On Jan. 20, 2021, Donald Trump ceased to be President of the United States of America. Throughout his presidency there were highs and lows, and he received both the ire of some people and praise from others. 

   The first year in office was one of the wildest in recent memory. Trump was inaugurated into office on Jan. 20, 2017 and immediately went to work attempting to fulfill his promises to roll back Obamacare.

   Three days later, on Jan. 23,  Trump would sign his second executive order of his presidency, which withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 

   The next day Trump signed a third executive order that would see the construction of the Keystone and Dakota pipelines, which would help transport cheap oil from Canada to the U.S.

    On  Jan. 25 Trump signed another executive order that would start the construction of the controversial U.S.-Mexican border wall.

   On Jan. 27 the Travel Ban was signed, preventing people from countries such as Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the U.S. The ban was to prevent foreign terrorists from entering U.S. borders. 

  Soon afterward, on Feb. 22 a controversial bill was signed, which withdrew federal protections for transgender students in school. This meant that students who are transgender could not compete in sports of the opposite gender or use opposite bathrooms.

   Trump later announced on Feb. 27 that there would be $54 billion in budget cuts, but would include an increase in defense spending. 

   On March 6 Trump signed the travel ban, but Iraq was removed from the list of nations affected by it.

   A big challenge of the Trump presidency appeared when FBI Director James Comey confirmed an investigation of potential Russian collusion on March 20.

   North Korea would start to become a bigger issue when it tested a new ballistic missile while President Trump and Chinese President XI Jinping were meeting together. North Korea would become a major problem during the Trump presidency and would never fail to be a potential threat.

   The U.S. showed off its military might on April 6 when the U.S. Air Force launched an airstrike against Syrian air bases. The attack was in response to Syrian chemical attacks on Syrian civilians. 

   The U.S. would again drop bombs in the Middle East, this time dropping the “Mother of All Bombs” on April 13. The target was a major ISIS training group and base of operations. The attack would weaken ISIS forces in Afghanistan and showed how America would handle foreign threats in the future. 

   The FBI investigations continued when it was discovered that Russian agents tried to speak with Trump advisors.

   Tensions in the Korean peninsula increased when on April 29 Trump said that military actions against North Korea would not be out of the question. This worried many people as a war against North Korea could lead to a war against their neighbor China. 

   On May 6 Trump made his first trip abroad as president when he departed from D.C. enroute to Saudi Arabia. Three days later he would fire the Director of the FBI, James Comey.

   On May 17 James Comey would oversee the Russian Investigation against President Trump. 

   On May 20, after visiting the Vatican City and Israel, Trump landed in Saudi Arabia and signed a nearly $110 billion defense bill with King Salman.

   After his visit to Saudi Arabia Trump scolded NATO allies over defense spending, citing that the U.S. is tasked with defending many of its weaker allies. 

   On June 1 another controversial move was made when Trump announced that the U.S. would leave the Paris Climate Accord. The accords were signed by many nations to help combat climate change. 

   Trump would also attempt to increase relations between America’s historical rival, Russia. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Hamburg, Germany.

   Tensions between the world and North Korea increased yet again when nuclear attacks were promised against the U.S. if North Korea was attacked.

   The U.S. military got a real shake up when President Trump announced on July 26 the ban of transgender soldiers from serving in the military. This was highly controversial as it went against Trump’s claims about supporting LGBTQ+ rights.  

   Despite all the controversy, Trump claimed to show his support for the American people when he donated his second-quarter salary to the Department of Education on the same day as the transgender-military ban. 

   Another threat was made against North Korea when President Trump promised “fire and fury” against North Korea. In response North Korea threatened missile strikes against the U.S. territory of Guam.

   On August 14, at a “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA, a white supremacist rammed his car into a group of counter-protestors, killing one woman and injuring many more. Trump condemned the KKK, Neo-Nazis and white supremacists but drew criticism for some of his other remarks. 

   Following Hurricane Harvey, Trump signed a relief bill on Sept. 8, promising aid and funding to help rebuild the damaged coastal areas affected by the storm.

   Tensions in the Korean Peninsula rose to an all time high when the North Korean foreign minister accused the United States of declaring war on Sept. 25. This was due to American bombers flying into international airspace east of North Korea in a show of force.  

   On Oct. 13, President Trump threatened to pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. This deal was signed by President Obama back in 2015, and its purpose was to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power by monitoring imports of nuclear materials. 

   Three days later on Oct. 16, U.S. missiles struck ISIS camps located in Yemen, killing dozens of fighters in the process. ISIS was starting to lose control due to the combined efforts of the U.S. military and NATO forces.

   On Oct. 26, Trump declared an opioid epidemic and gave it the status of a public health emergency. There were an estimated 130 people dying from opioid use each day in the United States, which adds up to a little under 48,000 people a year.

    On Dec. 6, President Trump officially recognized the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocated the U.S. embassy from the temporary capital of Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This move grew great concern internationally as Israel’s neighbor Palestine also gave claim to the city. 

   Just prior to Christmas, President Trump signed a historic tax cut for all middle class and lower class families on Dec. 23, saving Americans nationwide a total of $1.3 trillion. Critics of the tax cut claim that it mostly benefits corporations and the wealthy.

   The first year with Trump was one of the most intense first years of any president in recent memory. President Trump passed several bills to benefit the American people but also received the scorn of many people.