First presidency of Donald Trump

U.S. presidential administration from 2017 to 2021

The first presidency of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021.

First presidency of Donald Trump
January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021
PartyRepublican
Election2016
SeatWhite House
Barack ObamaJoe Biden
Archived website
Library website

2016 presidential election

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Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, taking 304 of the 538 electoral votes. Five other individuals received electoral votes from faithless electors.

On November 9, 2016, Republican Donald Trump of New York and Governor Mike Pence of Indiana won the 2016 election, defeating former Democratic secretary of state Hillary Clinton of New York and U.S. senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Trump won 304 electoral votes compared to Clinton's 227, although Clinton won the popular vote, receiving nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump. Trump then became the fifth person to win the presidency while losing the popular vote.[1] In the congressional elections, Republicans maintained majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Personnel

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The Trump Cabinet
OfficeNameTerm
PresidentDonald Trump2017–2021
Vice PresidentMike Pence2017–2021
Secretary of StateRex Tillerson2017–2018
Mike Pompeo2018–2021
Secretary of TreasurySteven Mnuchin2017–2021
Secretary of DefenseJames Mattis2017–2018
Patrick M. Shanahan2019–
Mark Esper2019–2020
Christopher C. Miller2020–2021
Attorney GeneralJeff Sessions2017–2018
Matthew Whitaker2018–2019
William Barr2019–2020
Jeffrey Rosen2020–2021
Secretary of the InteriorRyan Zinke2017–2019
David Bernhardt2019–2021
Secretary of AgricultureSonny Perdue2017–2021
Secretary of CommerceWilbur Ross2017–2021
Secretary of LaborAlexander Acosta2017–2019
Patrick Pizzella2019–2021
Secretary of Health and
Human Services
Tom Price2017–2017
Don J. Wright (acting)2017–2017
Eric Hargan (acting)2017–2018
Alex Azar2018–present
Secretary of EducationBetsy DeVos2017–2021
Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development
Ben Carson2017–present
Secretary of TransportationElaine Chao2017–present
Secretary of EnergyRick Perry2017–present
Secretary of Veterans AffairsDavid Shulkin2017–2018
Robert Wilkie2018–present
Secretary of Homeland SecurityJohn F. Kelly2017–2017
Kirstjen Nielsen2017–2019
Kevin McAleenan (acting)2019–present
Chief of StaffReince Priebus2017–2017
John F. Kelly2017–2019
Mick Mulvaney (acting)2019–present
Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency
Scott Pruitt2017–2018
Andrew Wheeler2019–present
Director of the Office of
Management and Budget
Mick Mulvaney2017–present
Ambassador to the United NationsNikki Haley2017–2018
Jonathan Cohen (acting)2019–2019
Kelly Craft2019–present
United States Trade RepresentativeRobert Lighthizer2017–present
Director of National IntelligenceDan Coats2017–2019
Joseph Maguire (acting)2019–present
Director of the
Central Intelligence Agency
Mike Pompeo2017–2018
Gina Haspel2018–present
Administrator of the
Small Business Administration
Linda McMahon2017–2019
Chris Pilkerton (acting)2019–present

The Trump administration has had record turnover, particularly among White House staff. By the end of his first year in office, 34 percent of Trump's original staff had resigned, been fired, or been reassigned.[2] As of early March 2018, 43 percent of senior White House positions had turned over.[3]

On September 5, 2018, The New York Times published an article entitled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration",[4] written by an anonymous senior official in the Trump administration. The author asserted that "many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations."

In Office

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Trump's presidency was marked by a focus on economic issues, tax reforms, immigration and deregulation. He implemented a conservative agenda, appointed three Supreme Court justices, withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and engaged in historic meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. However, his tenure was also characterized by controversy, including impeachment proceedings related to his dealings with Ukraine and the Trump administration family separation policy.

Elections during the Trump presidency

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Republican seats in Congress
Congress Senate House
115th[1] 52 241
116th 53 200

2018 mid-term elections

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In the 2018 mid-term elections, Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, while Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate.[5]

2020 presidential election

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In the 2020 presidential election, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence ran against former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris. The president and vice president lost both the electoral college and the popular vote.

This made Trump the first incumbent president since 1992 to lose his re-election bid. Trump and Pence left office on January 20, 2021.

Historical evaluations and public opinion

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Gallup approval polling
  Disapprove
  Unsure
  Approve

By the end of Trump's first year in office, opinion polls showed him as the least popular United States president since 1945.[6] He said many false and misleading things in his campaign and presidency. Those things were documented by fact-checkers.[7]

Early in his presidency, the Trump administration developed a controversial relationship with mass media. He repeatedly said it was the "fake news".[8] In general, news outlets have made false facts before.

Trump's most repeated false statements were each repeated over 100 times during his presidency.[source?] They included that the "Trump wall" was already being built, that a U.S. trade deficit would be a "loss" for the country, and that the American economy was the strongest ever during his administration.

References

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  1. "Trump's victory another example of how Electoral College wins are bigger than popular vote ones". Pew Research Center. December 20, 2016.
  2. Trimble, Megan (December 28, 2017). "Trump White House Has Highest Turnover in 40 Years". U.S. News. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  3. Keith, Tamara. "White House Staff Turnover Was Already Record-Setting. Then More Advisers Left". NPR. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  4. "Opinion - I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration". The New York Times. September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  5. Cillizza, Chris (November 10, 2018). "2018 was a WAY better election for Democrats than most people seem to think". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  6. How Trump Ranks (Report). Five Thirty Eight. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  7. It's True: Trump is Lying More, and He's Doing it on Purpose. New Yorker. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  8. "Trump Keeps Saying 'Enemy of the People'". The Business Insider. Retrieved February 20, 2019.