The 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, was considered by many to be a rollercoaster of drama and turmoil from January 20, 2017, all the way to January 20, 2021. But what exactly happened during that time? After the tumultuous year that we all have had, the beginning of 2017 feels like 20 years ago, yet the start of his presidency was only 4 years ago.

Donald Trump at the time of his inauguration marked being the oldest President ever to be sworn in, surpassing Ronald Reagan during his presidency around 30 years prior. One of the first actions he did as President was to nominate the first of the 3 justices that would be appointed to the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch. Neil Gorsuch was the second Justice from here in Colorado, following Byron White, who was appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and served until 1993. The second Justice appointed was Brett Kavanaugh of Maryland, who was arguably the most controversial with allegations of sexual misconduct from high school. Lastly, there was Justice Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, nominated in September of last year and officially appointed in October. 

Donald Trump’s approval ratings over the course of his presidency hovered between 40 and 50 percent, remaining lower than some of the presidents of the past century and rivaling similar percentages during the Carter and Reagan Administrations. 

In regards to the presidency, Junior Dax Davis said, “Trump tried to run around and backtrack on words often. He stigmatized the facts.”

Foreign policy was a major piece of the Trump Administration, from tariffs on US Imports to pulling out of agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Iran Nuclear Deal, and recently the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord. Trump also organized the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), which had planted improvements compared to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), created during the Clinton Administration. Trump also called for and implemented decreases in the number of troops in the Middle East, in which disagreements within the administration led to the resignation of the Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.

The economy took an upturn during the majority of Trump’s presidency. Unemployment rates were at record lows and the stock market continued to hit records. This did alter significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020 as unemployment skyrocketed during this time. 

Trump’s response was argued as lackluster by many, criticizing his direction in restrictions, economic stimulus, and more that continued through the final year of his presidency.

“There was nothing being done, nothing being helped,” said by Angelina Gonzalez, a junior here at Eaglecrest.

Trump and the media couldn’t have ever been as dramatic, with increasing conflict between the two, and the rise of “fake news” and misinformation, argued by both liberals and conservatives of false media stories spread through means like social media, leading to sites such as Facebook and Twitter to lay foundation to crack down on misinformation in posts up until today.

The 45th President of the United States and his 4 years in office is certainly not a topic to be viewed on a surface level with so many issues covered and initiatives taken by Congress and the White House. In retrospect, some consider it to be the worst presidency that the United States has ever seen; others consider it to be the best. Currently, the ballad of Trump’s presidency is not at the end yet, as the second impeachment trial for the now former executive concluded in February. Trump still maintains a political foothold, speaking at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 28th, leading for a mysterious road for not only Trump himself, but the United States Government as a whole.