119-527: The College Scorecard is an online tool, created by the United States government, for consumers to compare the cost and value of higher education institutions in the United States. At launch, it displayed data in five areas: cost, graduation rate, employment rate, average amount borrowed, and loan default rate. In February 2022, the site was expanded and some data dropped under the Trump Administration
238-560: A Government Accountability Office report released in September 2020 and based on self-reported data, tactical teams from 16 federal agencies were deployed to multiple cities in May and June alone, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, CA; Denver, CO; Washington, DC; Miami, FL; Detroit and Port Huron, MI; St. Louis, MO; Buffalo and New York City, NY; Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and Pearland, TX; and Seattle and Tacoma, WA. The deployment
357-591: A Republican from New York , took office following his electoral college victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election , in which he lost the popular vote to Clinton by nearly three million votes. Upon his inauguration, he became the first president in American history without prior public office or military background . Trump made an unprecedented number of false or misleading statements during his 2016 campaign and first presidency. His first presidency ended following his defeat in
476-693: A wave of monument and memorial removals across the country during the George Floyd protests , President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13933, Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence , announcing that the federal government would (1) prosecute anyone vandalizing or desecrating public monuments, memorials, and statues; government property; or religious property; (2) prosecute anyone inciting related violence; and (3) withhold federal support from local and state governments that failed to protect such structures from vandalism. The executive order also stated that if
595-528: A DHS Open Source Intelligence Report reportedly revealing that Homeland Security had access to and scrutinized Telegram app messages posted by Portland protesters. It was not clear how the messages were acquired and the messages apparently did not discuss violent activity, but tactics on how to evade law enforcement during demonstrations. A day prior, Chad Wolf had ordered the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis to stop collecting information on journalists after
714-424: A better, more just Washington for everyone." Washington U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell co-sponsored a bill to limit the activities of federal agents to federal property and the immediate vicinity, unless requested by the mayor and governor, and to prevent unmarked vehicles from being used in arrests. In response to the withdrawal of federal officers, King County Executive Dow Constantine said
833-627: A conditional deal with the Taliban to withdraw United States troops from Afghanistan in 2021 . Trump met North Korea 's leader Kim Jong Un three times. He withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement and later escalated tensions in the Persian Gulf by ordering the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani . Robert Mueller 's Special Counsel investigation (2017–2019) concluded that Russia interfered to favor Trump's candidacy and that while
952-733: A constitutional crisis" according to the Associated Press . The Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union had already filed a lawsuit against local entities on June 28, claiming that police targeted and attacked journalists and legal observers, and on July 17, the ACLU added the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Marshals Service as defendants in that lawsuit. The group also called for
1071-497: A dark picture of contemporary America, pledging to end "American carnage" caused by urban crime and saying America's "wealth, strength, and confidence has dissipated" by jobs lost overseas. He declared his strategy would be " America First ." The largest single-day protest in U.S. history, the Women's March , took place the day after his inauguration and was driven by opposition to Trump and his policies and views. The Trump administration
1190-417: A distinctive part of his political identity, and they have also been described by Republican political advisor Amanda Carpenter as a gaslighting tactic. His White House had dismissed the idea of objective truth , and his campaign and presidency have been described as being " post-truth ", as well as hyper- Orwellian . Trump's rhetorical signature included disregarding data from federal institutions that
1309-517: A federal lawsuit against Trump and Attorney General William Barr , claiming they conspired to violate, and did violate, their constitutional rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments . Other officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secret Service Director James M. Murray , were also named as defendants. A second lawsuit was filed by three protesters on June 11 against law enforcement and Trump administration officials asserting that
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#17328559665161428-470: A hammer and was arrested. In the early hours of July 15, protester Mark Pettibone was walking home from a protest in Portland when an unmarked minivan stopped. A friend who had been walking with him recorded on videotape as multiple armed individuals clad in camouflage jumped out of the van; they apprehended Pettibone without identifying themselves or stating a reason for their actions. According to Pettibone,
1547-412: A journalist's press pass or equipment unless they're being lawfully arrested." Attorney General of Oregon Ellen Rosenblum filed a lawsuit against the federal government and " John Does 1–10", the still-unidentified federal agents, alleging that they had seized Oregonians without probable cause. The lawsuit requested a restraining order to be issued against U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS,
1666-465: A major arms sale to Saudi Arabia ; denied citizens from several Muslim-majority countries entry into the United States; recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel ; and brokered the Abraham Accords , a series of normalization agreements between Israel and various Arab states . Trump withdrew United States troops from northern Syria, allowing Turkey to occupy the area . His administration made
1785-775: A management technique, resulting in low morale and policy confusion among his staff. Trump proved unable to effectively compromise during the 115th U.S. Congress , which led to significant governmental gridlock and few notable legislative accomplishments despite Republican control of both houses of Congress. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin found Trump lacked several traits of an effective leader, including "humility, acknowledging errors, shouldering blame and learning from mistakes, empathy, resilience, collaboration, connecting with people and controlling unproductive emotions." In January 2018, Axios reported Trump's working hours were typically around 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (a later start and an earlier end compared to
1904-626: A path for President Trump and senior administration officials to walk from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo op. Just before visiting the church, Trump delivered a speech urging state governors to quell violent protests by using the National Guard to "dominate the streets", or he would otherwise "deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem". A number of law enforcement agencies were involved in
2023-693: A policy previously enacted under the Obama administration. Later, Trump falsely claimed that the Obama administration never tried to reform the police. 2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States In June 2020, the Trump administration began deploying federal law enforcement forces to select cities in the United States in response to rioting and monument removals amid the George Floyd protests . Federal law enforcement elements were deployed under Operation Legend , Operation Diligent Valor, and
2142-500: A real nut job ... I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off." On May 11, Trump said in a videoed interview, "... regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey ... in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story." On May 18, Rosenstein told members of the U.S. Senate that he recommended Comey's dismissal while knowing Trump had already decided to fire Comey. In
2261-400: A secret police force, not to investigate crimes but to intimidate individuals it views as political adversaries". According to a Pentagon spokesperson, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was troubled by reports of unidentified officers in militarized garb. Cornell University professor of constitutional law Michael C. Dorf said, "The idea that there's a threat to a federal courthouse and
2380-459: A security perimeter, which allowed for President Donald Trump to later walk from the White House to the historic St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square for a brief photo op . Days later, anonymous federal personnel in tactical and riot gear began to appear on D.C. streets, with many refusing to identify themselves. In July 2020, federal forces were deployed in Portland, Oregon as part of
2499-571: A separate Washington Post report. On August 26, Federal Protective Service officers and other DHS personnel used tear gas and impact munitions to disperse a crowd of demonstrators from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Waterfront . Border Patrol agents in Portland were not "specifically trained in riot control or mass demonstrations", according to an internal DHS memo. The president's actions raised "the prospect of
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#17328559665162618-507: A sitting president, Roberts criticized Trump's characterization of a judge who had ruled against his policies as an "Obama judge", adding "That's not law." In October 2020, twenty Republican former U.S. attorneys , among them appointees by each Republican president since Eisenhower, characterized Trump as "a threat to the rule of law in our country." Greg Brower , who worked in the Trump administration, asserted, "It's clear that President Trump views
2737-477: A special prosecutor to investigate civil rights violations by federal agents. On July 23, federal judge Michael Simon issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking federal law enforcement "from arresting or using force against journalists or legal observers unless there is probable cause, ... [and stating] that journalists and legal observers will not be required to leave an area if federal agents issue an order to disperse, and that federal officers can't seize
2856-475: A variety of allegations, at least some of which had already been investigated or debunked. In spring 2018, Trump told White House counsel Don McGahn he wanted to order the Department of Justice to prosecute Clinton and Comey, but McGahn advised Trump such action would constitute abuse of power and invite possible impeachment . In May 2018, Trump demanded that the Department of Justice investigate "whether or not
2975-504: A violent rioter looking to inflict damage on federal property or law enforcement officers, you need to find another line of work ... We will not retreat, we will continue to protect our facilities and our law enforcement officers." Wolf further defended Homeland Security's actions during the Portland protests at a Senate panel on August 6, denouncing local officials' lack of cooperation as "dangerous" and dismissing two former DHS secretaries' criticisms that federal agents had "no respect for ...
3094-651: Is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will." Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern referred to Trump as a "dictator". The chairs of the House Committee on Homeland Security , the Judiciary Committee , and the Committee on Oversight and Reform jointly authored a letter calling for an investigation, writing: "Citizens are concerned that the Administration has deployed
3213-657: The Portland Tribune filmed federal agents as they repeatedly struck and pepper sprayed a protester while he stood "as solidly as a rock". Chris David, a 54-year-old graduate of the United States Naval Academy and former Navy officer clad in Navy apparel, was a newcomer to the protest, reportedly drawn by recent stories of "kidnappings" by militarized federal agents. According to David, he approached federal agents and asked them how their actions squared with their oath to
3332-460: The 2016 U.S. presidential election , though Trump had chosen Bill Hagerty to begin planning for the transition in August 2016. During the transition period, Trump announced nominations for his cabinet and administration . Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2017, succeeding Barack Obama . He was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts . In his seventeen-minute inaugural address, Trump painted
3451-514: The 2020 presidential election to former Democratic vice president Joe Biden , after his first term in office. Trump was unsuccessful in his efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act but rescinded the individual mandate . He sought substantial spending cuts to major welfare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid . Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and a partial repeal of
3570-845: The Department of Homeland Security , Customs and Border Protection , Immigration and Customs Enforcement , the U.S. Marshals Service , the Federal Protective Service , the Department of Justice , and the heads of these federal agencies. The suit accuses the defendants of violating the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights and using excessive force , and it also claims that several of the acting officials haven't been confirmed for their roles and are overstepping their legal authority. The suit seeks to limit federal law enforcement to protecting federal property and to bar them from using specific actions, such as excessive crowd-control measures and custodial detentions without probable cause. U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy J. Williams requested that
3689-720: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about his contacts with Russia. Flynn was fired amidst the ongoing controversy concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election and accusations that Trump's electoral team colluded with Russian agents. In July 2017, John F. Kelly , who had served as secretary of Homeland Security , replaced Priebus as chief of staff. In September 2017, Tom Price resigned as Secretary of HHS amid criticism over his use of private charter jets for personal travel. Kirstjen Nielsen succeeded Kelly as secretary in December 2017. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
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3808-864: The President's Daily Brief , in favor of receiving oral briefings. Intelligence briefers reportedly repeated the President's name and title in order to keep his attention. He was also known to acquire information by watching up to eight hours of television each day, most notably Fox News programs such as Fox & Friends and Hannity , whose broadcast talking points Trump sometimes repeated in public statements, particularly in early morning tweets. Trump reportedly expressed anger if intelligence analyses contradicted his beliefs or public statements, with two briefers stating they had been instructed by superiors to not provide Trump with information that contradicted his public statements. Trump had reportedly fostered chaos as
3927-669: The Protecting American Communities Task Force (PACT). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited an executive order regarding "monuments, memorials and statues" as allowing federal officers to be deployed without the permission of individual U.S. states , as the federal government "has the right to enforce federal laws, investigate crimes and make arrests" within states. On June 1, 2020, in Washington, D.C. , federal law enforcement deployed riot control tactics and munitions against protesters to expand
4046-600: The Secretary of the Interior , the Secretary of Homeland Security , or the Administrator of General Services requested federal personnel "to assist with the protection of Federal monuments, memorials, statues, or property," they shall be provided by the Department of Defense , the Department of Justice , and/or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The order was interpreted as allowing federal officers to be deployed without
4165-713: The Transportation Security Administration . According to an internal memo, the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis received authorization to engage in domestic surveillance to protect against "threats to damage or destroy any public monument, memorial, or statue". Executive Order 13933 was revoked by President Joe Biden in May 2021. On June 1, 2020, amid the George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C. , security forces deployed tear gas and other riot control tactics to forcefully clear Lafayette Square and surrounding streets of protesters to create
4284-529: The U.S. Federal Protective Service and U.S. Marshals Service to stop them from making further arrests in Portland. It alleged violations of civil rights by arresting and detaining people without a warrant and denying them due process in violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution . On July 27, Protect Democracy and Perkins Coie filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Wall of Moms , Don't Shoot Portland , and several protesters against
4403-549: The U.S. courthouse , where they fired pepper spray or tear gas at protesters who got too close to the building. According to an article published by the Washington Post, some White House officials claimed that Trump became interested in federal operations against the protesters as a means of underscoring his law-and-order message, with the sources accusing the White House of wanting "to amplify strife in cities," and positing that
4522-536: The U.S. courts of appeals , more than any modern president in the first two years of a presidential term. Trump ultimately appointed 226 Article III federal judges and 260 federal judges in total. His appointees, who were usually affiliated with the conservative Federalist Society , shifted the judiciary to the right . A third of Trump's appointees were under 45 years old when appointed, far higher than under previous presidents. Trump's judicial nominees were less likely to be female or ethnic minority than those of
4641-535: The "apparent swift departure of Trump's uninvited and unneeded federal forces is a welcome turn of events." The President's action of deploying federal law enforcement to various U.S. cities was code named Operation Legend . (The operation was named after, although not capitalized the same as, LeGend Taliferro, a Kansas City-native child victim of gun violence.) On July 8, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that federal law enforcement would first be dispatched to Kansas City , Missouri. The federal assistance
4760-413: The 10% of people with the most conservative online information diets." Brendan Nyhan , one of the authors of the study, said in an interview, "People got vastly more misinformation from Donald Trump than they did from fake news websites." In October 2018, Trump praised U.S. representative Greg Gianforte for assaulting political reporter Ben Jacobs in 2017. According to analysts, the incident marked
4879-399: The 2017 phone logs or email metadata of reporters from CNN, The New York Times , The Washington Post , BuzzFeed , and Politico as part of investigations into leaks of classified information. Trump continued his use of Twitter following the presidential campaign. He continued to personally tweet from @realDonaldTrump , his personal account, while his staff tweet on his behalf using
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4998-454: The CFPB reduced enforcement of rules that protected consumers from predatory payday lenders . Trump scrapped a proposed rule from the Obama administration that airlines disclose baggage fees. Trump reduced enforcement of regulations against airlines; fines levied by the administration in 2017 were less than half of what the Obama administration did the year before. The New York Times summarized
5117-473: The Constitution. At that point, he was struck five times by double-handed blows from clubs, causing multiple broken bones and requiring surgery. On July 21 Richard Cline, deputy director of the Federal Protective Service , told reporters that three officers had suffered eye injuries when protesters deliberately aimed lasers at their eyes, and that the officers "may not recover sight in those eyes". The report
5236-519: The DHS Office of Inspector General conduct an investigation into the actions of DHS personnel. On July 23, Michael Horowitz , the Department of Justice Inspector General , announced that he and the Inspector General's office at the Department of Homeland Security would be investigating the federal law enforcement responses in Portland, "examining the training and instruction that was provided to
5355-559: The DOJ law enforcement personnel; compliance with applicable identification requirements, rules of engagement, and legal authorities; and adherence to DOJ policies regarding the use of less-lethal munitions, chemical agents, and other uses of force." A 2021 DHS internal report found that senior DHS officials had sought to portray the Portland protests, without evidence, as an organized effort by antifa to attack government institutions, had encouraged staff to conduct illegal warrantless searches of
5474-781: The Dodd–Frank Act . He appointed Neil Gorsuch , Brett Kavanaugh , and Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court . Trump reversed numerous environmental regulations , withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change , and signed the Great American Outdoors Act but later issued an Executive Order undercutting its impact. He signed the First Step Act aimed at reforming federal prisons . He enacted tariffs , triggering retaliatory tariffs from China , Canada, Mexico, and
5593-684: The European Union. He withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and signed the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement , a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement with modest changes. The federal deficit significantly increased under Trump due to spending increases and tax cuts. Trump implemented a controversial family separation policy for migrants apprehended at
5712-701: The FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes," which the Department of Justice referred to its inspector general . Although it is not unlawful for a president to exert influence on the Department of Justice to open an investigation, presidents have assiduously avoided doing so to prevent perceptions of political interference. Sessions resisted several demands by Trump and his allies for investigations of political opponents, causing Trump to repeatedly express frustration, saying at one point, "I don't have an attorney general." While criticizing
5831-648: The First Amendment and he must unblock them. The ruling was upheld on appeal. His tweets have been reported as ill-considered, impulsive, vengeful, and bullying , often being made late at night or in the early hours of the morning. His tweets about a Muslim ban were successfully turned against his administration to halt two versions of travel restrictions from some Muslim-majority countries. He has used Twitter to threaten and intimidate his political opponents and potential political allies needed to pass bills. Many tweets appear to be based on stories Trump has seen in
5950-566: The House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement, reading in part, "at a time when our country cries out for unification, this President is ripping it apart." At the start of July, forces from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Marshal Service , U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Federal Protection Service arrived in Portland, appearing at
6069-714: The July 4 holiday, CBP sent agents in support of FPS forces to the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle. CBP deployed 50 total agents that were then distributed among Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; and Washington, D.C. State and city officials and the Seattle Police Department were not informed of the activity. They did not make any arrests in Seattle. DHS sent BORTAC agents and ICE tactical officers to both Seattle and Portland. The Washington Post reported on July 20 that
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#17328559665166188-623: The Justice Department and the FBI as his own personal law firm and investigative agency." Early into his presidency, Trump developed a highly contentious relationship with the news media, repeatedly referring to them as the " fake news media" and "the enemy of the people ." As a candidate, Trump had refused press credentials for offending publications but said he would not do so if elected. Trump both privately and publicly mused about taking away critical reporters' White House press credentials . At
6307-427: The Justice Department replaced the prosecutors' proposed sentence with a lighter proposal. This gave the appearance of presidential interference in a criminal case and caused a strong negative reaction. All four of the original prosecutors withdrew from the case; more than a thousand former Department of Justice lawyers signed a letter condemning the action. On July 10, Trump commuted the sentence of Stone days before he
6426-520: The Lafayette Square investigation. The clearing of demonstrators from Lafayette Square was widely condemned as excessive and an affront to the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly by religious leaders and former military leaders, among others. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine referred to Trump's actions as that of a "tyrannical president". Following the event, Speaker of
6545-551: The Mueller probe, the Ukraine probe , immigration, and the COVID-19 pandemic . Senior administration officials had also regularly given false, misleading, or tortured statements to the news media, which made it difficult for the news media to take official statements seriously. Shortly before Trump secured the 2016 Republican nomination, The New York Times reported "legal experts across
6664-780: The PACT, where their use of unmarked cars and officers in camouflage without clear identification badges generated outrage. DHS officials defended the use of unmarked vehicles and unidentified officers in camouflage; acting DHS deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli said "Unmarked police vehicles are so common it's barely worth discussion" and that officers wore the same uniforms and equipment each day, so demonstrators could nevertheless identify them. Federal details were also deployed to Kansas City and Seattle . DHS had plans to send 150 agents to Chicago and President Trump had threatened future deployments to other cities "run by liberal Democrats ," including Oakland, California and New York . According to
6783-574: The Service resigning on the same day. Trump's fiscal 2020 budget proposed a 15% funding cut for the Agriculture Department, calling farm subsidies "overly generous". The administration reversed a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule that had made it easier for aggrieved consumers to pursue class actions against banks; the Associated Press characterized the reversal as a victory for Wall Street banks. Under Mick Mulvaney 's tenure,
6902-543: The Trump administration's "general approach to law enforcement" as "cracking down on violent crime", "not regulating the police departments that fight it", and overhauling "programs that the Obama administration used to ease tensions between communities and the police". Trump reversed a ban on providing federal military equipment to local police departments and reinstated the use of civil asset forfeiture . The administration stated that it would no longer investigate police departments and publicize their shortcomings in reports,
7021-487: The U.S. has experienced democratic backsliding . Many prominent Republicans have expressed similar concerns that Trump's perceived disregard for the rule of law betrayed conservative principles. During the first two years of his presidency, Trump repeatedly sought to influence the Department of Justice to investigate Clinton, the Democratic National Committee , and Comey. He persistently repeated
7140-677: The United Nations . Days after the presidential election, Trump selected RNC Chairman Reince Priebus as his chief of staff . Trump chose Sessions for the position of attorney general. In February 2017, Trump formally announced his cabinet structure, elevating the Director of National Intelligence and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency to cabinet level. The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers , which had been added to
7259-475: The United States–Mexico border, starting in 2018. His demand for the federal funding of a border wall resulted in the longest US government shutdown in history . He deployed federal law enforcement forces in response to the racial unrest in 2020 . Trump's " America First " foreign policy was characterized by unilateral actions, disregarding traditional norms and allies. His administration implemented
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#17328559665167378-487: The aftermath of Comey's firing, the events were compared with those of the " Saturday Night Massacre " during Richard Nixon 's administration and there was debate over whether Trump had provoked a constitutional crisis , as he had dismissed the man leading an investigation into Trump's associates. Trump's statements raised concerns of potential obstruction of justice. In Comey's memo about a February 2017 meeting with Trump , Comey said Trump attempted to persuade him to abort
7497-472: The aftermath of the Watergate scandal, inspectors general find themselves under systematic attack from the president, putting independent oversight of federal spending and operations at risk." Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017, saying he had accepted the recommendations of Attorney General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to dismiss Comey. Sessions's recommendation
7616-485: The anticipated use of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, and asking for data on surveillance and deployment. On June 9, over 30 members of Congress also voiced concerns to FBI Director Wray , National Guard Bureau Chief General Lengyel , DEA Acting Administrator Shea , and CBP Acting Commissioner Morgan about the surveillance of protesters, demanding that they cease. On June 26, 2020, in response to
7735-706: The beginning of his presidency) and that he was holding fewer meetings during his working hours in order to accommodate Trump's desire for more unstructured free time (labelled as "executive time"). In 2019, Axios published Trump's schedule from November 7, 2018, to February 1, 2019, and calculated that around sixty percent of the time between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. was "executive time." The number and scale of Trump's statements in public speeches, remarks, and tweets identified as false by scholars, fact-checkers, and commentators were characterized as unprecedented for an American president, and even unprecedented in U.S. politics. The New Yorker called falsehoods
7854-407: The cabinet by Obama in 2009, was removed from the cabinet. Trump's cabinet consisted of 24 members, more than Obama at 23 or George W. Bush at 21. On February 13, 2017, Trump fired Michael Flynn from the post of National Security Advisor on grounds that he had lied to Vice President Pence about his communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak ; Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to
7973-402: The camouflage-clad individuals placed him in the unmarked van and blindfolded him using his own beanie hat. Pettibone says the van then drove around in the city and took him to a building that he later learned after his release was the federal courthouse. There he was photographed, searched, placed in a cell, and Mirandized . Pettibone declined questioning and invoked his right to an attorney; he
8092-571: The cellphones of arrested protesters, and had compiled dossiers on protesters in order to attempt to prove coordination. The Governor of Oregon , Kate Brown , said the actions of the federal agents were a "blatant abuse of power" and reported having told Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf that "the federal government should remove all federal officers from our streets" and accused him of "putting both Oregonians and local law enforcement officers in harm's way". In an NBC News editorial, senior U.S. Senator for Oregon Ron Wyden described
8211-489: The city and that he would inform her of any changes. On July 25, thousands of protesters gathered in Seattle (one of several U.S. cities) where demonstrations took place in solidarity with Portland, Oregon after tensions escalated due to the Trump administration's decision to deploy federal agents against the wishes of local officials. The federal agents were not a visible presence in the protests, during which city and county police arrested 45 people. The following week,
8330-488: The clearing operation, including personnel from the U.S. Park Police (USPP), U.S. Secret Service , Federal Bureau of Prisons , Arlington County Police Department , U.S. Marshals Service , Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). D.C. National Guard Military Police were present but did not participate. On June 3, armed and camouflaged individuals were seen patrolling
8449-558: The course of his first six years in office. Trump's cabinet included U.S. senator from Alabama Jeff Sessions as attorney general , banker Steve Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary , retired Marine Corps general James Mattis as Defense Secretary , and ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State . Trump also brought on board politicians who had opposed him during the presidential campaign, such as neurosurgeon Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development , and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as Ambassador to
8568-498: The courthouse; they made no arrests and mostly stayed out of sight. A DHS spokesperson said federal officers would remain in the area at least until August 3. On July 31, Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a letter to acting Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis Brian Murphy inquiring about federal surveillance activities after The Washington Post acquired
8687-470: The day after the election, Trump was projected to have won Wisconsin (a flip from the previous presidential election ), thereby receiving enough electoral votes to secure the presidency, becoming the president-elect of the United States . Trump won the presidential election with 304 electoral votes compared to Clinton's 227, though Clinton won a plurality of the nationwide popular vote, receiving nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump. Trump thus became
8806-503: The deployment "is so damaging to the brands of the agencies. It guts public safety." Some DHS employees, speaking on condition of anonymity, decried the deployment as "blatantly unconstitutional and an embarrassment to the agency and the career civil servants who work here." DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf dismissed criticism saying, "I don't need invitations by the state, state mayors or state governors to do our job. We're going to do that, whether they like us there or not," and "If you are
8925-410: The deployment was "about getting viral online content." The DHS referred to its deployment in Portland as Operation Diligent Valor . Protester Donavan La Bella was shot in the head with a projectile fired by federal agents in Portland on July 11. He suffered facial injuries and skull fractures, requiring reconstructive surgery. On the same day, a man hit a federal agent in the head and shoulder with
9044-447: The federal agents, sent in anticipation of clashes on Independence Day, had mostly been withdrawn from Seattle. On July 23, an unspecified number of CBP agents were sent to an undisclosed location in the Seattle area. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan learned of the deployment from the agency late in the day on July 23, despite an earlier claim from DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, who told her the agency had no plans to send federal agents to
9163-659: The federal authorities are going to swoop in and do whatever they want to do without any cooperation and coordination with state and local authorities is extraordinary outside the context of a civil war ." Attorney Juan Chavez, the Northwest vice president of the National Lawyers Guild , told Oregon Public Broadcasting in response to the Pettibone case, "It's like stop and frisk meets Guantánamo Bay ... It sounds more like abduction. It sounds like they're kidnapping people off
9282-553: The federal officers as an "occupying army—complete with fatigues, military-style equipment and tactics that are utterly unacceptable in an American city." Oregon's junior U.S. Senator, Jeff Merkley , condemned "deploying paramilitary forces with no identification indicating who they are or who they work for" and demanded "not only that these acts end, but also that they remove their forces immediately from our state." Kentucky Senator Rand Paul stated, "Local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there
9401-424: The federal security detail sent to Seattle was withdrawn, following continued pressure from local and Washington state officials. Washington Governor Jay Inslee responded to the deployment in a tweet stating "President Trump sent federal officers to Seattle because he is itching for a confrontation. He wants attention. We shouldn't give him either. Keep it peaceful, keep the attention where it belongs – on building
9520-614: The fifth person to win the presidency while losing the popular vote . The electoral votes were certified on January 6, 2017. In the concurrent congressional elections , Republicans maintained their majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate , and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both remained in their posts. The presidential transition period began following Trump's victory in
9639-452: The first time the president has "openly and directly praised a violent act against a journalist on American soil." Later that month, as CNN and prominent Democrats were targeted with mail bombs , Trump initially condemned the bomb attempts but shortly thereafter blamed the "Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News" for causing "a very big part of the anger we see today in our society." The Trump Justice Department obtained by court order
9758-540: The forced removal represented a "gross abuse of executive power" that violated their First, Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. On June 22, Mark Greenblatt , Inspector General for the United States Department of the Interior , launched an investigation into the June 1 event following requests from several lawmakers. On July 23, Michael Horowitz , the Department of Justice Inspector General , announced that he
9877-540: The inauguration crowd had been the biggest in history, a claim disproven by photographs. Trump's senior adviser Kellyanne Conway then defended Spicer when asked about the falsehood, saying it was an " alternative fact ", not a falsehood. The administration frequently sought to punish and block access for reporters who broke stories about the administration. Trump frequently criticized right-wing media outlet Fox News for being insufficiently supportive of him, threatening to lend his support for alternatives to Fox News on
9996-462: The investigation into Flynn. After Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate in 2014, only 28.6 percent of judicial nominees were confirmed, "the lowest percentage of confirmations from 1977 to 2018". At the end of the Obama presidency, 105 judgeships were vacant. Senate Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , prioritized confirming Trump's judicial appointees, doing so rapidly. By November 2018, Trump had appointed 29 judges to
10115-474: The media, including far-right news websites such as Breitbart and television shows such as Fox & Friends . Trump used Twitter to attack federal judges who ruled against him in court cases and to criticize officials within his own administration, including then- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson , then- National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster , Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein , and, at various times, Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Tillerson
10234-505: The murder of George Floyd . Reportedly, some footage was sent in real time to Air and Marine Operations control centers and fed from there to the so-called "Big Pipe", a digital network enabling other federal agencies and local police to access it. On June 5, 2020, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee wrote Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf , expressing concern about surveillance and intimidation via Predator drones and
10353-741: The nomination by winning a majority of the delegates to become the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party following the party's presidential primaries. Trump selected Governor Mike Pence of Indiana as his running mate , and they were officially nominated as the Republican ticket at the 2016 Republican National Convention . With Democratic president Barack Obama term-limited, the Democrats nominated former secretary of state Hillary Clinton of New York for president and Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia for vice president. Early on November 9, 2016,
10472-510: The official @POTUS account. His use of Twitter was unconventional for a president, with his tweets initiating controversy and becoming news in their own right. Some scholars have referred to his time in office as the "first true Twitter presidency." The Trump administration described Trump's tweets as "official statements by the President of the United States." The federal judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ruled in 2018 that Trump's blocking of other Twitter users due to opposing political views violated
10591-572: The pace and volume of the president's misstatements means that we cannot possibly keep up." The Post found that as president, Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading claims, increasing from an average of six a day in his first year as president to 39 claims a day in his final year. The most common false or misleading claims by Trump involved the economy and jobs, his border wall proposal, and his tax legislation; he had also made false statements regarding prior administrations, as well as other topics, including crime, terrorism, immigration, Russia and
10710-512: The permission of individual U.S. states. The Department of Homeland Security created the Protecting American Communities Task Force (PACT) to coordinate its response, including assessing any potential unrest and deploying personnel to protect structures. Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf stated that the task force would not "...stand idly by while violent anarchists and rioters seek not only to vandalize and destroy
10829-589: The political spectrum say" Trump's rhetoric reflected "a constitutional worldview that shows contempt for the First Amendment , the separation of powers , and the rule of law ," adding "many conservative and libertarian legal scholars warn that electing Mr. Trump is a recipe for a constitutional crisis ." Political scientists warned that candidate Trump's rhetoric and actions mimicked those of other politicians who ultimately turned authoritarian once in office. Some scholars have concluded that during Trump's tenure as president and largely due to his actions and rhetoric,
10948-469: The prevailing evidence "did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government", possible obstructions of justice occurred during the course of that investigation. Trump attempted to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations into his political rival Joe Biden, triggering his first impeachment by the House of Representatives on December 18, 2019, but he
11067-493: The previous administration. Of Trump's judicial appointments to the U.S. courts of appeals (circuit courts), two-thirds were white men, compared to 31% of Obama nominees and 63% of George W. Bush nominees. Trump made three nominations to the Supreme Court : Neil Gorsuch , Brett Kavanaugh , and Amy Coney Barrett : Trump's own staffers, subordinates, and allies frequently characterized Trump as infantile. Trump reportedly eschewed reading detailed briefing documents, including
11186-461: The remaining 2,000 American troops in Syria would be withdrawn, against the recommendations of his military and civilian advisors. Trump fired numerous inspectors general of agencies, including those who were probing the Trump administration and close Trump associates. In 2020, he fired five inspectors general in two months. The Washington Post wrote, "For the first time since the system was created in
11305-574: The results . At a rally on January 6, 2021, Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol , where the electoral votes were being counted by Congress in order to formalize Biden's victory. A mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol , suspending the count and causing Vice President Mike Pence and other members of Congress to be evacuated. On January 13, the House voted to impeach Trump an unprecedented second time for incitement of insurrection , but he
11424-551: The right. On August 16, 2018, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution affirming that "the press is not the enemy of the people." The relationship between Trump, the news media, and fake news has been studied. One study found that between October 7 and November 14, 2016, while one in four Americans visited a fake news website , "Trump supporters visited the most fake news websites, which were overwhelmingly pro-Trump" and "almost 6 in 10 visits to fake news websites came from
11543-428: The risk of further incitement of violence" following the Capitol attack . Trump announced in his final tweet before the suspension that he would not attend the inauguration of Joe Biden . Other social media platforms like Facebook , Snapchat , YouTube and others also suspended the official handles of Donald Trump. Due to Trump's trade tariffs combined with depressed commodities prices, American farmers faced
11662-563: The same time, the Trump White House gave temporary press passes to far-right pro-Trump fringe outlets, such as InfoWars and The Gateway Pundit , which are known for publishing hoaxes and conspiracy theories . On his first day in office, Trump falsely accused journalists of understating the size of the crowd at his inauguration and called the news media "among the most dishonest human beings on earth." Trump's claims were notably defended by Press Secretary Sean Spicer , who claimed
11781-449: The special counsel investigation immediately; he also referred to it as "rigged" and its investigators as biased. After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence. In February 2020, Trump tweeted criticism of the prosecutors' proposed sentence for Trump's former aide Roger Stone . A few hours later,
11900-477: The special counsel investigation in July 2019, Trump falsely claimed that the Constitution ensures that "I have to the right to do whatever I want as president." Trump had on multiple occasions either suggested or promoted views of extending his presidency beyond normal term limits. Trump frequently criticized the independence of the judiciary for unfairly interfering in his administration's ability to decide policy. In November 2018, in an extraordinary rebuke of
12019-555: The streets of Washington, D.C. wearing anti-riot gear. The individuals refused to identify themselves to journalists. A representative of the National Guard later identified the individuals as employees of the Bureau of Prisons. Three days after the Lafayette Square clearing, a group of protesters and Black Lives Matter D.C., represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law , filed
12138-509: The streets." Tom Ridge , DHS's founding Secretary and a former governor of Pennsylvania, decried the deployment, saying DHS "was not established to be the president's personal militia". Ridge further opined "it would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to an uninvited, unilateral intervention into one of my cities." Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson likewise condemned the deployment and argued that public concerns were not an overreaction. Former DHS Senior Official John Sandweg argued
12257-401: The symbols of our nation, but to disrupt law and order and sow chaos in our communities." PACT would partner with the Justice Department and the Department of Interior to share information. Other departments that would potentially coordinate with the task force were the Federal Protective Service , U.S. Secret Service , Immigration and Customs Enforcement , Customs and Border Protection and
12376-490: The wishes of local authorities" as "dead wrong". He contended that DHS and DOJ officers were "abandoned" by city officials and that the "Cooperation and assistance our federal officers receive in any other city around the country did not exist in Portland." The Intercept noted the use of smoke grenades containing Hexachloroethane particularly noting that "Protesters who were exposed to chemical gas ... report ... effects not usually associated with tear gas". In advance of
12495-615: The worst crisis in decades. Trump provided farmers $ 12 billion in direct payments in July 2018 to mitigate the negative impacts of his tariffs, increasing the payments by $ 14.5 billion in May 2019 after trade talks with China ended without agreement. Most of the administration's aid went to the largest farms. Politico reported in May 2019 that some economists in the United States Department of Agriculture were being punished for presenting analyses showing farmers were being harmed by Trump's trade and tax policies, with six economists having more than 50 years of combined experience at
12614-455: Was acquitted by the Senate on February 5, 2020. Trump reacted slowly to the COVID-19 pandemic , ignored or contradicted many recommendations from health officials in his messaging , and promoted misinformation about unproven treatments and the availability of testing. Following his loss in the 2020 presidential election to Biden, Trump made unproven claims of widespread electoral fraud and initiated an extensive campaign to overturn
12733-517: Was based on Rosenstein's, while Rosenstein wrote that Comey should be dismissed for his handling of the conclusion of the FBI investigation into the Hillary Clinton email controversy . On May 10, Trump met Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak . Based on White House notes of the meeting , Trump told the Russians, "I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy,
12852-519: Was characterized by record turnover, particularly among White House staff. By early 2018, 43% of senior White House positions had turned over. The administration had a higher turnover rate in the first two and a half years than the five previous presidents did over their entire terms. By October 2019, one in 14 of Trump's political appointees were former lobbyists; less than three years into his presidency, Trump had appointed more than four times as many lobbyists than his predecessor Barack Obama did over
12971-521: Was due to report to prison. In response to the mid-2020 George Floyd protests , some of which resulted in looting, Trump tweeted on May 25 that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Not long after, Twitter restricted the tweet for violating the company's policy on promoting violence. On May 28, Trump signed an executive order which sought to limit legal protections of social media companies. On January 8, 2021, Twitter announced that they had permanently suspended Trump's personal account "due to
13090-474: Was eventually fired via a tweet by Trump. Trump also tweeted that his Justice Department is part of the American "deep state" ; that "there was tremendous leaking, lying and corruption at the highest levels of the FBI, Justice & State " Departments ; and that the special counsel investigation is a " WITCH HUNT !" In August 2018, Trump used Twitter to write that Attorney General Jeff Sessions "should stop"
13209-591: Was fired via a tweet in March 2018; Trump appointed Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson and Gina Haspel to succeed Pompeo as the director of the CIA. In the wake of a series of scandals, Scott Pruitt resigned as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in July 2018. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis informed Trump of his resignation following Trump's abrupt December 19, 2018, announcement that
13328-404: Was incompatible to his arguments; quoting hearsay, anecdotal evidence, and questionable claims in partisan media; denying reality (including his own statements); and distracting when falsehoods were exposed. During the first year of Trump's presidency, The Washington Post 's fact-checking team wrote that Trump was "the most fact-challenged politician" it had "ever encountered ...
13447-492: Was interrupted when he was tear gassed by federal agents. On July 27, the Trump administration announced that additional federal agents would be sent to reinforce the Portland Courthouse. However, under a deal worked out between Governor Kate Brown and the Trump administration, federal agents withdrew to standby locations on July 30, while state and local law enforcement forces took over responsibility for protecting
13566-554: Was investigating the role of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement personnel in responding to protests in Washington during the previous two months, "examining the training and instruction that was provided to the DOJ law enforcement personnel; compliance with applicable identification requirements, rules of engagement, and legal authorities; and adherence to DOJ policies regarding the use of less-lethal munitions, chemical agents, and other uses of force.” He added that he would coordinate with Inspector General Greenblatt's office on
13685-517: Was later acquitted by the Senate again on February 13, after he had already left office. Trump was elected for a second non-consecutive term in 2024 and will start his second presidency as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Donald Trump officially announced his candidacy for the nomination of the Republican Party in the 2016 presidential election on June 16, 2015, at his Trump Tower residence. In May 2016, Trump clinched
13804-438: Was later repeated by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany , blaming "so-called peaceful protesters". Contradicting McEnany's claims of permanent blindness, Acting Deputy Secretary Cuccinelli later testified that all officers recovered full vision within hours or days. On July 22, Portland mayor Ted Wheeler traveled to the protest site to address the assembled crowds and engage in a "listening session". Wheeler's session
13923-456: Was met with lawsuits, rebukes, and concerns over constitutionality. In May 2021, Trump's successor Joe Biden revoked the executive order that allowed for federal prosecution of individuals that vandalized federal monuments. By June 19, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security had logged "at least 270 hours of surveillance " captured via airplanes , drones , and helicopters above demonstrations in 15 cities protesting police violence and
14042-534: Was released about 90 minutes later. He said he was not given any written record of his arrest or citation for any alleged crime. The U.S. Marshals Service issued a statement denying their agency was involved in Pettibone's apprehension, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection later acknowledged that its agents were involved. On July 15, video was recorded showing several unidentified armed individuals wearing camouflage fatigues physically apprehending another demonstrator and taking him away in an unmarked van. On July 18,
14161-401: Was restored. New per-institution data includes post-graduation average income, and percentage of graduates earning more than people with a high school degree. Official website First presidency of Donald Trump Donald Trump 's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began on January 20, 2017, when Trump was inaugurated and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump,
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