A year in office: Notable moments from Trump’s inauguration to now

Max Goldberg/Iowa State Daily
President Elect Donald Trump speaks during a rally as part of his USA Thank You Tour, in Des Moines during the evening of Dec. 8. Trump spoke about the general election, how he would repeal Obamacare, bring jobs back to the US, and reform care for veterans. 

Danielle Gehr
January 18, 2018

One down, three (or more) left to go. 

Jan. 20 marks one year since President Donald Trump put his hand on a bible and was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. 

The past year has seen executive orders and presidential decisions met with protests and the president’s Twitter use turning into news stories. 

Trump’s presidency has been met with liberal opposition as well as support from conservatives across the country. Trump followed his victory by going on a ‘thank you’ tour to thank those who voted for him. 

His Des Moines visit brought supporters from across the state as well as a small group of protesters. 

Iowan Paula Hunter attended the rally and said she was ready for blue collar workers to be heard with the start of Trump’s presidency. 

“We have a democracy and they’ve had their way the past eight years,” Hunter said at the event. “We didn’t riot and have a fit when Obama won for eight years. We didn’t do all the crap they’re doing. We went to bed at night and we hated it. So we woke up every day and went to work.”

The day after his inauguration women’s marches were held around the world, including in Des Moines. A year later, the same marches will be held again.

Another protest was held on Iowa State’s campus following the election called the “Not My President” rally. 

Other protests have been seen on Iowa State’s campus and across the country after some of Trump’s decisions including the immigration ban, rescinding DACA protections and overturning protections for transgender people. 

After Trump’s first year shaping policy and making headlines, these are some noteworthy moments from his inauguration to the start of his second year. 

International decisions

After Trump’s initial immigration ban and attempts to block the ban, his third revision could not be legally challenged. 

Trump signed an executive order in January that bans seven countries with a Muslim majority—Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen—from entering the United States.

This order was criticized for being discriminatory against Muslims and was successfully blocked for the same reason. A later executive order that removed Iraq from the list was also blocked. 

The most recent version of the travel ban includes eight countries—North Korea, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Venezuela and Chad. 

This ban was met with protests in airports as visitors with visas were being turned away. Iowa State international students feared that they wouldn’t be able to go home without risking losing their education. 

“We’re now on a list because of things we didn’t choose. I didn’t choose my nationality, I was born there. It’s not my fault,” Sinan Al-Rubaye, a student from Iraq, said in February. 

Trump and supporters argue that this move will keep the country safe from terrorism. 

Iowa State students responded to the original ban with a protest called Hoodies and Hijabs against the discriminatory nature of the executive order and the position the ban was putting international students in. 

“I was afraid to tell people that my father was Muslim if they didn’t already know,” Wesley Harris, the organizer of the event, said at the time. “I heard classmates, I heard teachers, I heard members of the community where I grew up spout fallacies as if they were fact.” 

Trump also selected a new ambassador to China which happened to be now former-Gov. Terry Branstad. Gov. Kim Reynolds, lieutenant governor at the time, stepped into his place. 

Branstad, who was the longest serving governor in the U.S. serving 22 years, was officially appointed to the position in May. 

“Having worked alongside the governor for many years, I know he will exemplify the same leadership, thoughtfulness and dedication in his role as Ambassador to China on behalf of the United States as he did for the people of Iowa,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said to the U.S. Senate in support of Branstad’s nomination.

Trump rescinds Obama-era decisions 

President Trump has touted the many Obama-era laws and executive orders which he has overturned, even joking on Thanksgiving that he would overturn Obama’s turkey pardons. 

In February, Trump reversed an interpretation of Title IX which included protections for transgender students. Less than a year prior, the U.S. Justice Department and Education Department issued a joint letter under the direction of Obama to provide guidance which allowed transgender students to use restrooms that correspond with their identity.

In Iowa, transgender is recognized as a protected class, meaning they can use the restroom that corresponds with their identity and are protected if any discrimination occurs. This policy is followed by Iowa State.

“When federal policy or statute or guidance or interpretation, in this case, is changed so that states and localities can come up with how they’re going to interpret it can be difficult depending on the state you’re in,” Nicci Port, project director for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in LGBTQA+ Affairs, told the Daily in February. “For us, we’re set up in a way that still protects gender identity according to state law. From there, Iowa State follows.”

People in support of Trump’s decision express fear that allowing transgender women into female bathrooms opens the door for predators. An article by Time looking into this debate stated there is no evidence that warrants this fear. 

Trump spent much of his first year in office attempting to rescind the Obama-era  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) which protects undocumented minors and gives them work permits and access to U.S. education. 

The Daily covered the perspectives of three Iowa State students who are also DACA recipients: Andrea, Jair and Hugo Bolanos. Andrea and Jair’s last names were omitted to protect the sources. 

More recently, a judge blocked Trump from overturning these protections earlier this month. 

Trump’s attempts to rescind DACA protections follow his campaign promises to build a wall along the U.S./Mexico border as well as other attempts to restrict immigration to the U.S. as a whole. 

Relations with the media

President Trump has formed a poor view of the media, regularly tweeting about what he deems the ‘fake media.’ 

More recently, Trump announced that he would be holding fake news awards. 

The blog posted linked in his bio opened with the following statement: 

“2017 was a year of unrelenting bias, unfair news coverage, and even downright fake news. Studies have shown that over 90% of the media’s coverage of President Trump is negative.”

On the top of the list sat the New York Times’ Paul Krugman who said the economy would never recover on the day of Trump’s election in an opinion piece. 

CNN, ABC News and Newsweek were among other news sources to make the list. 

Many of the news sources listed responded with more op-eds. The Washington Post questioned whether a news organization should be deemed fake news if they admit error.

Trump’s ‘fake news awards’ signal the relations between the White House and the media will maintain a rocky relationship during his second year in office.