Two years under Trump Dizzying dysfunction, constant controversies, mark first half of president’s first term

On Jan. 20, 2017, Donald Trump took the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States. ¶ The two years since have generated a ceaseless swirl of news about chaos and dysfunction in the West Wing, divisive comments and tweets from Trump, a simmering investigation into the Trump team’s involvement with Russian nationalists, and many other topics. ¶ The stories came so fast it could be difficult to keep up with them. In the short time since Trump was sworn in, four of his former associates have been convicted of felonies and 10 of his original Cabinet secretaries have left, including four who faced investigations into major conflicts of interest and other improprieties. ¶ Then there were controversies that didn’t involve Russia or comings and goings from the White House — Trump’s Charlottesville comments, family separations at the border and the administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, to name just a few. ¶ So today, the Sun is devoting our entire publication to this week-by-week annal of some of the most noteworthy moments from Trump’s first two years in office. We think it’s important to present this record, as the constant churn of storylines coming out of this White House can cause memories of important events to blur. ¶ It’s been two dizzying years. We hope the following timeline provides readers with a road map of how we got to this point.

CAROLYN KASTER / AP FILE (2017) President Donald Trump gives the thumbs-up as he finishes speaking in April 2017 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pa. Today marks the second anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, and the nation is divided on whether to give the president a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down on his first two years in office.