America.gov’s chatbot said Donald Trump had taken a presidential salary, contradicting his claim at the site’s launch that he was the first U.S. president to forgo one. The article reports that Trump took in about $1.2 billion from various crypto holdings the previous year. The revamped government website, launched Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, also gave answers that clashed with statements Trump has repeatedly made, then changed some responses as he spoke at its launch.
The Government Site’s Answers
America.gov says it aims to simplify access to government information and services. The site says artificial intelligence generates its answers, which draw on “official government sources.”
Asked about the 2020 presidential election, the chatbot 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.” Republican Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden, yet he has repeatedly and falsely claimed victory was “stolen” and widespread fraud took place. Repeated audits and recounts found no significant fraud, and Trump’s own administration said the election was clean.
Then the answers shifted. As Trump spoke at the launch, the site changed some responses. Asked again about the 2020 election, the chatbot said it couldn’t answer “political questions.” It gave that same answer to questions about whether Trump had been impeached or convicted of felony charges.
The chatbot also said the 22nd Amendment made Trump ineligible for election as president more than twice. Its response read: “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 often suggested he wants a third term, posting about another campaign, wearing 2028 caps and discussing ways to make it happen, even as he acknowledges 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.
Climate, Defense and Executive Power
On climate change, America.gov said federal climate-science pages attribute recent warming largely to human greenhouse-gas emissions, mainly those produced by burning fossil fuels. It also said Earth’s climate has changed naturally over long periods. Trump has called climate change a “hoax.”
Trump previously signed 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 chatbot 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.”
Salary Claim and Private Holdings
Asked about presidential salaries, the chatbot said some presidents had declined to keep their pay. It named Trump, along with 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. The article identifies him as a real estate mogul and reports that he took in about $1.2 billion from various crypto holdings the previous year.
The launch event took place at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington. Trump held a signing ceremony surrounded by Cabinet members and others. The site initially cited official federal sources; several answers changed during the event, as the administration presented the website as a new access point for government information.