At the launch of the federal government’s revamped America.gov website on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, answers began changing while President Donald Trump spoke. The administration presented the site as a simpler way to access government information and services. It uses artificial intelligence and, according to the website, draws on “official government sources.” Yet answers shifted in real time on questions tied to Trump’s claims and political standing.
Official Answers, Until They Change
Asked about the 2020 presidential election, the site initially replied: “Official federal sources do not show that widespread fraud changed the 2020 presidential election outcome. Isolated election crimes did occur and have been prosecuted.” Trump, a Republican, lost to Democrat Joe Biden. He has repeatedly claimed falsely that the victory was “stolen” and that widespread fraud occurred. Repeated audits and recounts found no significant fraud, and Trump’s own administration said the election was clean.
Then users asked the election question again. The site said it couldn’t answer “political questions.” It gave the same response when asked whether Trump had been impeached or convicted of felony charges. The government information service first gave a direct answer, then declined to answer questions involving the president.
The site also addressed whether Trump was running for president in 2028. It replied: “The 22nd Amendment says that no person shall be elected President more than twice. Donald J. Trump has already been elected twice (2016 and 2024). I am not giving legal advice.” Trump has frequently suggested he wants a third term, posting about another campaign, wearing 2028 caps and discussing ways to make it happen, while also acknowledging that the Constitution prohibits it. A couple of months after returning to the White House, he told NBC News, “There are methods which you could” use to seek a third term.
The State’s Labels and the President’s Claims
On climate change, America.gov said: “Federal climate-science pages say recent warming is largely from human greenhouse-gas emissions, mainly burning fossil fuels. Earth’s climate has also changed for natural reasons over long periods.” Trump has called climate change a “hoax.” He previously issued an executive order directing the Environmental Protection Agency to submit a report on “the legality and continuing applicability” of the endangerment finding. Conservatives and some congressional Republicans have long sought to undo rules they view as overly restrictive and economically damaging measures to limit greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
The site called the Pentagon “the headquarters of the Department of Defense.” Last year, Trump signed an executive order aimed at rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, saying the former name was “woke.” The government website and presidential order gave competing names for the same department.
The chatbot’s answer about presidential pay also corrected Trump’s remarks. It said some presidents had declined to keep their pay, naming Trump alongside George Washington, Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy as presidents who had refused their salaries. During his remarks Tuesday, Trump said he was the first U.S. president to forgo a salary, a claim he’s made before. Trump, a real estate mogul, took in about $1.2 billion from various crypto holdings the previous year.
A Launch, Not a Community Response
The launch took place at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington. Trump held a signing ceremony surrounded by Cabinet members and others. The account describes a state-run information service and formal ceremony, but no grassroots response, mutual aid effort or community-organized alternative. Users were left with answers that changed as the launch unfolded, including a refusal to address political questions after the site had already answered them.
America.gov says its purpose is to make government information and services easier to access. Instead, its launch placed official information beside the president’s claims—and showed how quickly the site could decline to answer.