Fearless or foolish? Outspoken Trump makes an indelible mark
COLUMNIST
DONALD Trump has yet to reach the first anniversary of his arrival in the Oval Office but he has used his time in power to startle allies, confirm the worst fears of his critics, and delight his base.
Any speculation that the billionaire property mogul would stop tweeting and govern as a traditional Republican when he reached the White House is dead.
Here are nine defining moments from his first year in office that give us an insight into the man with his finger on America’s nuclear button:
1. He taunted the Mayor of London in the wake of a terrorist attack.
In June, London and the UK were rocked by the London Bridge and Borough Market killings.
The US President chose this moment to berate Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
He took to Twitter to write: “At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!’”
A spokesman for the mayor said: “He has more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s illinformed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks urging Londoners not to be alarmed when they saw more police – including armed officers – on the streets.”
Mr Trump again sent out a message to his millions of followers, saying Mr Khan had made a “pathetic excuse”.
The tweets only strengthened opposition to Mr Trump coming to the UK as part of a state visit.
2. He re-posted anti-Muslim videos put up by a member of a far-right group and then attacked Theresa May for criticising him.
The so-called “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom has been strained on plenty of occasions – but it hit a new low in November.
Mr Trump shared videos posted by a prominent member of Britain First. When Mrs May’s spokesman said it was “wrong” for him to have done this he used Twitter to tell her to “focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom,” adding, “We are doing just fine!”
3. He announced plans to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues that has to be resolved in a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Both sides want their capital to be Jerusalem.
Mr Trump delighted some religious conservatives but horrified traditional diplomatic allies by announcing that the US would move its embassy to Jerusalem.
The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman summed up the bewilderment felt by many when he asked: “Why in the world would you just give this away for free and not even use it as a lever to advance the prospect of an Israeli-Palestinian deal?”
4. He got his pick onto the Supreme Court.
From the perspective of his most ardent fans, there is much to celebrate about the Trump presidency.
Getting Neil Gorsuch confirmed is a huge deal for Mr Trump’s core supporters. In recent decades the US Supreme Court has made era-defining judgments on voting rights, abortion, gun control, campaign finance, and same-sex marriage.
For many social conservatives a top argument for putting reservations to one side and backing Mr Trump was that Hillary Clinton would appoint liberal judges who could remain there for decades to come.
In April Mr Gorsuch’s appointment was confirmed. Conservatives will hope he does not disappointment them in the future.
5. He has taken to calling a nuclear-armed foe “little rocket man”.
The stand-off with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme has the potential to spiral into an armed confrontation which could easily lead to the deaths of millions.
Mr Trump had referred to Kim Jong-un as “rocket man” before assuming the presidency but he ensured his address to the United Nations made headlines when he declared “rocket man is on a suicide mission”.
He shows little concern about riling the North Korean leader and his choice of nickname may reflect his well-documented fondness for the music of Elton John.
Mr Jong-un has pledged to “definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire”.
6. He has banned visitors from six Muslim-majority countries.
Mr Trump made no shortage of controversial comments during the election but one of the most incendiary was his call for a “total and complete shutdown” of the country’s borders to Muslims in the wake of the San Bernardino terrorist attack.
His initial efforts to restrict travel from Muslim-majority countries triggered protests and were struck down by judges. But on December 4 the Supreme Court allowed a ban barring people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen (and North Korea) to go ahead while legal challenges continue.
For his admirers this is another win. But his critics will look up at the Statue of Liberty to see if she is shedding a tear.
7. He pledged to take the US out of the Paris climate agreement.
Mr Trump casts himself as a dealmaker but he has little fondness for binding international agreements, having rejected membership of the Trans-Pacific Partnership – a trade deal seen by some as the best chance of ensuring US economic influence in East Asia continues as China’s clout multiplies.
In June he announced he would take the country out of the Paris climate agreement in an apparent bid to shore up support in his political base; during the election campaign he portrayed himself as a strong supporter of what remains of the US coal industry.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is “pretty sure that my friend President Trump will change his mind”. 8. He fired his FBI director. The sacking of FBI director James Comey sent shockwaves through Washington.
Mr Comey was leading the investigation into whether people close to Mr Trump colluded with Russians to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
Mr Comey claimed the President had asked him to do what he could to “lift the cloud” of the investigation.
Special counsel Robert Mueller, himself a former FBI director, is now investigating possible Russian meddling. Mr Trump has described it as “witch hunt”.
9. He refused to single out white supremacists for criticism.
Some of the most profound dismay Mr Trump has triggered came as a result of his comments in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville in August.
White nationalists clashed with counter-protesters and 32-year-old Heather Heyer – a paralegal who opposed racism – was killed when a car was driven into a crowd near the city’s mall.
Mr Trump claimed there was “blame on both sides,” saying: “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.”