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| Trump administration (2017–2021) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Trump administration |
| Duration | 2017–2021 |
| President | Donald J. Trump |
| Vice president | Mike Pence |
| Party | Republican Party |
| Preceded by | Barack Obama administration |
| Succeeded by | Joe Biden administration |
Trump administration (2017–2021) The Trump administration (2017–2021) was the federal executive led by President Donald Trump, inaugurated on January 20, 2017, and concluding on January 20, 2021. It followed the Barack Obama administration and preceded the Joe Biden administration, featuring high-profile personnel changes, contentious domestic initiatives, major shifts in United States foreign policy, and multiple legal and political controversies culminating in two impeachments.
The 2016 presidential election pitted Republican nominee Donald Trump against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, with third-party candidacies such as Gary Johnson and Jill Stein present. The campaign debated issues including NAFTA, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, immigration proposals like the Mexico–United States border wall, and responses to ISIS. The outcome was influenced by events such as the 2016 Democratic National Committee email leak and investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into Clinton's use of email and by the United States intelligence community assessments regarding Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
The cabinet included secretaries and officials such as Rex Tillerson (initially Secretary of State), later replaced by Mike Pompeo, James Mattis (Secretary of Defense) until 2019, Jeff Sessions (Attorney General) followed by William Barr, Ben Carson (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development), Betsy DeVos (Secretary of Education), Steven Mnuchin (Secretary of the Treasury), Elaine Chao (Secretary of Transportation), Ryan Zinke (Secretary of the Interior), and Alex Azar (Secretary of Health and Human Services). Senior advisers and staff included Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Hope Hicks, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Reince Priebus, Mick Mulvaney, and John F. Kelly. Regulatory agencies saw leadership changes at the Environmental Protection Agency under Scott Pruitt and Andrew Wheeler, and at the Federal Communications Commission with Ajit Pai.
Major domestic initiatives encompassed the 2017 tax legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, healthcare-related attempts affecting Affordable Care Act provisions, and deregulatory actions impacting the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Administration policy affected immigration via executive actions like Executive Order 13769 (the travel ban), rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and changes to immigration detention and asylum procedures. Criminal justice reform produced the First Step Act of 2018. Disaster responses involved coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency after events including Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The administration's approach to climate change included withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rollbacks of Clean Power Plan regulations.
Economic policy prioritized tax reform under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and deregulatory measures supported by the Chamber of Commerce. Trade policy featured renegotiation of NAFTA into the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), imposition of tariffs on China leading to the China–United States trade war, tariffs on European Union steel and aluminum, and tariffs affecting Canada and Mexico. Responses to economic disruption included the administration's role in the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic economic measures and interaction with the Federal Reserve on monetary conditions. Stock market indices like the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 saw volatility across the term.
Foreign policy actions included withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), summit diplomacy with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel and subsequent relocation of the United States embassy in Israel, and tariff-driven disputes with China. The administration designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, conducted strikes against Qasem Soleimani, and shifted NATO subsidy pressure on member states. It strengthened ties with leaders such as Benjamin Netanyahu, Jair Bolsonaro, and Vladimir Putin while sanctioning entities through the United States Department of the Treasury and the Magnitsky Act-linked authorities. Counterterrorism efforts continued against al-Qaeda and ISIS in coordination with Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Defense operations.
The administration influenced the federal judiciary through appointments including Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States, and numerous appointments to federal United States Courts of Appeals and district courts advancing conservative jurisprudence. Legal actions involved litigation over executive orders in the United States District Court system and challenges to administration regulations in the Supreme Court of the United States. Actions by the Department of Justice under Jeff Sessions and later William Barr included shifts in enforcement priorities and interference allegations relating to criminal investigations.
The administration faced the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and potential obstruction of justice. It was subject to congressional oversight, including hearings by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Judiciary Committee. President Trump was impeached twice by the United States House of Representatives—first in 2019 related to Ukraine and abuse of power/obstruction of Congress, and again in 2021 related to the January 6 attack—while acquitted both times by the United States Senate. High-profile controversies involved staff departures, ethics inquiries, and conflicts with media outlets like The New York Times and CNN.
The 2020 presidential election saw President Donald Trump challenged by former Vice President Joe Biden; post-election disputes included litigation in state courts and filings with the Supreme Court of the United States, challenges by the Trump campaign and allies such as Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, and certification battles in state legislatures. The transition period involved the General Services Administration ascertainment and delays. On January 6, 2021, a breach of the United States Capitol by supporters occurred during the joint session to certify electoral votes, prompting actions by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, the United States Capitol Police, and invocation of the Insurrection Act debates; the event led to renewed impeachment proceedings, congressional investigations, and prosecutions by the Department of Justice.