American business magnate Donald Trump took over as the 45th President of United States of America on January 20, 2017. And since then President Trump has been in the limelight for many reasons, from pulling out of the Paris climate accord to recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and calling North Korea’s leader a “rocket man on a suicidal mission.”
Here is a rewind of his presidency.
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Within hours of taking the oath, Mr. Trump
Though the Republican-dominated U.S. House approved a Bill to repeal Obamacare, the Senate rejected it.
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First removal
Acting Attorney General Sally Yates was removed from her post after she instructed government law officers not to defend the presidential order that put restrictions on people from seven Muslim-majority countries travelling to the U.S. Mr. Trump called Ms. Yates as “an Obama A.G,” hours before sacking her.
Michael Flynn, Mr. Trump’s pick for National Security Advisor, had to quit within a month of his appointment after his name figured in the Russian hacking scandal. And then FBI director James Comey was dismissed “for his way of handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.”
First foreign trip
Mr. Trump chose Riyadh as his first official destination abroad for a Middle East Summit. This was followed by Jerusalem, West Bank, the Vatican, NATO Summit in Brussels and G7 meet in Sicily. His trip to Saudi Arabia was significant where he addressed the issue of “Islamic extremism” beside sealing a defence deal with the Kingdom. Days after Mr. Trump left the country, Saudi Arabia cut its diplomatic ties with Qatar claiming the latter is supporting Iran, which is opposed to US-Saudi ties.
First change in policy
The significant aspect of Mr. Trump’s first year of presidency has been overturning what was perceived as former President Barack Obama’s landmark decisions. The first among many was opting out of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that took shape after nearly a decade of negotiations. The other major one was pulling out of the Paris Accord in which countries decided to work together to limit global warming.
He reluctantly agreed to give Iran “one last chance” before taking a decision on repealing the nuclear deal, and has vowed to revisit “one-sided” settlement of Cuban deal.
First dissent
White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who took on the media on behalf of Mr. Trump for the first six months, submitted his resignation after the President decided to appoint New York financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director despite his disapproval.
First UN address
On Sept. 19, 2017, Mr. Trump made is maiden address at United Nations General Assembly . His address largely revolved around North Korea.
“…if U.S is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime,” he said referring to the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. In his speech he also called Iran a “rogue nation.”
First loss
Virginia and New Jersey went on polls to select their Governors. The Republican Party lost both states to Democrats in the first major polls after the Presidential elections. A month later, Democrat Doug Jones won a ticket to Senate from the traditionally red Alabama.
First recognition
Reversing decades of policy, Mr. Trump officially recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and also declared the U.S. Embassy will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It may be recalled that Mr. Trump’s predecessors — from Bill Clinton to George Bush — made similar promises on the campaign trail, but quickly reneged upon taking office.
First legislative victory
Republicans ensured safe passage of Mr. Trump’s $1.5 trillion tax overhaul in both Houses of Congress, making it the first legislative victory of Mr. Trump in the first year of his presidency. The tax code, a first in 30 years, includes permanent tax breaks for corporations and temporary tax cuts for individuals.
First tell-all book
Journalist Michael Wolff published ‘Fire and Fury’, an account of the first 100 days of the Trump Presidency. The book dubbed as “phoney” and “full of lies” by Mr. Trump, was sold out on the day it was released in Washington. Though the White House claims the author never sat down with the President, the book elaborates on how the presidential win came as a surprise to the Trump camp, his obsession with Russian President Vladimir Putin, daughter Ivanka’s presidential ambitions, to junior Trump’s ‘orchestrated’ Saudi coup.