Ukrainian territory, siding with Russia, North Korea and 15 other states. It passed 93-18-65. The US tabled a rival text, "The Path to Peace", describing the war as the "Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict" rather than an invasion, then abstained on its own resolution after the EU amended it to name the invasion and affirm Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Both withdrawals were ordered on day one, 20 January 2025. Executive Order 14162 directed formal notice of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, which took effect a year after notification; a separate order withdrew the US from the World Health Organization, citing "onerous payments".
In September 2025 the Supreme Court allowed the administration to withhold $4 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, finding the Impoundment Control Act precluded the challengers' suit. The freeze was issued fewer than 45 days before the fiscal year ended — a "pocket rescission" that cancels funds without a congressional vote. Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee put the total withheld across government at $436.87 billion.
On 25 June 2024, 16 Nobel-winning economists — led by Joseph Stiglitz — signed a letter warning that a second Trump term would "reignite" inflation and threaten economic stability, calling Biden's economic agenda "vastly superior".
As of 9 April 2026 Just Security's tracker counted 753 cases challenging administration actions. Lawfare counts differently — treating a district case and its appeals as one matter — and logged 316 to 333 active cases. The New York Times has reported over 700 filed since January 2025.
Straight Answers
How Many Felonies Does Trump Have?
34 felony convictions, and a sentence with no penalty attached. The counts, the discharge, and the appeal.
How Much Has He Made As President?
She warned he would run the country like a business he owned. An estimated $2.2 billion in year one says he did.