One year ago, much of the country watched in shock as the numbers came in on election night announcing Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. A lot has happened in that year, from protests to new policies to lots and lots of tweets. Here’s a small breakdown of a few of the things Trump has done, said and sent out to the world via Twitter in the year since he was elected president.
November. 22: In an interview with the New York Times, Trump already begins to ease back on some of his campaign promises, like his vow to “jail” Hillary Clinton and his support of torturing terrorism suspects. He promises to have an “open mind” about climate change and responds to concerns about conflicts with presidential decisions because of his global businesses, saying, “The law’s totally on my side. The president can’t have a conflict of interest.”
Also after his election, Trump claims he won the popular vote.
In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
December 30: Trump praises Vladimir Putin, calling the Russian president “smart” for not retaliating against the U.S. in response to new Russian sanctions.
Great move on delay (by V. Putin) – I always knew he was very smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2016
January 20: On his first official day as president, Trump signed an executive order scaling back the Affordable Care Act. John McDonough, a professor at Harvard’s School of Public Health, said this move, “set the new administration, on day one, on a path of destruction and mayhem regarding the ACA, without any attempt at a coherent substitute.”
Not long after, on January 27, Trump signs an executive order banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries, starting a long battle concerning his travel ban hopes.
February 13: Trump conducts national security business around North Korea nuclear missile testing while at Mar-a-Lago, providing club members with front-row seats to top-secret matters.
Mar-a-Lago member who pays Trump hundreds of thousands of dollars posts pics of – and identifies – US official carrying nuclear football. pic.twitter.com/oyAfY0E9Fj
— Kristaps (@samueloakford) February 13, 2017
March 6: In an attempt to overcome some legal troubles with his January travel ban, Trump signs a new executive order, taking Iraq off of the list of countries from which travel is barred and reinstating a temporary ban on all refugees.
April 6: Trump launches U.S. missile strike on Syrian air base while at Mar-a-Lago with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump reportedly told Xi about the move over dessert, a conversation Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said was “in lieu of after-dinner entertainment.”
May 9: Trump fires FBI Director James Comey while Comey was in the middle of investigating whether or not Trump’s campaign colluded with the Russians in the election.
June 5: In a series of tweets, Trump attacks the Justice Department and federal courts after they blocked part of his executive order, which limited travel from six predominantly-Muslim countries. Trump says that he preferred “the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version [the Justice Department] submitted to [the Supreme Court, a move that experts said complicated his legal team’s defense.
July 26: Trump says transgender people will not be allowed in the military because the armed forces can’t handle the “tremendous medical costs and disruption.”
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
August 15: After a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia turned deadly, Trump calls white supremacists “very fine people” and says that there is “blame on both sides” for the violence that erupted.
September 19: Trump attends the U.N. General Assembly, during which he promises to “totally destroy” North Korea if the country threatens the United States or our allies, calling Kim Jung-Un Rocket Man.”
October 3: After Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, Trump jokes about how the U.S. territory has “thrown our budget a little out of whack.” A few days later, while visiting the area, he threw paper towels to Puerto Ricans who had lost everything.
Nov. 1: After an Uzbekistan native allegedly carried out a terror attack in Manhattan, which left eight people dead and a dozen people injured, Trump called on Congress to end the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, saying that instead, he’s fighting for “merit-based” immigration.
The terrorist came into our country through what is called the “Diversity Visa Lottery Program,” a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2017
