The repetitious and sometimes rambling syntax, the boasts about never-before-seen success, the recounting of electoral victory, the constant exhortations to believe him – by now, America has become familiar with Donald Trump’s distinctive style of speech.

Below are some illustrative examples from each month of the Trump presidency. They are all taken directly from White House transcripts, pool reports or our transcription of Trump’s speech and chart a year of controversy.

If some of the quotations run long, that’s an effort to capture Trump’s speech patterns: discursive, informal and peppered with the same phrases and references. In sum, they help encapsulate a tumultuous year and recount the public pronouncements of a President who sounds unlike any other before him. Below each quote we offer a little context to explain the remark’s significance.

21 January 2017: CIA Headquarters

“You know, the military and the law enforcement, generally speaking, but all of it – but the military gave us tremendous percentages of votes. We were unbelievably successful in the election with getting the vote of the military. And probably almost everybody in this room voted for me.

“And the reason you’re my first stop is that, as you know, I have a running war with the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth. (Laughter and applause.) And they sort of made it sound like I had a feud with the intelligence community. And I just want to let you know, the reason you’re the number-one stop is exactly the opposite – exactly.

“And I was explaining about the numbers. We did a thing yesterday at the speech. Did everybody like the speech? I’ve been given good reviews. But we had a massive field of people. You saw them. Packed. I get up this morning, I turn on one of the networks, and they show an empty field. I say, wait a minute, I made a speech. I looked out, the field was – it looked like a million, million-and-a half people.”

This speech to CIA personnel, delivered the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, quickly established some recurring verbal patterns: revisiting his election victory, inflating his popularity and vilifying the media by denying his own remarks.

In addition to the underlying untruthfulness – the White House falsely claimed his inauguration crowds were the largest ever, and his “feud with the intelligence community” was not invented by the media but established by Trump himself likening the intelligence agencies’ behaviour to “Nazi Germany” – this speech was blasted for politicising what should be an apolitical space, a criticism Trump would later face for his boastful address to the Boy Scouts of America.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: “The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

1 February 2017: Black History Month remarks at the White House

“I am very proud now that we have a museum on the National Mall where people can learn about Reverend King, so many other things. Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognised more and more, I notice.

“But Fox has treated me very nice – wherever Fox is, thank you. We’re going to need better schools, and we need them soon. We need more jobs, we need better wages – a lot better wages. We’re going to work very hard on the inner city. Ben [Carson] is going to be doing that big league. It’s one of his big things that we’re going to be looking at…

“This is a great group. This is a group that’s been so special to me. You really helped me a lot. If you remember, I wasn’t going to do well with the African American community, and after they heard me speaking and talking about the inner city and lots of other things, we ended up getting – I won’t go into details, but we ended up getting substantially more than other candidates who had run in the past years. And now, we’re going to take that to new levels.”

A few things stand out from Trump’s speech honouring Black History month. He veered off into dissecting how the media treats him, a common theme. He also claimed historical success with African American voters despite evidence to the contrary and used “the inner city” as a shorthand for black Americans, not for the first time. It also demonstrates his tendency to assert widely known facts as personal revelations, in this case his evidently learning of famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Donald Trump's major u-turns since becoming President

17 March 2017: veterans “listening session” at White House

“Well, that’s great. And unrelated, we just had a meeting with probably 12 congressmen, and it was an amazing meeting because they were all “nos”, would you say, Mike? They were all “nos” or pretty much “no”, and after 15 minutes – now, in all fairness, not 15 minutes, it was really actually about four or five days, but after 15 minutes, they went from “no” to all “yeses”. So the healthcare looks like it’s going to be in great shape. It’s a great plan. The press doesn’t give it a fair read but I’ve heard that before. What are you going to do – the fake news.

“But it’s a great plan or I wouldn’t be involved with it. I wouldn’t be involved. So you have 12 “nos”, and we have rejiggered it and we’ve done some great things, but the “nos” in every single case went to a “yes”. So that was a great honour, and healthcare looks like it’s really happening, and it’s going to be great.

As with the Black History Month remarks, Trump uses an admittedly unrelated event – here, a forum on veterans’ issues – to trumpet his astonishing success and slam the “fake news” media for not sufficiently conveying it.

24 April 2017: White House talk with United Nations Security Council Ambassadors

“For the United Nations to play an effective role in solving these and other security challenges, big reforms will be required. In addition, we must also take a close look at the UN budget. Costs have been – absolutely gone out of control.

“The United States, just one of 193 countries in the UN, pays for 22 per cent of the budget and almost 30 per cent of the United Nations peacekeeping, which is unfair…

“I think that the United Nations has tremendous potential – tremendous potential – far greater than what I would say any other candidate in the last 30 years would have even thought to say. I don’t think it’s lived up – I know it hasn’t lived up to the potential. I mean, I see a day when there’s a conflict where the United Nations, you get together, and you solve the conflict. You just don’t see the United Nations, like, solving conflicts. I think that’s going to start happening now. I can see it. And the United Nations will get together and solve conflicts. It won’t be two countries, it will be the United Nations mediating or arbitrating with those countries.”

Trump executes a bit of a rhetorical two-step, conveying his disdain for international institutions but also claiming to be their champion. He has regularly slammed global entities like the United Nations, and international pacts like the Paris Climate Accord, as bad deals for America. Here he kept up that criticism but also worked in a contradictory claim to support the UN’s “potential” more than his predecessors who did not share his “America first” outlook.

18 May 2017: Asked about appointment of Russia Special Counsel at White House

“Well, I respect the move, but the entire thing has been a witch hunt. And there is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign, but I can always speak for myself – and the Russians, zero.

“I think it divides the country. I think we have a very divided country because of that and many other things. So I can tell you that we want to bring this great country of ours together... And I will also say very strongly, we’ve had tremendous success. You look at our job numbers, you look at what’s going on at the border, as we discussed before; if you look at what will be happening – you’re going to see some incredible numbers with respect to the success of General Mattis and others with the Isis situation. The numbers are staggering, how successful they’ve been, the military has been…

“We’ve made tremendous progress in the last 100-some-odd days. Tremendous progress. That’s what I want to be focused on. Because, believe me, there’s no collusion.”

The investigation of potential Russian government efforts to boost the Trump campaign entered a more serious phase with the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller – after Trump had fired former FBI director James Comey. Mr Mueller’s whose work has shadowed the White House for the better part of a year. The day after Mr Mueller was appointed, Trump had settled on the basic template of his response: denouncing the probe as a partisan “witch hunt” and deflecting questions by talking about economic progress.

Trump's First Year: Who has been and gone from the White House?

12 June 2017: First full cabinet meeting

“When I ran it was ‘make America great again’ and that’s what we’re doing, believe me, we’re doing it and we’re doing it at a much faster pace than anyone thought. I will say that never has there been a president – with few exceptions, case of FDR, he had a major depression to handle – who’s passed more legislation, who’s done more things than what we’ve done…

“We have done as I said about as much as anybody ever in a short period of time for the presidency. That’s despite tremendous opposition from the other side. We have done something that’s very special and you see it in the economic numbers because the economic numbers have been incredible. One just came out, almost $4 trillion (£2.9 trillion) in worth has been created in the stock markets of our country, you just take a look at that, 700,000 jobs have been created in a short period of time since the election. 700,000 jobs.”

It should come as no surprise that Trump loves to tout strong economic numbers that have unfurled on his watch, given his positioning as an economy-focused businessman. Here he recites some statistics and throws in a dubious claim he would repeat often: that his administration had registered unparalleled victories in the early going. While his administration has indeed made progress in unravelling regulations, at this point – and for months to come – it would not register a legislative victory despite controlling both houses of Congress.

25 July 2017: Rally in Youngstown, Ohio

“We are throwing MS-13 [international gang] the hell out of here so fast. You know, we’re actually – hard to believe that we’re talking about our great country. We are actually liberating towns and cities.

“Earlier this year immigration and customs enforcement conducted the largest single raid of transnational gangs in the history of our country. We are dismantling and destroying the bloodthirsty criminal gangs, and well, I will just tell you this, we’re not doing it in a politically correct fashion. We’re doing it rough. Our guys are rougher than their guys.

“Believe me. The predators and criminal aliens who poison our communities with drugs and prey on innocent young people, these beautiful, beautiful, innocent young people will, will find no safe haven anywhere in our country. And you’ve seen the stories about some of these animals. They don’t want to use guns, because it’s too fast and it’s not painful enough. So they’ll take a young, beautiful girl, 16, 15, and others and they slice ‘em and dice ‘em with a knife because they want them to go through excruciating pain before they die. And these are the animals that we’ve been protecting for so long. Well, they’re not being protected any longer, folks.”

Vivid, inflammatory rhetoric about immigrants has been a hallmark of Trump’s political life since he launched his campaign by painting most Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested a substantial number of unauthorised immigrants without criminal records, Trump has frequently invoked the transnational gang MS-13 as a symbol of illegal immigration’s dangers. Here, he also shows his preference for authorities treating suspects roughly.

August 2017: After the violence at a white supremacist protest Charlottesville

12 August: “But we’re closely following the terrible events unfolding in Charlottesville, Virginia. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides. On many sides. It’s been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. This has been going on for a long, long time.”

14 August: “Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.

“To anyone who acted criminally in this weekend’s racist violence, you will be held fully accountable. Justice will be delivered.”

15 August: “I think there is blame on both sides... You had a group on one side that was bad. You had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say that. I’ll say it right now.”

Trump’s equivocating response blaming “many sides” after a white nationalist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia descended into violence, with one counter-protester killed after a car drove into a crowd, launched one of the signal crises of his presidency. He responded to the mounting criticism in the days following the protest by condemning the hate groups, before reverting to blaming both sides. The White House was adamant he had adequately condemned groups like the KKK, but many critics still feel he has not gone far enough.

22 September 2017: Alabama speech

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners when somebody disrespects our flag to say ‘get that son of a b**** off the field right now, out, he’s fired’.

“…some owner’s gonna do that, he’s gonna say ‘that guy who disrespects our flag, he’s fired’. And that owner – they don’t know it, they don’t know it, they’re friends of mine, many of them – they don’t know, they’ll be the most popular person, for a week, they’ll be the most popular person in this country. Because that’s a total disrespect of our heritage, that’s a total disrespect of everything that we stand for…

“…The NFL ratings are down massively. Now the number one reason happens to be that they like watching what’s happening on, you know, with yours truly.”

With profane language, a mention of his powerful friends and a nod to his own overwhelming appeal and star power, Trump launched a deeply divisive attack on protesting NFL players at a rally in Alabama. Those protests had started with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sitting during the national anthem in 2016 to protest the treatment of black people and minorities in America. The protests spread across the league last year, with many players kneeling during the national anthem. Trump’s remarks also illuminate his deep concern with television: if it doesn’t play well there, the thinking goes, something is wrong.

3 October 2017: Discussing hurricane damage at the White House and in Puerto Rico

“Well, I think [San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz] has come back a long way. I think it’s now acknowledged what a great job we’ve done, and people are looking at that. And in Texas and in Florida, we get an A+. And I’ll tell you what, I think we’ve done just as good in Puerto Rico, and it’s actually a much tougher situation.

“…sixteen people certified. Sixteen people versus in the thousands. You can be very proud of all of your people, all of our people working together. Sixteen versus literally thousands of people. You can be very proud. Everybody around this table and everybody watching can really be very proud of what’s taken place in Puerto Rico.”

The President’s tendency to claim superb results got him and his administration in trouble after a hurricane devastated Puerto Rico. Amid a federal relief effort widely derided as too slow given the scale of the damage, Trump drew ridicule for giving relief efforts an “A+” and suggesting that 16 deaths – a number that has since proven far lower than the actual toll – was a cause for pride. His remarks again show his habit of painting political detractors as allies, here claiming the support of Ms Cruz despite her impassioned denunciations of the federal response – which had led Trump to lash out.

1 November 2017: responding to New York terrorist attack at the White House

“We have to get much tougher. We have to get much smarter. And we have to get much less politically correct. We’re so politically correct that we’re afraid to do anything. And that’s not only our country, that’s other countries too that are having very similar problems. And we have to get tough, we have to get smart, we have to do what’s right to protect our citizens. We will never waver in the defence of our beloved country – ever. And we’ll never, ever forget the beautiful lives that have been taken from us.

“That was a horrible event, and we have to stop it, and we have to stop it cold. We also have to come up with punishment that’s far quicker and far greater than the punishment these animals are getting right now. They’ll go through court for years. And at the end, they’ll be – who knows what happens.”

Two distinctly Trumpian themes were on display in the President’s response to a deadly terrorist attack in Manhattan. One was his disdain for political correctness, which he constantly invokes as a reason for American decline and weakness. The other was his unprecedented willingness to undermine norms and institutions of American governance – in this case, a criminal justice system over which he wields substantial power.

15 December 2017: Commenting on FBI’s role in Russia investigation

“Well, it’s a shame what’s happened with the FBI. But we’re going to rebuild the FBI. It will be bigger and better than ever. But it is very sad when you look at those documents. And how they’ve done that is really, really disgraceful, and you have a lot of very angry people that are seeing it. It’s a very sad thing to watch...

“…There is absolutely no collusion. I didn’t make a phone call to Russia. I have nothing to do with Russia. Everybody knows it. That was a Democrat hoax. It was an excuse for losing the election.

“When you look at the Hillary Clinton investigation, it was – I’ve been saying for a long time – that was a rigged system, folks. That was a rigged system.”

A fitting quotation to close out the year, these remarks display some of Trump’s verbal tics – the repetition and the lamenting “sad” political realities – while reprising a few of Trump’s dominant themes. Here, he implies that the FBI is in disarray, lashes out at the Russia investigation as a Democratic fabrication and then pivots to attacking his long-since-vanquished opponent, Hillary Clinton, and her use of a private email server when she was part of the administration of Barack Obama.

20 January: On the government shutdown

“Democrats are far more concerned with illegal immigrants than they are with our great military or safety at our dangerous southern border... They could have easily made a deal but decided to play shutdown politics instead.”