The promise tracker: what Trump pledged, and the record

The pledge: A 2024 campaign promise, according to PolitiFact. ¹

For nearly a year Trump imposed a 10% tariff on almost all imports, with higher rates for some countries, using a 1977 emergency powers law. ¹ On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump that the law does not allow tariffs. ¹ Trump said the same day he would use other trade laws instead. ¹

Collection of the emergency tariffs ended on February 24, 2026, and a 10% tariff on imports from all countries began that day under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows 150 days. ² It ended on July 24, 2026. ³ The same day, tariffs of 10% to 12.5% took effect on goods from 60 jurisdictions under Section 301, with exemptions; a 25% tariff on Brazil was imposed on July 22. ³

Separate tariffs on steel, aluminum, copper, autos and some semiconductors remain in force under Section 232. ² Customs and Border Protection has refunded tens of billions of dollars to importers after the Supreme Court ruling. ³ A trade court ruled against the Section 122 tariff in May 2026 and the government appealed. ³

The pledge: Promise 14 of the Republican platform approved July 8, 2024; in 2023 he said he would not touch either program. ^{1 2}

The rules that set Social Security benefits had not changed as of February 2026, and Medicare benefits had not been cut directly, PolitiFact found. ² The administration also kept the Medicare drug price negotiation program begun under President Biden, though the 2025 law delayed negotiation for some rare-disease drugs. ²

The tax and spending law of July 2025 ended Medicare eligibility for certain lawfully present immigrants. ² Early in the term the Department of Government Efficiency moved to cut the Social Security Administration's workforce, offices and services; courts blocked some cuts and others were reversed. ² The administration proposed lower federal payments to private Medicare Advantage plans, citing their higher cost to the government. ²

Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act were not named in the platform pledge. ¹ KFF, citing Congressional Budget Office estimates, reported that the 2025 law's changes to both, together with expired insurance tax credits, are projected to leave more than 14 million more people uninsured by 2034. ³ PolitiFact rates the pledge In the Works. ²

The pledge: Posted on Truth Social on July 31, 2024, that seniors should not pay tax on Social Security. ¹

The law Trump signed on July 4, 2025, did not change how Social Security benefits are taxed. ¹ It added a deduction of $6,000 for each person 65 or older, for tax years 2025 through 2028. ² The deduction shrinks above $75,000 of income, or $150,000 for couples. ² Senate rules barred a direct repeal in a bill passed by simple majority. ¹

People who claim benefits at 62 to 64, and disabled workers and survivors under 65, do not get the deduction. ¹ Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation estimated in May 2025 that about 27 million tax returns would owe tax on benefits in 2026 under the old law, and about 24 million under an earlier, smaller version of the deduction. ¹

Trump said at the July 4, 2025, signing that the law delivered no tax on Social Security. ¹ The White House said 88% of recipients would pay no tax on their benefits, and its economists estimated 33.9 million seniors would gain an average of $670. ³ The Associated Press reported that the bill created a temporary deduction and did not eliminate the tax. ³ PolitiFact rated the pledge Compromise. ¹

The pledge: Said while campaigning in August 2024, as NBC News reported on August 29, 2024, according to PolitiFact. ¹

On February 18, 2025, Trump signed an order giving his domestic policy adviser 90 days to recommend ways to protect access to IVF and lower its cost to patients and health plans. ² PolitiFact noted it was a request for ideas, not a law or a funded program. ¹

On October 16, 2025, the White House announced lower prices on three IVF drugs through a deal with the maker EMD Serono, to be sold through the TrumpRx.gov site, and told employers they may offer stand-alone fertility benefits. ³ Federal health officials estimated savings of up to $2,200 per cycle on drugs. ³ KFF found the plan created no mandate, federal subsidy or new tax incentive. ³

An IVF cycle costs $15,000 to $20,000 on average and many patients need more than one, according to KFF. ³ The drug discounts do not cover egg retrieval or embryo transfer. ³ The administration's stated policy is to ensure reliable access to IVF and ease rules that add to its cost. ²

The pledge: Promise 8 of the Republican platform approved July 8, 2024, pledged to restore peace in the Middle East. ¹

Trump announced a 20-point plan in September 2025, and a ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025. ² The deal ended major military operations, returned all remaining hostages and increased aid, the Associated Press reported. ³ The plan created a Board of Peace, chaired by Trump, to oversee the ceasefire and the governing of Gaza. ^{2 3}

One year later the AP reported that progress had stalled. ³ Israeli strikes had killed more than 1,400 Palestinians since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and Israel controlled more than half the territory. ³ An international security force announced in February 2026 had not deployed, and almost nothing had been rebuilt. ³

In July 2026 Trump announced a deal for Hamas to disarm in phases, tied to Israeli withdrawal; Hamas said it agreed, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the phased approach days later. ³ Board members pledged $7 billion for Gaza in February 2026; rebuilding is estimated to cost $70 billion. ² The Trump administration wants disarmament and Israeli withdrawal to proceed together. ³

The pledge: Said yes when asked on Fox News in June 2024, and told podcaster Lex Fridman in September 2024 he would have no problem releasing them. ¹

On July 7, 2025, the Justice Department and FBI said in a memo that a review had found no client list. ¹ On July 16, 2025, Trump called the matter a hoax. ¹ Congress then passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and Trump signed it on November 19, 2025. ² It gave the attorney general 30 days, until December 19, to publish the records. ²

The department missed the deadline; it later said in a court filing that it had posted about 12,285 documents and that millions of pages remained. ² On January 30, 2026, it released more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. ³ Roll Call reported the department had identified more than 6 million pages that might be covered and produced nearly 3.5 million. ⁴

The department says the law lets it withhold victims' personal details, images of abuse and material that could harm an active investigation, and denies shielding Trump. ^{3 4} Todd Blanche, then deputy attorney general, said it had nothing to hide and offered lawmakers a look at unredacted files. ⁴ The law's authors, Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, said records were being withheld and redacted unlawfully. ²

The pledge: Promise 17 of the Republican platform approved July 8, 2024; PolitiFact tracks his campaign pledge to sign a ban into law. ^{1 2}

Trump signed the order Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports on February 5, 2025. ³ It told the Education Department to pursue schools and athletic associations that let transgender athletes compete in women's sports, told agencies to review their grants, and directed the State Department to press the International Olympic Committee. ³

On June 30, 2026, in West Virginia v. B.P.J., the Supreme Court ruled that state laws in West Virginia and Idaho barring transgender girls and women from female teams do not violate federal law. ² The ruling allows such bans but does not require them. ² Twenty-nine states have them; 21 have no policy or protect participation. ²

The administration holds that federal law requires sex-based teams everywhere. ² The Justice Department has sued Maine, California and Minnesota; those suits continue and no federal funding had been revoked as of June 2026. ² The ruling did not fulfil the pledge to sign legislation, and PolitiFact rates it In the Works. ²