Opinion
By New York Times Opinion
This week, Republicans have tried to rewrite the four years of Trump’s presidency as a time of unparalleled peace, prosperity and tranquility: “the strongest economy in history,” as Senator Katie Britt of Alabama put it. The difference between Trump and Biden? “President Trump honored the Constitution,” said Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota. Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia offered Mr. Trump’s first term as an example of “common-sense conservative leadership.”
The record of what Mr. Trump actually did in office bears little resemblance to that description. Under his leadership, the country lurched from one crisis to the next, from the migrant families separated at the border to the sudden spike in prices caused by his trade war with China to the reckless mismanagement of the Covid pandemic. And he showed, over and over, how little respect he has for the Constitution and those who take an oath to defend it.
For Americans who may have forgotten that time, or pushed it from memory, we offer this timeline of his presidency. Mr. Trump’s first term was a warning about what he will do with the power of his office — unless American voters reject him.
01.21.2017: “This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — period.”
01.25.2017: Tries to defund sanctuary cities in an effort to ramp up deportations.
01.27.2017: The Muslim ban.
01.28.2017: Appoints Steve Bannon, a committed dismantler of the administrative state, to the National Security Council.
02.15.2017: Abandons a decades-long commitment to a two-state solution in a news conference.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!
03.04.2017
03.04.2017: Claims to have been wiretapped by the U.S. government.
05.09.2017: Fires the F.B.I. director, James Comey, who was leading an investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
05.10.2017: Reveals highly classified intelligence to Russian officials.
June 2017: Rages against immigrants, saying those from Haiti all have AIDS.
June 2017: Tries to fire the special counsel Robert Mueller over the Russia investigation.
06.21.2017: Sends his son-in-law to negotiate Middle East peace.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow......
07.26.2017
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump ....Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming.....
07.26.2017
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump ....victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
07.26.2017
07.26.2017: Announces a ban on transgender people in the military.
08.15.2017: “You had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides.”
08.21.2017: Everyone knows that you should never stare directly at the sun during an eclipse, right?
10.03.2017: Throws paper towels to Puerto Ricans after a deadly hurricane.
12.06.2017: Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, upending decades of U.S. policy.
12.22.2017: Cuts taxes for corporations and the wealthy, sending the budget deficit skyrocketing.
01.06.2018: “A very stable genius.”
01.11.2018: Wants more immigrants from Norway instead of “shithole” countries.
Winter 2018: Reaps financial benefits from a diplomatic crisis in the Persian Gulf.
03.14.2018: Brags about making up facts in meetings with foreign leaders.
04.15.2018: Flip-flops on sanctions for Russia over its role in Syria’s chemical weapons program.
Spring 2018: Tries to get the Justice Department to prosecute Hillary Clinton and Mr. Comey.
Spring 2018: Initiates family separations by executive order.
May 2018: Orders top-secret clearance for Mr. Kushner, over the objections of intelligence officials.
May 2018: Closes pandemic preparedness unit.
05.08.2018: Unilaterally pulls out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!
06.04.2018
06.04.2018: “I have the absolute right to PARDON myself ....”
Summer 2018: Escalates the trade war with China, which requires billions of dollars to fix the domestic damage.
07.11.2018: Insults NATO allies.
07.16.2018: Sides with Vladimir Putin over American intelligence agencies on Russian election interference.
09.13.2018: Lies about hurricane deaths.
10.24.2018: Continues to use his personal iPhones after warnings that they are not secure.
11.10.2018: Calls American soldiers “losers” and “suckers.”
12.22.2018: Instigates the longest government shutdown ever.
12.28.2018: The E.P.A. proposes weakening regulations on power plants that restrict the release of mercury, which can cause brain damage.
02.14.2019: Moves to appoint a climate change denier to lead a climate security panel.
02.15.2019: Declares national emergency to get money for border wall.
March 2019: Suggests shooting migrants in the legs to slow them down.
03.20.2019: Continues to attack John McCain after his death.
03.22.2019: Reverses North Korea sanctions by tweet … maybe.
05.24.2019: Proposes ending federal health rights protections for transgender people.
06.12.2019: Says he would accept opposition research from Russia.
06.29.2019: Takes his daughter to a G20 summit.
06.30.2019: Steps into North Korea.
07.25.2019: Pressures Ukraine’s newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelensky, for “a favor”: to investigate Mr. Biden’s activities in the country.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time....
08.20.2019
08.20.2019: Cancels a state visit to Denmark after the country says it won’t sell him Greenland.
08.21.2019: Proposes regulation that would allow indefinite detention of migrant families.
09.04.2019: Insists, over meteorologists’ objections, that Alabama will be hit by Hurricane Dorian. Possibly alters a map from NOAA to prove he’s right.
11.18.2019: Reverses four decades of U.S. policy by declaring that Israeli settlements in the West Bank do not violate international law.
12.18.2019: Becomes the third president in the history of the United States to be impeached, on charges related to Mr. Trump’s interactions with Mr. Zelensky.
01.17.2020: Rolls back school nutrition rules promoted by Michelle Obama — fewer vegetables, more pizza.
01.28.2020: Announces a Middle East peace plan that heavily favors Israel.
02.28.2020: Downplays Covid-19.
March 2020: Botches the early Covid-19 response — sometimes deliberately.
04.04.2020: Pushes hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, as a Covid treatment.
04.23.2020: Pushes bleach, which is toxic to humans, as a Covid treatment.
05.07.2020: Pressures the Justice Department into dropping a Russia-related case against his former national security adviser.
06.01.2020: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
July 2020: Defends Confederate flag.
08.19.2020: Praises QAnon at a news conference.
09.23.2020: Refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power.
09.26.2020: Hosts a Covid-19 superspreader event at the White House.
09.29.2020: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.”
10.07.2020: Receives an experimental Covid treatment not yet widely available, calls it a “cure.”
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Wow!!! NOW DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, THE BIGGEST OF ALL POLITICAL SCANDALS (IN HISTORY)!!! BIDEN, OBAMA AND CROOKED HILLARY LED THIS TREASONOUS PLOT!!! BIDEN SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO RUN - GOT CAUGHT!!!
10.07.2020
10.07.2020: Pressures Attorney General Bill Barr to start a pre-election investigation into his political enemies.
11.04.2020: Lies about winning the election.
11.09.2020: Fires the defense secretary in the wake of his election loss.
11.09.2020: Withholds briefings from Mr. Biden’s team.
November 2020: Tries to overturn Michigan’s........