First presidency of Donald Trump: Difference between revisions

The [[First presidential transition of Donald Trump|presidential transition period]] began following Trump's victory in the [[2016 United States presidential election|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 [[First cabinet of Donald Trump|cabinet]] and [[Executive Office of the President of the United States|administration]].

== Administration ==

Days after the presidential election, Trump selected RNC Chairman [[Reince Priebus]] as his [[White House Chief of Staff|chief of staff]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Shear|first1=Michael|last2=Haberman|first2=Maggie|author2-link=Maggie Haberman|last3=Rappeport|first3=Alan|title=Donald Trump Picks Reince Priebus as Chief of Staff and Stephen Bannon as Strategist|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/us/politics/reince-priebus-chief-of-staff-donald-trump.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 13, 2016|access-date=November 14, 2016}}</ref> Trump chose Sessions for the position of attorney general.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last=Stokols|first=Eli|title=What Trump's early picks say about his administration|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/trump-cabinet-selections-231617 |newspaper=[[Politico]]|date=November 18, 2016|access-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref>

On February 13, 2017, Trump fired [[Michael Flynn]] from the post of [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] on grounds that he had lied to Vice President Pence about his communications with [[List of ambassadors of Russia to the United States|Russian Ambassador]] [[Sergey Kislyak]]; Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) about his contacts with Russia.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Goldman|first1=Adam|last2=Mazzetti|first2=Mark|date=May 14, 2020|title=Trump White House Changes Its Story on Michael Flynn|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/us/politics/trump-michael-flynn.html|access-date=May 20, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Flynn was fired amidst the ongoing controversy concerning [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russian interference in the 2016 election]] and accusations that Trump's electoral team colluded with Russian agents.

During the first two years of his presidency, Trump repeatedly sought to influence the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] to investigate Clinton,<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/trumpometer/promise/1345/appoint-special-prosecutor-investigate-hillary-cli/ |access-date=November 10, 2021 |title=No special counsel was ever appointed to investigate Hillary Clinton |work=PolitiFact |first=Louis |last=Jacobson |date=July 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||access-date=November 10, 2021 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/03/trump-doj-investigate-hillary-clinton-244505 |title=Trump ratchets up call for DOJ to investigate Hillary Clinton |first=Louis |last=Nelson |website=[[Politico]] |date=November 3, 2017}}</ref> the [[Democratic National Committee]],<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/358576-trump-calls-on-fbi-to-investigate-dems-after-revelations-about/|first1=Jordan|last1=Fabian|first2=Avery|last2=Anapol|title=Trump calls on FBI to investigate Clinton-DNC deal|work=The Hill|date=November 3, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2022}}</ref> and Comey.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-foes-james-comey-andrew-mccabe-reportedly-subjected-rare-rigorou-rcna37024|title=IRS asks for review of audits into Trump foes James Comey and Andrew McCabe|date=July 7, 2022|first1=Zoë|last1=Richards|first2=Dareh|last2=Gregorian|work=NBC News|access-date=September 19, 2022}}</ref> He persistently repeated a variety of allegations, at least some of which had already been investigated or debunked.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/03/trump-doj-investigate-hillary-clinton-244505 |first=Louis |last=Nelson |title=Trump ratchets up call for DOJ to investigate Hillary Clinton |work=[[Politico]] |access-date=November 21, 2018 |date=November 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/20/politics/donald-trump-justice-department-campaign/index.html|title=Trump demands Justice Department examine whether it or FBI spied on campaign |first1=Maegan |last1=Vazquez |first2=Laura |last2=Jarrett |first3=Dana |last3=Bash |date=May 20, 2018 |work=CNN|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> 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 [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeachment]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/20/us/politics/president-trump-justice-department.html |date=November 20, 2018 |first1=Michael S. |last1=Schmidt |first2=Maggie |last2=Haberman |title=Trump Wanted to Order Justice Dept. to Prosecute Comey and Clinton |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> In May 2018, Trump demanded that the Department of Justice investigate "whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes," which the Department of Justice referred to its [[United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General|inspector general]].<ref name="nytimes.com2">{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/20/us/politics/trump-mueller.html |date=May 20, 2018 |first1=Julie Hirschfeld |last1=Davis |first2=Adam |last2=Goldman |title=Trump Demands Inquiry Into Whether Justice Dept. 'Infiltrated or Surveilled' His Campaign|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref name="nytimes.com2" /><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-north-america-ap-top-news-impeachments-060ca2399a744b4a9554dbd2ec276a90 |title=Trump Wanted to Prosecute Comey, Hillary Clinton|work=Associated Press |date=November 21, 2018 |first=Zeke |last=Miller |access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref>

Trump frequently criticized the independence of the judiciary for unfairly interfering in his administration's ability to decide policy.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last=Coyle|first=Marcia|date=February 25, 2020|title='Ridiculous and Unhelpful': Commentary on Trump's Bashing of SCOTUS|work=[[National Law Journal]]|url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2020/02/25/ridiculous-and-unhelpful-commentary-on-trumps-bashing-of-scotus/?slreturn=20200125193933|access-date=February 26, 2020}}</ref> In November 2018, in an extraordinary rebuke of 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."<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/20/us/politics/trump-appeals-court-ninth-circuit.html |first=Adam |last=Liptak |date=November 20, 2018 |title=Trump Takes Aim at Appeals Court, Calling It a 'Disgrace'|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> In October 2020, twenty Republican former [[United States Attorney|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 the Justice Department and the FBI as his own personal law firm and investigative agency."<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Hamburger |first1=Tom |last2=Barrett |first2=Devlin |title=Former U.S. attorneys – all Republicans – back Biden, saying Trump threatens 'the rule of law' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republican-us-attorneys-back-biden/2020/10/27/c1b55702-17fd-11eb-befb-8864259bd2d8_story.html |access-date=November 10, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 27, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:19 03 2019 Declaração à imprensa (47423243351).jpg|thumb|During a joint news conference, Trump said he was "very proud" to hear [[Brazil]]ian president [[Jair Bolsonaro]] use the term "fake news."<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||title=Trump says he's 'very proud' to hear Bolsonaro use the term 'fake news'|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/434762-trump-says-hes-very-proud-to-hear-bolsonaro-use-the-term-fake-news |first=Brett |last=Samuels |access-date=November 7, 2021 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|date=March 19, 2019}}</ref>]]

The Trump Justice Department obtained by court order the 2017 [[phone log]]s 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.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/02/politics/trump-administration-phone-records-reporters-new-york-times/index.html |access-date=November 11, 2021 |date=June 3, 2021 |title=New York Times reports Trump administration secretly obtained its reporters' phone records|first=Paul |last=LeBlanc |website=CNN}}</ref>

In response to the mid-2020 [[George Floyd protests]], some of which resulted in looting,<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||last1=Calamur|first1=Krishnadev|last2=Rascoe|first2=Ayesha|last3=Wise|first3=Alana|date=May 29, 2020|title=Trump Says He Spoke With Floyd's Family, Understands Hurt And Pain Of Community|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/05/29/864722348/twitter-hides-trumps-tweet-on-minneapolis-saying-it-glorifies-violence|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=[[NPR]]}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||last=Porter|first=Jon|date=May 29, 2020|title=Twitter restricts new Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence'|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/29/21274323/trump-twitter-glorifying-violence-minneapolis-shooting-looting-notice-restriction|access-date=June 29, 2020|website=The Verge}}</ref> On May 28, Trump signed an executive order which sought to limit legal protections of social media companies.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||last=Allyn|first=Bobby|date=May 28, 2020|title=Stung By Twitter, Trump Signs Executive Order To Weaken Social Media Companies|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/05/28/863932758/stung-by-twitter-trump-signs-executive-order-to-weaken-social-media-companies|access-date=June 29, 2020|website=[[NPR]]}}</ref>

== Domestic affairs ==

[[File:Ann Wagner Statement on President Signing FOSTA into Law.jpg|thumb|Trump signed [[FOSTA-SESTA]] on April 16, 2018.{{Verify source|date=June 2024|reason=date, secondary source}}]]

In December 2017, Sessions and the Department of Justice rescinded a 2016 guideline advising courts against imposing large fines and fees on poor defendants.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/43qxqp/jeff-sessions-is-cool-with-towns-like-ferguson-fining-the-poor-into-oblivion |first=Taylor |last=Dolven |title=Jeff Sessions gives OK for towns like Ferguson to hit the poor with heavy fines |access-date=December 26, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226130441/https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/43qxqp/jeff-sessions-is-cool-with-towns-like-ferguson-fining-the-poor-into-oblivion |archive-date=December 26, 2017|date=December 22, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:President Donald J. Trump at the G20 Summit (44300765490).jpg|thumb|right|Trump signs the [[United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement]] (USMCA) alongside Mexican president [[Enrique Peña Nieto]] and Canadian prime minister [[Justin Trudeau]] in [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina, November 30, 2018.]]

[[File:Signing Ceremony Phase One Trade Deal Between the U.S. & China (49391434906).jpg|thumb|right|Trump and Chinese Vice Premier [[Liu He (politician)|Liu He]] sign the Phase One [[China–United States trade war|Trade Deal]], January 15, 2020.]]

Three weeks after Republican senator [[Chuck Grassley]], chairman of the [[Senate Finance Committee]], wrote an April 2019 ''Wall Street Journal'' op-ed entitled "Trump's Tariffs End or His Trade Deal Dies", stating "Congress won't approve [[USMCA]] while constituents pay the price for Mexican and Canadian retaliation," Trump lifted steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexico and Canada.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Salama|first1=Vivian|last2=Zumbrun|first2=Josh|last3=Mackrael|first3=Kim|date=May 17, 2019|title=U.S. Reaches Deal With Canada, Mexico to End Steel and Aluminum Tariffs|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-close-to-deal-with-canada-mexico-to-end-steel-and-aluminum-tariffs-11558110448 |access-date=November 10, 2021}}</ref> Two weeks later, Trump unexpectedly announced he would impose a 5% tariff on all imports from Mexico on June 10, increasing to 10% on July 1, and by another 5% each month for three months, "until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP".<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Karni|first1=Annie|last2=Swanson|first2=Ana|last3=Shear|first3=Michael D.|date=May 30, 2019|title=Trump Says U.S. Will Hit Mexico With 5% Tariffs on All Goods|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/us/politics/trump-mexico-tariffs.html |access-date=November 10, 2021}}</ref> Grassley commented the move as a "misuse of presidential tariff authority and counter to congressional intent".<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||title=Trump says U.S. to impose 5 percent tariff on all Mexican imports beginning June 10 in dramatic escalation of border clash|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/trump-prepares-to-threaten-mexico-with-new-tariffs-in-attempt-to-force-migrant-crackdown/2019/05/30/0f05f01e-8314-11e9-bce7-40b4105f7ca0_story.html |first1=Damian |last1=Paletta |first2=Nick |last2=Miroff |first3=Josh |last3=Dawsey |date=May 30, 2019 |access-date=November 10, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> That same day, the Trump administration formally initiated the process to seek congressional approval of USMCA.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||title=Trump Pushes USMCA Approval Plan in Move That Irks Pelosi|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-30/trump-plows-ahead-with-usmca-approval-plan-as-democrats-waver |access-date=November 10, 2021 |date=May 30, 2019 |first1=Jenny |last1=Leonard |first2=Erik |last2=Wasson |website=[[Bloomberg LP]]}}</ref> Trump's top trade advisor, [[Office of the United States Trade Representative|U.S. Trade Representative]] [[Robert Lighthizer]], opposed the new Mexican tariffs on concerns it would jeopardize passage of USMCA.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Salama |first1=Vivian |last2=Mauldin |first2=William |last3=Lucey |first3=Catherine |date=June 1, 2019|title=Trump's Threat of Tariffs on Mexico Prompts Outcry |access-date=November 10, 2021 |newspaper=[[Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-top-trade-adviser-opposed-mexican-tariffs-11559320692}}</ref> Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trump senior advisor Jared Kushner also opposed the action. Grassley, whose committee is instrumental in passing USMCA, was not informed in advance of Trump's surprise announcement.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||title=Trump defies close advisers in deciding to threaten Mexico with disruptive tariffs|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-defies-close-advisers-in-deciding-to-threaten-mexico-with-disruptive-tariffs/2019/05/31/d87ae82c-83ba-11e9-bce7-40b4105f7ca0_story.html |first1=Seung Min |last1=Kim |first2=Josh |last2=Dawsey |first3=Damian |last3=Paletta |date=May 31, 2021 |access-date=November 10, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> On June 7, Trump announced the tariffs would be "indefinitely suspended" after Mexico agreed to take actions, including deploying its [[National Guard (Mexico)|National Guard]] throughout the country and along its southern border.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Shear|first1=Michael D.|last2=Swanson|first2=Ana|last3=Ahmed|first3=Azam|date=June 7, 2019|title=Trump Calls Off Plan to Impose Tariffs on Mexico|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/us/politics/trump-tariffs-mexico.html |access-date=November 10, 2021}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' reported the following day that Mexico had actually agreed to most of the actions months earlier.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Shear|first1=Michael D. |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |date=June 8, 2019|title=Mexico Agreed to Take Border Actions Months Before Trump Announced Tariff Deal |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/08/us/politics/trump-mexico-deal-tariffs.html |access-date=November 10, 2021}}</ref>

=== Guns ===

{{Main|Gun law in the United States}}

=== Health care ===

In 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration reorganized the Global Health Security and Biodefense unit at the NSC by merging it with other related units.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/387191-trump-official-overseeing-pandemic-response-suddenly-leaves-admin|title=Trump official overseeing pandemic readiness exits|last=Thomsen|first=Jacqueline|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|access-date=February 26, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105175454/https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/387191-trump-official-overseeing-pandemic-response-suddenly-leaves-admin |date=May 10, 2018 |archive-date=November 5, 2020}}</ref> Two months prior to the [[Wuhan outbreak|outbreak in Wuhan China]], the Trump Administration had cut nearly $200 million in funding to Chinese research scientists studying animal [[coronavirus]]es.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||last1=Baumgaertner|first1=Emily|last2=Rainey|first2=James|date=April 2, 2020|title=Trump administration ended pandemic early-warning program to detect coronaviruses|url=https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-04-02/coronavirus-trump-pandemic-program-viruses-detection|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103154422/https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-04-02/coronavirus-trump-pandemic-program-viruses-detection|archive-date=January 3, 2021|access-date=April 3, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Throughout his presidency he also proposed budget cuts to global health.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||last=Finnegan|first=Conor|title=Trump budget proposes cuts to global health amid two global health crises|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-budget-proposes-cuts-global-health-amid-global/story?id=68911515 |date=February 12, 2020 |access-date=February 26, 2020|website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref> The Trump administration ignored detailed plans on how to mass-produce [[Protective mask|protective respirator masks]] under a program that had been launched by the Obama administration to alleviate a mask shortage for a future pandemic.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/federal-government-spent-millions-to-ramp-up-mask-readiness-but-that-isnt-helping-now/2020/04/03/d62dda5c-74fa-11ea-a9bd-9f8b593300d0_story.html|title=Federal government spent millions to ramp up mask readiness, but that isn't helping now|last=Swaine|first=Jon|date=April 3, 2020|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

Although the U.S. government was initially quick to develop a diagnostic test for COVID-19, U.S. [[COVID-19 testing]] efforts from mid-January to late-February lost pace compared to the rest of the world.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-testing-specialrep-idUSKBN2153BW |first1=Toluse |last1=Olorunnipa |first2=Griff |last2=Witte |first3=Lenny |last3=Bernstein |title=Special Report: How Korea trounced U.S. in race to test people for coronavirus|date=March 18, 2020 |work=Reuters |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> ABC News described the testing as "shockingly slow".<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-responsible-testing-problems-things/story?id=69590286 |date=March 14, 2020 |first=Anne |last=Flaherty |title=Trump says he's not responsible for testing problems: 3 things to know|website=ABC News|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> When the WHO distributed 1.4 million COVID-19 tests in February, the U.S. chose instead to use its own tests. At that time, the CDC had produced 160,000 COVID-19 tests, but many were defective. As a result, fewer than 4,000 tests were done in the U.S. by February 27, with U.S. state laboratories conducting only about 200. In this period, academic laboratories and hospitals had developed their own tests, but were not allowed to use them until February 29, when the [[Food and Drug Administration]] issued approvals for them and private companies.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Whoriskey|first1=Peter|last2=Satija|first2=Neena|title=How U.S. coronavirus testing stalled: Flawed tests, red tape and resistance to using the millions of tests produced by the WHO|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/16/cdc-who-coronavirus-tests/|access-date=March 18, 2020|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=March 16, 2020}}</ref> A comprehensive ''New York Times'' investigation concluded that "technical flaws, regulatory hurdles, business-as-usual bureaucracies and lack of leadership at multiple levels" contributed to the testing failures.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Shear|first1=Michael D.|last2=Goodnough|first2=Abby|last3=Kaplan|first3=Sheila|last4=Fink|first4=Sheri|last5=Thomas|first5=Katie|last6=Weiland|first6=Noah|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/us/testing-coronavirus-pandemic.html|title=The Lost Month: How a Failure to Test Blinded the U.S. to Covid-19|date=March 28, 2020|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 28, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> An Associated Press investigation found the administration made its first bulk orders for vital health care equipment, such as [[N95 respirator]] masks and ventilators, in mid-March.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-health-us-news-ap-top-news-politics-090600c299a8cf07f5b44d92534856bc |title=U.S. 'wasted' months before preparing for virus pandemic |date=April 5, 2020 |last=Biesecker |first=Michael |work=Associated Press |access-date=April 5, 2020|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405130007/https://apnews.com/090600c299a8cf07f5b44d92534856bc |archive-date=April 5, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Chad Wolf official portrait 2017.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Chad Wolf]], acting [[Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security]]]]

By February 2018, arrests of undocumented immigrants by ICE increased by forty percent during Trump's tenure. Arrests of noncriminal undocumented immigrants were twice as high as during Obama's final year in office. Arrests of undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions increased only slightly.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Miroff|first1=Nick|last2=Sacchetti|first2=Maria|date=February 11, 2018|title=Trump takes 'shackles' off ICE, which is slapping them on immigrants who thought they were safe|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-takes-shackles-off-ice-which-is-slapping-them-on-immigrants-who-thought-they-were-safe/2018/02/11/4bd5c164-083a-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html|access-date=February 12, 2018|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In 2018, experts noted that the Trump administration's immigration policies had led to an increase in criminality and lawlessness along the U.S.–Mexico border, as asylum seekers prevented by U.S. authorities from filing for asylum had been preyed upon by human smugglers, organized crime and corrupt local law enforcement.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||first1=Ray |last1=Sanchez |first2=Nick |last2=Valencia |first3=Tal |last3=Kopan |title=Trump's immigration policies were supposed to make the border safer. Experts say the opposite is happening. |date=July 20, 2018 |work=CNN|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/19/americas/trump-migration-border-smuggling/index.html|access-date=July 24, 2018}}</ref> To defend administration policies on immigration, the administration fudged data and presented intentionally misleading analyses of the costs associated with refugees (omitting data that showed net positive fiscal effects),<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||title=Trump Administration Rejects Study Showing Positive Impact of Refugees|website=The New York Times|date=September 19, 2017|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/us/politics/refugees-revenue-cost-report-trump.html|access-date=June 25, 2018|last1=Davis|first1=Julie Hirschfeld|last2=Sengupta|first2=Somini}}</ref> as well as created the [[Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement]] to highlight crimes committed by undocumented immigrants (there is no evidence undocumented immigrants increase the U.S. crime rate).<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last=Lee|first=Michelle|date=March 1, 2017|title=Fact check: Trump claim on murders by unauthorized immigrants|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2017/live-updates/trump-white-house/real-time-fact-checking-and-analysis-of-trumps-address-to-congress/fact-check-trump-claim-on-murders-by-unauthorized-immigrants/|access-date=March 3, 2017}}</ref> In January 2018, Trump was widely criticized after referring to Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations in general as "shithole countries" at a bipartisan meeting on immigration. Multiple international leaders condemned his remarks as racist.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||title=African nations slam Trump's vulgar remarks as "racist"|work=[[NBC News]]|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/african-nations-slam-trump-s-vulgar-remarks-reprehensible-racist-n837486 |first=Erik |last=Ortiz |date=January 13, 2018 |access-date=January 15, 2018}}</ref>

The administration sought to add a citizenship question to the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]], which experts warned would likely result in severe undercounting of the population and faulty data,<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/us/politics/census-citizenship-question-trump.html|title=Despite Concerns, Census Will Ask Respondents if They Are U.S. Citizens|last=Baumgaertner|first=Emily|date=March 26, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 27, 2018|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> with naturalized U.S. citizens, legal immigrants, and undocumented immigrants all being less likely to respond to the census.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||first=Holly |last=Straut-Eppsteiner |access-date=November 10, 2021 |url=https://www.nilc.org/2019/04/22/citizenship-question-would-undermine-census-reliability/ |publisher=National Immigration Law Center |title=Research Shows a Citizenship Question Would Suppress Participation among Latinxs and Immigrants in the 2020 Census, Undermining Its Reliability |date=April 22, 2019 |quote=Researchers uncovered a significant and troubling finding from this survey research: Fewer Latinx immigrant households will participate in the 2020 census if the question is implemented, which will result in an undercount. Without the citizenship question, 84 percent of respondents were willing to participate in the census; after including the citizenship question, however, willingness to participate dropped by almost half, to 46 percent. Willingness dropped among individuals across legal status: naturalized citizens, legal residents, and undocumented individuals.}}</ref> [[Blue states]] were estimated to get fewer congressional seats and lower congressional appropriations than they would otherwise get, because they have larger non-citizen populations.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/27/politics/blue-states-lose-citizenship-question-census/index.html |date=March 27, 2018 |title=Blue states are far more likely to lose money and power over Census citizenship question|last=Enten|first=Harry|work=CNN|access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> [[Thomas B. Hofeller]], an architect of Republican gerrymandering, had found adding the census question would help to gerrymander maps that "would be advantageous to Republicans and non-Hispanic whites" and that Hofeller had later written the key portion of a letter from the Trump administration's Justice Department justifying the addition of a citizenship question by claiming it was needed to enforce the 1965 Voting Rights Act.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/us/census-citizenship-question-hofeller.html |title=Deceased G.O.P. Strategist's Hard Drives Reveal New Details on the Census Citizenship Question |first=Michael |last=Wines |date=May 30, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 10, 2021}}</ref> In July 2019, the Supreme Court in ''[[Department of Commerce v. New York]]'' blocked the administration from including the citizenship question on the census form.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||title=Trump abandons effort to add citizenship question to census |work=[[Politico]] |first1=Anita |last1=Kumar |first2=Caitlin |last2=Oprysko |date=July 11, 2019 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/11/trump-expected-to-take-executive-action-to-add-citizenship-question-to-census-1405893 |access-date=November 10, 2021}}</ref>

A [[Executive Order 13780|new executive order]] was signed in March which limited travel to the U.S. from six different countries for 90 days, and by all refugees who do not possess either a visa or valid travel documents for 120 days.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/06/donald-trump-travel-ban-nigeria-executive-order/|title=Donald Trump's travel ban: President facing new legal threat as FBI investigate 300 refugees for links to Isil|last=Alexander|first=Harriet|date=March 7, 2017|access-date=June 26, 2017|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> The new executive order revoked and replaced the executive order issued in January.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/06/politics/trump-new-travel-ban-executive-order-full-text/index.html |title=Trump travel ban: Read the full executive order|date=March 6, 2017|access-date=June 26, 2017|work=CNN}}</ref>

In September, Trump signed a proclamation placing limits on the six countries in the second executive order and added [[Chad]], [[North Korea]], and [[Venezuela]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/white-house-updates-travel-ban-summary|title=White House Updates to the Travel Ban: A Summary|first=Russell|last=Spivak|publisher=[[Lawfare (website)|Lawfare]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|date=September 25, 2017|access-date=October 19, 2017}}</ref> In October 2017, Judge [[Derrick Watson]], of the [[United States District Court for the District of Hawaii|U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii]] issued another temporary [[restraining order]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/federal-judge-blocks-trumps-third-travel-ban/2017/10/17/e73293fc-ae90-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html|title=Federal judge blocks Trump's third travel ban|first=Matt|last=Zapotosky|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|date=October 17, 2017|access-date=October 19, 2017}}</ref> In December 2017, the Supreme Court allowed the September 2017 travel restrictions to go into effect while legal challenges in Hawaii and Maryland are heard. The decision effectively barred most citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea from entry into the United States along with some government officials from Venezuela and their families.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/us/politics/trump-travel-ban-supreme-court.html|newspaper=The New York Times|title=Supreme Court Allows Trump Travel Ban to Take Effect|last=Liptak|first=Adam|date=December 4, 2017|access-date=December 5, 2017}}</ref>

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Trump further restricted travel from Iran on February 29, 2020, and advised American citizens not to travel to specific regions in Italy and South Korea in response to COVID-19.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||last=Vella|first=Lauren|title=Trump announces new travel restrictions amid spread of coronavirus|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/485295-trump-administration-announces-new-travel-restrictions-amid-spread-of|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|access-date=April 26, 2020|date=February 29, 2020}}</ref> In March 2020, the Trump administration later issued a ban on entrants from all [[Schengen Area]] countries, eventually including [[Ireland]] and the UK.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last=Haltiwanger|first=John|title=Trump's coronavirus travel ban initially excluded countries where he has golf courses struggling for business|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-trump-europe-travel-ban-exclude-uk-ireland-golf-courses-2020-3 |access-date=March 22, 2020|work=[[Business Insider]]|date=March 14, 2020}}</ref>

{{See also|LGBT rights in the United States}}

The administration rescinded a directive that public schools treat students according to their gender identity.<ref name="Berg-2019" /> The administration rescinded a federal policy that allowed transgender students to use bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity, and dropped a lawsuit against [[North Carolina]]'s "bathroom bill".<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/politics/devos-sessions-transgender-students-rights.html |first1=Jeremy W. |last1=Peters |first2=Jo |last2=Becker |first3=Julie Hirschfeld |last3=Davis |title=Trump Rescinds Rules on Bathrooms for Transgender Students|date=February 22, 2017|website=The New York Times|access-date=March 16, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315213910/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/politics/devos-sessions-transgender-students-rights.html|archive-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref> The administration rescinded rules that prohibited discrimination against LGBT patients by health care providers.<ref name="Berg-2019" /><ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/24/transgender-patients-protections-health-care-1343005 |date=May 24, 2019 |title=Trump administration rolls back health care protections for LGBTQ patients|last1=Diamond|first1=Dan|last2=Pradhan|first2=Rachana|website=[[Politico]]|access-date=May 31, 2019}}</ref> Rules were rescinded to give transgender homeless people equal access to homeless shelters, and to house transgender prison inmates according to their gender identity "when appropriate".<ref name="Berg-2019" /> HHS stopped collecting information on LGBT participants in its national survey of older adults,<ref name="TrumpRecordAgainstTrans">{{citation |url = https://transequality.org/the-discrimination-administration |title = Trump's record of action against transgender people |date = April 20, 2017 |publisher = transequality.org |access-date = February 20, 2019 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190220231746/https://transequality.org/the-discrimination-administration |archive-date = February 20, 2019}}</ref> and the [[Census Bureau]] removed "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" as proposed subjects for possible inclusion on the decennial census or [[American Community Survey]].<ref name="TrumpRecordAgainstTrans" /> The Justice Department and [[United States Labor Department|Labor Department]] cancelled quarterly conference calls with LGBT organizations.<ref name="TrumpRecordAgainstTrans" />

}}

==== Photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church ====

{{Main|Donald Trump photo op at St. John's Church}}

[[File:President Trump Visits St. John's Episcopal Church (49964436272) (cropped) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Trump returns to the White House after posing for a photo op at [[St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square|St. John's Episcopal Church]], June 2020.]]

==== Deployment of federal law enforcement to cities ====

In August 2018, ''ProPublica'' reported that three wealthy patrons of Trump's [[Mar-a-Lago]] club, formed an "informal council" that strongly influenced VA policy, including reviewing a confidential $10{{spaces}}billion contract to modernize the VA's records.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.propublica.org/article/ike-perlmutter-bruce-moskowitz-marc-sherman-shadow-rulers-of-the-va|title=The Shadow Rulers of the VA|last=Arnsdorf|first=Isaac|date=August 7, 2018|website=ProPublica|access-date=August 10, 2018}}</ref> The [[Government Accountability Office]] announced in November 2018 that it would investigate the matter.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/26/mar-a-lago-trump-investigation-va-contracts-1015803 |first=Lorraine |last=Woellert |title=Watchdog office to probe Mar-a-Lago members' influence at VA |work=[[Politico]] |date=November 26, 2018 |access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref>

=== Voting rights ===

{{Main|Voting rights in the United States}}

Trump has repeatedly alleged, without evidence, there was widespread voter fraud.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.npr.org/2018/11/09/666018707/trump-scott-spread-claims-of-voter-fraud-as-florida-race-narrows |date=November 9, 2018 |first1=Miles |last1=Parks |first2=Emily |last2=Sullivan |first3=Brian |last3=Naylor |title=As Florida Races Narrow, Trump And Scott Spread Claims of Fraud Without Evidence|work=[[NPR]]|access-date=November 10, 2018}}</ref> The administration created a [[Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity|commission]] with the stated purpose to review the extent of voter fraud in the wake of Trump's false claim that millions of unauthorized votes cost him the popular vote in the 2016 election. It was chaired by Vice President Pence, while the day-to-day administrator was [[Kris Kobach]], best known for promoting restrictions on access to voting. The commission began its work by requesting each state to turn over detailed information about all registered voters in their database. Most states rejected the request, citing privacy concerns or state laws.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||first1=Liz |last1=Stark |first2=Grace |last2=Hauck |date=July 5, 2017 |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/03/politics/kris-kobach-letter-voter-fraud-commission-information/index.html |title=Forty-four states and DC have refused to give certain voter information to Trump commission |access-date=July 11, 2017}}</ref> Multiple lawsuits were filed against the commission. [[Maine Secretary of State]] [[Matthew Dunlap]] said Kobach was refusing to share working documents and scheduling information with him and the other Democrats on the commission. A federal judge ordered the commission to hand over the documents.<ref name="Woodward-2018">{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/06/trump-administration-resists-turning-over-documents-to-dunlap/ |first=Colin |last=Woodward |title=Trump refuses to release documents to Maine secretary of state despite judge's order|date=January 6, 2018|work=Portland Press Herald|access-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, Trump disbanded the commission, and informed Dunlap that it would not obey the court order to provide the documents because the commission no longer existed.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/us/politics/trump-voter-fraud-commission.html|title=Trump Disbands Commission on Voter Fraud|last=Haag|first=Matthew|date=January 3, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 4, 2018|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Election integrity experts argued that the commission was disbanded because of the lawsuits, which would have led to greater transparency and accountability and thus prevented the Republican members of the commission from producing a sham report to justify restrictions on voting rights.<ref name="Woodward-2018" /> It was later revealed the commission had, in its requests for Texas voter data, specifically asked for data that identifies voters with Hispanic surnames.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/trump-election-fraud-commission-bought-texas-election-data-flagging-hispanic-voters/2018/01/22/2791934a-fd55-11e7-ad8c-ecbb62019393_story.html|title=Trump voting commission bought Texas election data flagging Hispanic voters|last1=Hsu|first1=Spencer S.|last2=Wagner|first2=John|date=January 22, 2018|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=January 22, 2018|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

The number of U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan decreased significantly during Trump's presidency. By the end of Trump's term in office troop levels in Afghanistan were at the lowest levels since the early days of the war in 2001.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||title=US troop numbers in Afghanistan drop to lowest level since 2001 |first=Phillip Walter |last=Wellman |work=Stars and Stripes |date=January 15, 2021 |url=https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/us-troop-numbers-in-afghanistan-drop-to-lowest-level-since-2001-1.658621 |access-date=March 9, 2021}}</ref> Trump's presidency saw an expansion of drone warfare and a massive increase in civilian casualties from airstrikes in Afghanistan relative to the Obama administration.<ref name="crawford">{{#invoke:Cite web||last=Crawford|first=Neta|date=2020|title=Afghanistan's Rising Civilian Death Toll Due to Airstrikes, 2017–2020|url=https://www.carnegie.org/publications/afghanistans-rising-civilian-death-toll-due-airstrikes-2017-2020/|access-date=December 20, 2020|website=Carnegie Corporation of New York}}</ref>

In 2020, US casualties in Afghanistan reached their lowest level for the entire war.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=http://icasualties.org/App/AfghanFatalities |website=icasualties.org |title= Afghanistan Fatalities Total: 3557 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231041605/http://icasualties.org/App/AfghanFatalities |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=December 31, 2020}}</ref> In Iraq, casualties increased, being significantly higher in Trump's term than Obama's second term.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=http://www.icasualties.org/App/Fatalities |title= Iraq Fatalities Total: 4902 |website=icasualties.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028103153/http://www.icasualties.org/App/Fatalities |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date= October 28, 2021}}</ref>

{{Main|Turkey–United States relations}}

[[File:President Trump and President Erdoğan joint statement in the Roosevelt Room, May 16, 2017.jpg|thumb|Trump with Turkish president [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], May 16, 2017]]

=== Iran ===

{{Main|Iran–United States relations|United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action}}

In January 2020, Trump ordered [[Assassination of Qasem Soleimani|a U.S. airstrike]] that killed Iranian general [[Qasem Soleimani]], who had planned nearly every significant operation by Iranian forces over the past two decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/world/middleeast/qassem-soleimani-iraq-iran-attack.html|title=U.S. Strike in Iraq Kills Qassim Suleimani, Commander of Iranian Forces|last1=Crowley|first1=Michael|author-link1=Michael Crowley (journalist)|last2=Hassan|first2=Falih|last3=Schmitt|first3=Eric|author-link3=Eric P. Schmitt|date=January 2, 2020|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 3, 2020}}</ref> Trump threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites, including some "important to Iran & the Iranian culture", if Iran retaliated.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Daniel|first1=Douglas K.|last2=Lemire|first2=Jonathan|url=https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-donald-trump-nancy-pelosi-ap-top-news-international-news-75944e42ccc66ac08ee5122e080d7f33|title=Trump says 52 targets already lined up if Iran retaliates|work=Associated Press|date=January 5, 2020 |access-date=November 3, 2022}}</ref> The threat to hit cultural sites was seen as illegal and both Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. would not attack such sites, but would "follow the laws of armed conflict" and "behave inside the system".<ref name="Wamsley_1/6/2020">{{cite web|last=Wamsley|first=Laurel|title=Trump Says He'll Target Iran's Cultural Sites. That's Illegal|website=[[NPR]]|date=January 6, 2020|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/01/06/794006073/trump-says-hell-target-iran-s-cultural-sites-that-s-illegal | access-date=November 6, 2022}}</ref> Iran did retaliate with [[Operation Martyr Soleimani|ballistic missile strikes against two U.S. airbases]] in Iraq.<ref name="close" /> On the same day, amid the heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, Iran accidentally<ref name="Ward_1/9/2020" /> shot down [[Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752]] after takeoff from Tehran airport.<ref name="Baker_et al_1/11/2020">{{cite web|last1=Baker|first1=Peter|last2=Bergman|first2=Ronen|last3=Kirkpatrick|first3=David D.|last4=Barnes|first4=Julian E.|last5=Rubin|first5=Alissa J.|date=January 11, 2020|title=Seven Days in January: How Trump Pushed U.S. and Iran to the Brink of War|website=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/us/politics/iran-trump.html |access-date=November 8, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Ward_1/9/2020">{{cite web|last=Ward|first=Alex|title=Evidence is mounting that Iran accidentally shot down the Ukraine flight|website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|date=January 9, 2020|url=https://www.vox.com/2020/1/9/21059004/iran-plane-crash-missile-video-trump-ukraine | access-date=November 8, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Motamedi_4/17/2021">{{cite web|last=Motamedi|first=Maziar|title=Iran rejects claim Ukraine's plane shot down intentionally|website=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]|date=April 17, 2021|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/17/iran-rejects-claim-ukraines-plane-was-shot-down-intentionally | access-date=November 8, 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Trump AVM opening ceremony.jpg|thumb| [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], then the [[prime minister of Turkey]], attended the opening of the [[Trump Towers Istanbul]] AVM in 2012.]]

After Trump took office, the [[watchdog group]] [[Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington]], represented by a number of constitutional scholars, sued him<ref name="Riback">{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/23/why-trumps-business-conflicts-cant-and-wont-just-be-swept-aside-commentary.html |access-date=November 7, 2021 |title=Why Trump's business conflicts can't – and won't – just be swept aside|first=Chris|last=Riback|date=January 23, 2017|work=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> for violations of the [[Foreign Emoluments Clause]] (a [[United States Constitution|constitutional]] provision that bars the president or any other federal official from taking gifts or payments from foreign governments), because his hotels and other businesses accept payment from foreign governments.<ref name="Riback" /><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/liberal-watchdog-group-sues-trump-alleging-he-violated-constitutional-ban/2017/01/22/5e8b35c2-e113-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html |access-date=November 7, 2021|title=Liberal watchdog group sues Trump, alleging he violated constitutional ban|first1=David A.|last1=Fahrenthold|author1-link=David Fahrenthold|first2=Jonathan|last2=O'Connell|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 23, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||first1=David A.|last1=Fahrenthold|author1-link=David Fahrenthold|first2=Jonathan|last2=O'Connell|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/what-is-the-emoluments-clause-does-it-apply-to-president-trump/2017/01/23/12aa7808-e185-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html |access-date=November 7, 2021 |title=What is the 'Emoluments Clause'? Does it apply to President Trump?|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> CREW separately filed a complaint with the [[General Services Administration]] (GSA) over [[Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C.]]; the 2013 lease that Trump and the GSA signed "explicitly forbids any elected government official from holding the lease or benefiting from it".<ref name="Horowitz">{{#invoke:Cite news||first=Julia |last=Horowitz |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/01/20/news/trump-conflicts-inauguration/ |access-date=November 7, 2021 |title=President Trump hit immediately with ethics complaint |work=CNN |date=January 20, 2017}}</ref> The GSA said it was "reviewing the situation".<ref name="Horowitz" /> By May 2017, the ''[[CREW v. Trump]]'' lawsuit had grown with additional plaintiffs and alleged violations of the [[Domestic Emoluments Clause]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/18/us/politics/trump-crew-lawsuit-constitution.html |title=Watchdog Group Expands Lawsuit Against Trump |date=April 18, 2017|last=LaFraniere|first=Sharon |newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=June 11, 2017}}</ref> In June 2017, attorneys from the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that the plaintiffs had no right to sue<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/09/532302106/trump-administration-calls-for-lawsuit-about-his-businesses-to-be-dismissed|title=Trump Administration Calls For Lawsuit About His Businesses To Be Dismissed|first=Marilyn|last=Geewax|date=June 9, 2017|access-date=June 10, 2017|work=[[NPR]]}}</ref> and that the described conduct was not illegal.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-emoluments-foreign-government-payments-2017-6 |title=Justice Department argues it's fine for Trump to take payments from foreign governments, citing George Washington |website=Business Insider |date=June 10, 2017 |access-date=June 10, 2017 |first=Allan |last=Smith}}</ref> Also in June 2017, two more lawsuits were filed based on the [[Foreign Emoluments Clause]]: ''[[D.C. and Maryland v. Trump]]'',<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last=LaFrainere|first=Sharon|title=Maryland and D.C. Sue Trump Over His Private Businesses|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/us/trump-lawsuit-private-businesses.html|access-date=June 12, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last=Davis|first=Aaron C.|title=D.C. and Maryland sue President Trump, alleging breach of constitutional oath|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-and-maryland-to-sue-president-trump-alleging-breach-of-constitutional-oath/2017/06/11/0059e1f0-4f19-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html|access-date=June 12, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 12, 2017}}</ref> and ''[[Blumenthal v. Trump]]'', which was signed by more than one-third of the voting members of [[United States Congress|Congress]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last=Bykowicz|first=Julie|title=Democrats in Congress are the latest to sue President Trump|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/06/13/democrats-congress-are-latest-sue-president-trump/1tG7Mqk5tO4kxjHDh94ABO/story.html|access-date=June 14, 2017|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|date=June 14, 2017|archive-date=June 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614054544/http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/06/13/democrats-congress-are-latest-sue-president-trump/1tG7Mqk5tO4kxjHDh94ABO/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[United States District Judge]] [[George B. Daniels]] dismissed the CREW case on December 21, 2017, holding that plaintiffs lacked [[Standing (law)|standing]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-alleging-trump-violated-constitution/2017/12/21/31011510-e697-11e7-ab50-621fe0588340_story.html |first1=David A. |last1=Fahrenthold |first2=Jonathan |last2=O'Connell |access-date=November 7, 2021 |title=Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging Trump violated Constitution|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 21, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/EmolumentsDismissal.pdf |access-date=November 7, 2021 |title=Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. Trump |quote=17 Civ. 458 |publisher=S.D.N.Y. |date=December 21, 2017 |via=courthousenews.com}}</ref> ''D.C. and Maryland v. Trump'' cleared three judicial hurdles to proceed to the [[Discovery (law)|discovery]] phase during 2018,<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/us/trump-emoluments-lawsuit.html|title=Lawsuit Over Trump's Ties to His Businesses Is Allowed to Advance|first=Sharon|last=LaFraniere|date=March 28, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=January 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/us/politics/trump-emoluments-lawsuit.html|title=In Ruling Against Trump, Judge Defines Anticorruption Clauses in Constitution for First Time|first=Sharon|last=LaFraniere|date=July 25, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/us/politics/trump-emoluments-lawsuit-evidence.html|title=Judge Orders Evidence to Be Gathered in Emoluments Case Against Trump|first=Sharon|last=LaFraniere|date=November 2, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 3, 2019}}</ref> with prosecutors issuing 38 subpoenas to Trump's businesses and cabinet departments in December before the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit|Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals]] issued a [[Stay of proceedings|stay]] days later at the behest of the Justice Department, pending hearings in March 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-attorneys-general-subpoena-trump-irs-20181204-story.html|title=2 attorneys general issue subpoenas to Trump entities in Washington hotel case|first1=Jonathan |last1=O'Connell |first2=Ann E. |last2=Marimow |date=December 4, 2018 |first3=David A. |last3=Fahrenthold |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=January 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/us/politics/justice-department-trump-emoluments.html|title=Justice Department Asks Court to Halt Emoluments Case Against Trump|first=Sharon|last=LaFraniere|date=December 17, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-emoluments-idUSKCN1OJ30R |first=Jan |last=Wolfe |title=U.S. appeals court grants Trump request for halt to emoluments case|date=December 21, 2018|work=Reuters|access-date=January 3, 2019}}</ref> NBC News reported that by June 2019 representatives of 22 governments had spent money at Trump properties.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/reps-22-foreign-governments-have-spent-money-trump-properties-n1015806 |access-date=November 7, 2021 |date=June 12, 2019 |first1=Shelby |last1=Hanssen |first2=Ken |last2=Dilanian |title=Reps of 22 foreign governments have spent money at Trump properties|website=[[NBC News]]}}</ref> In January 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuits as Trump was no longer president.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/25/politics/emoluments-supreme-court-donald-trump-case/index.html |access-date=November 7, 2021 |title=Supreme Court dismisses emoluments cases against Trump|first1=Ariane|last1=de Vogue|first2=Devan|last2=Cole |work=CNN|date=January 25, 2021}}</ref>

Trump fired, demoted, or withdrew nominations of numerous government officials in retaliation for actions that projected negatively on his public image or harmed his personal or political interests, including Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director [[Dismissal of James Comey|James Comey]],<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||title=James Comey's Attacks on Trump May Hurt a Carefully Cultivated Image |access-date=November 7, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-book.html |first1=Julie Hirschfeld |last1=Davis |first2=Jonathan |last2=Martin |work=The New York Times|date=April 16, 2018}}</ref> Deputy FBI Director [[Andrew McCabe]], U.S. Attorney General [[Jeff Sessions]],<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Baker|first1=Peter|last2=Benner|first2=Katie|last3=Shear|first3=Michael D.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/us/politics/sessions-resigns.html|title=Jeff Sessions Is Forced Out as Attorney General as Trump Installs Loyalist|date=November 7, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 25, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and Director of National Intelligence [[Joseph Maguire]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||author=Editorial Board |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-is-trumps-vilest-act-of-retribution-yet/2020/04/06/c685cb0a-781f-11ea-b6ff-597f170df8f8_story.html|title=This is Trump's vilest act of retribution yet|date=April 7, 2020|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref>

According to several reports, Trump's and his family's trips in the first month of his presidency cost U.S. taxpayers nearly as much as President Obama's travel expenses for an entire year. When Obama was president, Trump frequently criticized him for taking vacations which were paid for with public funds.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-costs-trips-security-taxpayer-barack-obama-month-year-a7586261.html |access-date=November 7, 2021 |first=Peter |last=Walker |title=In a month, the Trump family has cost taxpayers almost as much as the Obamas did in a year|date=February 17, 2017|newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'' reported that Trump's atypically lavish lifestyle is far more expensive to the taxpayers than what was typical of previous presidents and could end up in the hundreds of millions of dollars over the whole of Trump's term.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-familys-elaborate-lifestyle-a-logistical-nightmare--at-taxpayer-expense/2017/02/16/763cce8e-f2ce-11e6-a9b0-ecee7ce475fc_story.html |first1=Drew |last1=Harwell |first2=Amy |last2=Brittain |first3=Jonathan |last3=O'Connell |date=February 16, 2017 |access-date=November 7, 2021 |title=Trump family's elaborate lifestyle is a 'logistical nightmare' – at taxpayer expense|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

On January 6, 2021, rioters supporting Trump [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|stormed]] the [[United States Capitol|U.S. Capitol]] in an effort to thwart a [[joint session of Congress]] during which the [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]] vote was to be certified, affirming the election of former vice president [[Joe Biden]] as president and Senator [[Kamala Harris]] as vice president.

Five casualties occurred during the event: one Capitol Police officer, and four stormers or protesters at the Capitol, including one rioter shot by police inside the building.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||last1=Safdar |first1=Khadeeja |last2=Ailworth |first2=Erin |last3=Seetharaman |first3=Deepa |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Police Identify Five Dead After Capitol Riot |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/police-identify-those-killed-in-capitol-riot-11610133560 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023512/https://www.wsj.com/articles/police-identify-those-killed-in-capitol-riot-11610133560 |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> At least 138 police officers were injured.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last1=Schmidt |first1=Michael S. |last2=Broadwater |first2=Luke |title=Officers' Injuries, Including Concussions, Show Scope of Violence at Capitol Riot |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/capitol-riot-police-officer-injuries.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/capitol-riot-police-officer-injuries.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited |access-date=February 12, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=February 12, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Three [[improvised explosive device]]s were reported to have been found: one each on Capitol grounds, at the [[Republican National Committee]] and [[Democratic National Committee]] offices.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite news||last=Shallwani|first=Pervaiz|date=January 6, 2021|title=At least two real explosive devices in DC rendered safe by law enforcement|work=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/congress-electoral-college-vote-count-2021/h_a8427f16f5c09d46e0dcff011e3d48c0|url-status=live|access-date=January 6, 2021|archive-date=January 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106224546/https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/congress-electoral-college-vote-count-2021/h_a8427f16f5c09d46e0dcff011e3d48c0}}</ref>

On January 7, the day after the Electoral College results were certified by Congress, Trump tweeted a video in which he stated, "A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power."<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||last=Knowles|first=David|date=January 7, 2021|title=Trump finally admits defeat: 'A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20'|url=https://news.yahoo.com/trump-finally-admits-defeat-a-new-administration-will-be-inaugurated-on-january-20-011501284.html|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=[[Yahoo! News]]}}</ref> The [[State Department]] subsequently told diplomats to affirm Biden's victory.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite web||access-date=November 7, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/politics/state-department-social-media-biden/index.html|title=State Department tells diplomats to affirm Biden's victory after Capitol riot|first1=Kylie|last1=Atwood|first2=Jennifer|last2=Hansler|website=CNN |date=January 7, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Farewell Address of President Donald J. Trump (2021).webm|thumb|President Trump's first farewell address on January 19, 2021]]

== Historical evaluations and public opinion ==

{{Main|Historical rankings of presidents of the United States#2018–present|}}

=== Opinion polling ===