Part one: Trump has a ‘much bigger’ button than Kim Jong-un, reportedly tried to fire Mueller, considered arming teachers, banned transgender troops in the military, and more …

January

‘Much bigger’ button

Donald Trump pioneers nuclear war trash-talk on Twitter, writing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un:

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

‘Very stable genius’

Journalist Michael Wolff publishes Fire and Fury, an insider account of White House dysfunction and Trump’s unbalanced leadership. Trump calls the book “phony” and tweets: “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart … I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius … and a very stable genius at that!”

‘Shithole countries’

Trump reportedly refers to Haiti and African countries as “shithole countries” in a meeting that included Senator Dick Durbin. Trump denies the report and says: “I am not a racist.”

London trip canned

Amid fears of mass protests, Trump cancels a planned visit to Britain to open a new US embassy. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said Trump had “got the message” that many Londoners staunchly opposed his policies and actions.

Hush payment to porn star

The Wall Street Journal reveals that Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, made a $130,000 hush payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in October 2016, on the eve of the presidential election.

Tried to fire Mueller – report

The New York Times reports that Trump wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election and links between Moscow and the Trump campaign, but reports that White House counsel Don McGahn stopped him.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Robert Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

Keeps Guantánamo open

In his first State of the Union address, Trump vows to keep the US prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, open. Republicans cheer.

February

Declassifies Nunes memo

Trump declassifies a tendentious memo written by the House intelligence committee chairman, Devin Nunes, depicting the investigation of Russian election tampering as politically motivated. “Extraordinarily reckless,” a justice department official says of the move.

Orders military parade

Trump orders the Pentagon to plan a military parade in Washington. “The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” an official told the Washington Post. “This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.”

Praises Porter

The White House staff secretary, Rob Porter, resigns following two public allegations of spousal abuse. “He did a very good job,” says Trump.

Downplays Mueller indictments

Mueller indicts 13 Russians and three Russian entities in an alleged conspiracy to defraud the United States. The indictment does not name any US citizens as alleged co-conspirators. “There was no Collusion with the Trump campaign,” Trump tweets.

Considers arming teachers

Trump says he would consider arming teachers after 17 students and staff members were killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Donald Trump with Julia Cordover, a student who survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school shooting, at the White House on 21 February. Photograph: Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA/REX/Shutterstock

March

Announces steel tariffs

Trump announces new 25% steel and aluminum tariffs, with a temporary exemption for the EU, Canada and Mexico. His top economics adviser, Gary Cohn, quits.

Sued by Stormy Daniels

Porn star Stormy Daniels sues Trump and Cohen in an effort to be released from a hush agreement for which she was paid $130,000 but which Trump never signed.

Congratulates Putin

Trump calls the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to congratulate him on his election victory, the Kremlin says. Putin won 77% of the vote, in a result that was never in question.

Tweets fake border wall picture

Trump tweets pictures of a barrier fence, hailing the “start of our Southern Border WALL!”, but the pictures in fact show unrelated work on a short stretch of wall, and Congress subsequently refused to fund Trump’s wall in a budget Trump then signed.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Great briefing this afternoon on the start of our Southern Border WALL! pic.twitter.com/pmCNoxxlkH



Bans transgender troops

A White House memo states that transgender personnel are “disqualified from military service except under limited circumstances”.

Fires Rex Tillerson

A year prior, Tillerson was reported to have called Trump a “fucking moron”, a report he did not deny. Later Trump will call Tillerson “dumb as a rock” and “lazy”.

April

Announces troops on southern border

“We’re going to be doing things militarily,” Trump said. “Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military.”

Cohen properties raided

FBI agents raid residences and an office used by Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer. Trump declares “an attack on our country in a true sense”. Later he will distance himself from Cohen.

Denies hush payment

Aboard Air Force One, Trump is asked whether he knew about a hush payment made by Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels. “No,” he replies.

Pardons Libby

Trump pardons Scooter Libby, the former chief of staff for Vice-President Dick Cheney, for his perjury and obstruction of justice convictions. “I don’t know Mr Libby but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly,” Trump says.

May

Admits hush payment

Trump tweets that a hush payment to Stormy Daniels, “very common among celebrities and people of wealth”, “was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll [sic] in this transaction.”

Child separations policy

The Department of Homeland Security describes a new policy of child-parent separations at the southern border, which prompts widespread outrage.

Fake doctor note

Dr Harold Bornstein, Trump’s longtime doctor, says a 2015 note signed by him and describing Trump’s health as “astonishingly excellent” was dictated by Trump himself. “He dictated that whole letter. I didn’t write that letter,” Bornstein says.

Withdrawal from Iran deal

Trump announces that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions. Democrats call it a “senseless, disturbing and dangerous” move.

Cancels North Korean summit

Trump cancels a meeting with the North Korean leader planned for June with a letter that reads in part: “You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.”

Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) The Art of The Deal baby!!! https://t.co/fCrQVWc4Vy

Admits reimbursing Cohen

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani reveals that Trump reimbursed his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 he paid to Daniels. It will later emerge that Cohen submitted falsified invoices to the Trump Organization for reimbursement.

June

Child separations

The Department of Homeland Security reveals that 1,995 migrant children had been separated from their parents in the preceding six weeks. The Trump administration denies such a policy while Trump blames Democrats for “their forced family breakup at the Border”. Melania Trump visits a Texas shelter for unaccompanied children wearing a jacket with the slogan “I really don’t care. Do U?”

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!

Retreats on child separations

Trump signs an executive order that will ostensibly end family separations at the border, although opponents criticise its vague language and warn that families can still be held in detention. The order makes no mention of whether families already separated would be reunited.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Melania Trump arrives at Andrews air force base in Maryland on 21 June wearing a Zara jacket that reads ‘I don’t really care. Do U?’ Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

Trump ‘charity’ sued

The attorney general of New York state sues the Donald J Trump charitable foundation, Trump and three of his children for violating state charity laws, alleging that the Trumps used charitable assets as “little more than a checkbook for payments to not-for-profits from Mr Trump” and his companies.

Meets Kim, and declares end to nuclear threat

Trump tweets after return from summit:

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Just landed - a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future!

Manafort to jail

A judge orders former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort to jail following allegations by Mueller that Manafort was tampering with witnesses in his case. Manafort has been held in custody ever since.

Orders ‘space force’

Trump directs the Pentagon to create a “space force” as a new branch of the US military. “We are going to have the air force and we are going to have the space force – separate but equal,” Trump says. “It is going to be something so important.”

