DONALD TRUMP marked two years as America’s president on January 20th, in the midst of the longest shutdown of the federal government in history. Mr Trump is at loggerheads with the Democrats, who now control the House of Representatives, over funding for his proposed border wall with Mexico. As a result, some 800,000 government employees are not being paid. So far the economy remains strong and unemployment low, but some economists have forecast a recession in 2019. Meanwhile, the president remains hugely polarising: some 55% of Americans disapprove of his job performance. While the 2020 presidential election is still 652 days away, a growing roster of Democrats have declared their interest in ensuring Mr Trump is only in office for another two years.