Q1 Chronology

“Tempus fugit” (time flies) ~ Virgil

January 2017

January 20 –

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence take the Oath of Office.
President Trump signs a waiver to allow retired general James Mattis to become Secretary of Defense.
The Senate confirms Mattis and retired Marine general John F. Kelly as Secretary of Homeland Security.
President Trump issues an executive order to scale back on parts of the Affordable Care Act.
President Trump nominates Woody Johnson to be the next Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The Trump administration halts a cut to Obama’s FHA mortgage insurance premium.
Chief of Staff Reince Priebus calls for a freeze on new regulations.

January 21 –

President Trump visits the headquarters of the CIA to thank the intelligence community.
Two US drone strikes in Yemen’s Al Bayda Governorate are the first reported drone actions under President Trump.

January 22 –

From the Situation Room, President Trump discusses Iran, ISIS, and the Israeli–Palestinian peace process with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Vice President Pence administers the oath of office for the White House senior staff.

January 23 –

President Trump meets with twelve CEOs of major US companies.
President Trump signs two executive orders and Presidential Memorandum on his first full workday in the office. The first EO withdraws the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, another EO reinstated the Mexico City Policy dealing with NGOs and abortion access, and the Presidential Memorandum initiated a 90-day hiring freeze on the federal workforce hiring.
President Trump speaks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, saying that the United States remains committed to their relationship and to continuing military assistance to Egypt, discussing ways the United States could support Egypt’s economic reform program.
The Senate confirms Mike Pompeo as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

January 24 –

President Trump signs five executive orders. Two of them reverse the Obama administration’s halt on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, the latter of which has been the subject of tense protests by the Standing Rock tribe. President Trump says these projects will recover 28,000 jobs. He also signs a bill requiring that the pipelines use domestic steel, as well as two orders affecting similar future infrastructure projects.
President Trump speaks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Senate comfirms Nikki Haley as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

January 25 –

President Trump issues an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to begin construction of a wall on the Mexico–United States border. President Trump also increases border patrol and immigration officers, as well as reducing grant funding to sanctuary cities and changing deportation standards.

January 26 –

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto cancels a proposed meeting with Trump due to the controversy where Trump suggested Mexico to pay fully for the wall.

January 27 –

President Trump speaks with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on the phone to discuss Mexico–United States relations, following the cancellation of their planned meeting.
President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House. May is the first foreign leader to visit him since his inauguration.
President Trump signs two executive orders during a visit to The Pentagon. The first one suspends the Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days and denies entry to citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. The other one calls for budget negotiations regarding the expansion and strengthening of the U.S. military.

January 28 –

President Trump speaks with various foreign leaders, namely Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and French President François Hollande. President Trump signs three executive orders: enacting a five-year ban on lobbying for presidential appointees after leaving the White House, a lifetime ban for officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government, and directing his generals to put together a plan within 30 days for defeating ISIS.

January 29

President Trump speaks with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn. The Yakla raid, the first commando raid authorized by President Trump, leads to the death of Chief Petty Officer William Ownens, American Nawar “Nora” al-Awlaki, 14 members of the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as reported by the United States government, and between 16–59 Yemeni or other nationality civilian casualties.

January 30 –

President Trump signs an executive order that seeks to reduce the number of federal regulations by requiring agencies to cut two existing regulations for every new rule introduced.
President Trump relieves acting Attorney General Sally Yates of her duties and instates Dana Boente as acting Attorney General.
President Trump replaces Daniel H. Ragsdale with Thomas D. Homan as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
President Trump announces he will continue to enforce a 2014 executive order signed by former President Obama that established legal protections for LGBT workers.

January 31 –

President Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016.

February 2017

February 1 –

President Trump visits Dover Air Force Base for the arrival of the remains of U.S. Navy SEAL Chief Special Warfare Operator William “Ryan” Owens who was killed in action in Yemen, the first known combat death under the Trump administration.
The Senate confirms Rex Tillerson as the Secretary of State.
President Trump discusses refugee policy in a truncated phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
President Trump proclaims February as National African American History Month.

February 2 –

President Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast and meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
President Trump proclaims February as American Heart Month.
President Trump warns Israel that building new settlements in the West Bank “may not be helpful” for a peace deal.

February 3 –

President Trump signs two executive orders on financial regulations. The first one orders a review of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, while the other one directs the Department of Labor to review a fiduciary rule signed during the Barack Obama administration before its implementation in April.
President Trump institutes economic sanctions on 13 Iranian individuals and 12 companies from the nation after “hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community.”
Senior federal judge James Robart of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington temporarily blocks President Trump’s order to temporarily block immigration from seven middle-eastern nations.

February 4 –

The United States Department of Justice appeals judge’s temporary block of Executive Order 13769.
President Trump speaks with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, confirming his attendance to the 2017 G7 summit in Sicily, and with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko about the ongoing Ukrainian crisis.

February 5 –

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denies a request from the Trump Administration to immediately reinstate the temporarily-blocked travel ban.
President Trump speaks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and recently-elected Prime Minister Bill English of New Zealand.

February 6 –

President Trump pays a first visit to MacDill Air Force Base and the United States Central Command, and addresses the troops.
The Justice Department asks the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to restore the temporarily-blocked immigration ban.
Vice President Pence attends Superbowl – visits with Former President Bush and sits with former White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of State and Treasury Jim Baker

February 7 –

The Senate confirms Betsy DeVos as United States Secretary of Education by a vote of 51–50. Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm a Cabinet nominee, becoming the first vice president since 1945, in his role as president of the Senate, to cast a tie-breaking vote to confirm a Cabinet member.
President Trump speaks with Prime Minister Rajoy of Spain and President Erdogan of Turkey, confirming his support of NATO and discussing joint action against ISIS.

February 8 –

The Senate confirms Jeff Sessions as United States Attorney General by a vote of 52–47.President Trump formally announces his full Cabinet, comprising 24 members. The position of Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, established in 1946, is removed; the Director of National Intelligence and Director of the CIA are elevated to cabinet-level.
President Trump writes a brief letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
George Schultz, Jim Baker and Hank Paulson pitch Climate Change tax to President Trump and staff. Story is here.

February 9 –

President Trump signs three executive orders regarding law enforcement: “Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety”, “Preventing Violence Against Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement Officers” and “Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking”.
The appeal of the Trump administration is denied as the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said it would not block a lower-court ruling that brought the president’s executive order to a halt.
President Trump agrees to continue the One China Policy after a discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

February 10 –

President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe at the White House. The two leaders traveled to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

February 11 –

President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe play golf together at the Trump National Golf Club (Jupiter, Florida) in Jupiter, Florida and reportedly discuss the “future of the world, future of the region, and future of Japan and the United States,” as well as a North Korean Pukguksong-2 missile which was test-launched during the meeting.

February 13 –

President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House.
Michael Flynn resigns as National Security Advisor, following alleged discussions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak regarding the U.S. sanctions on Russia.
The Senate confirms Steve Mnuchin as the Secretary of the Treasury.

February 14 –

The Senate confirms Linda McMahon as Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

February 15 –

President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump calls on Netanyahu to review the construction of settlements in the West Bank. President Trump’s comments on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict prompts United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to warn against any abandonment of the two-state solution.
Andy Puzder withdraws his nomination to be Secretary of Labor.

February 17 –

President Trump visits Boeing’s North Charleston, South Carolina assembly facility for the unveiling of its new 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft. He emphasizes his administration’s commitment to improve the business climate and help create American jobs. From North Charleston he heads to Mar-a-Lago for a President’s Day weekend.
Scott Pruitt is approved by the U.S. Senate as the 14th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

February 18 –

President Trump holds a rally in Melbourne, Florida, attended by an estimated 9,000 supporters, where he defends his actions and criticizes the media.
Vice President Pence speaks at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, touching upon the issues of terrorism and defense spending.

February 20 –

Lt General H. R. McMaster is appointed the 26th United States National Security Advisor.

February 21 –

President Trump visits the National Museum of African American History and Culture and addresses the increase in vandalism and bomb threats at Jewish community centers around the country. President Trump’s administration announces the creation of 15,000 new positions in immigration enforcement, with the stated intention of initiating the removal of illegal immigrants from the United States.

February 22 –

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly arrive in Mexico for bilateral talks with the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto.

February 23 –

President Trump meets with more than two dozen manufacturing CEO’s, including Dell, Ford, GE, Emerson Electric and Johnson & Johnson, at the White House for what is called a “listening session.” It is confirmed that six White House staff members, including Chief Digital Officer Gerrit Lansing, were removed from their positions earlier in the month having failed FBI background checks. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tells reporters that the administration has no plans to continue the approach of the Obama administration on recreational cannabis and that it views recreational marijuana use as a violation of federal law. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo rescinding a 2016 Obama era memo meant to phase out private federal US prisons

February 24 –

President Trump meets with President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of Peru at the Oval Office. President Trump gives a speech at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland to the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference. In the speech, he addresses numerous themes including immigration, ISIS and coal mining, as well as media reliability, suggesting limits on the use of anonymous sources by news agencies. The New York Times is barred from the White House press briefing along with the BBC, CNN, Politico, The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times and BuzzFeed News, prompting criticism from the White House Correspondents’ Association.

February 25 –

President Trump has lunch with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and Florida governor Rick Scott. They discuss Obamacare and the states’ role in healthcare.

February 26 –

President Trump’s choice for United States Secretary of the Navy, Philip M. Bilden, withdraws from his nomination.

February 27 –

President Trump proposes an approximately 10% rise in military spending of $54 billion dollars diverted from numerous other budgets, including that of the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. Congress receives a letter criticizing this plan, signed by more than 120 retired U.S. admirals and generals, including former Army Chief of Staff George W. Casey Jr.

February 28 –

It is revealed that the FBI had, prior to the 2016 presidential election, reached an agreement with Christopher Steele to pay for continued research related to the Donald Trump–Russia dossier, a deal which was broken off following the publication of the dossier by BuzzFeed. President Trump makes his first speech to Congress, addressing a wide range of matters including drug abuse, gang crime, immigration, terrorism, the Mexico–United States barrier, infrastructure, foreign trade and the stock market.

March 2017

March 1 –

The Senate confirms Ryan Zinke as United States Secretary of the Interior by a vote of 68-31. An existing Congressional inquiry expands its scope to include allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. The Justice Department confirms that United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions twice met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 election campaign in which he acted as an advisor to candidate Donald Trump.

March 2 –

President Trump publicly expresses his confidence in Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then delivers a speech aboard aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, reiterating his commitment to military spending.
Sessions recuses himself from any inquiries involving allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 American election.
The Senate confirms Ben Carson as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by a vote of 58-41, and Rick Perry as United States Secretary of Energy by a vote of 62-37.
The White House confirms that Jared Kushner met with Sergey Kislyak alongside Michael T. Flynn at New York City’s Trump Tower in December 2016.

March 3 –

President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visit Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida. President Trump attends an evening Republican fundraising event at the Four Seasons hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump returns to his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort for the weekend.

March 4 –

President Trump publicly accuses former President Barack Obama of intercepting communications at his offices in New York City’s Trump Tower in October 2016; Obama’s spokesman Kevin Lewis denies the claim. March 4 Trump rallies are held throughout the United States.

March 5 –

James R. Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, denies claims concerning the wiretapping of President Trump’s election campaign, and states that the agencies he supervised found “no evidence of collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, agrees to a demand from the White House for an investigation into alleged abuses of executive power by former President Barack Obama. President Trump returns from Florida to the White House in the evening.

March 6 –

White House Deputy Director of Communications Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggests that President Trump does not accept FBI Director James Comey’s denial of the wiretapping of Trump Tower. Trump signs Executive Order 13780, seen as a revised version of Executive Order 13769, effective March 16th, removing Iraq from affected countries and clarifying that lawful permanent residents are excluded from the travel ban.

March 7 –

The White House confirms that President Trump has not conferred with the FBI over allegations of wiretapping by the previous administration. Trump speaks on the telephone with Prime Minister Shinzō Abe to voice his support for Japan in reaction to new reports of North Korean missile tests.

March 8 –

Formal drafting of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act begins. Federal judge Derrick Watson permits Doug Chin, Attorney General of Hawaii, to submit a newly revised lawsuit against President Trump’s newly revised travel ban, to be heard on March 15th. The United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform writes to the White House with concern that President Trump’s deletion of social media postings may constitute a violation of the Presidential Records Act.

March 9 –

At a White House meeting with community bankers, President Trump pledges to remove certain regulations pertaining to the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The U.S. states of Washington, New York, Oregon and Massachusetts join Minnesota and Hawaii’s legal challenge to President Trump’s forthcoming travel ban.

March 10 –

President Trump speaks by telephone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, extending a personal invitation to the White House. President Trump and Jeff Sessions order the resignation of 46 U.S. attorneys remaining from the Obama administration. Former Trump campaign advisor Roger Stone acknowledges personal communication he had with Guccifer 2.0.

March 11 –

A man named Jonathan Tran appears in court having been apprehended by the secret service after trespassing into the White House grounds shortly before midnight on March 10th, with President Trump on the premises. Trump spends the afternoon golfing in Virginia.

March 12 –

Republican Senator John McCain calls on President Trump to provide evidence of wiretapping at Trump Tower or retract the allegation.

March 13 –

An approaching winter storm causes the White House to delay the following day’s meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It will be held Friday.
President Trump signs an executive order to reduce costs.

March 14 –

President Trump hosts Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the White House.

March 15 –

A federal judge in Hawaii, issues a temporary nationwide restraining order on Executive Order 13780, the second travel ban.
President Trump makes remarks at the American Center for Mobility at Willow Run in Ypsilanti, Michigan and later holds a political rally in Nashville, Tennessee.
The senate confirms Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence.

March 16 –

The Trump Administration releases a preliminary draft of the 2018 spending plan. The discretionary funds are a 0.3% reduction in total from the previous year. The budget’s largest relative increases in spending include the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, with the largest cuts on the EPA, Foreign Aid, and the Departments of Labor and Agriculture.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson makes his first official visit to Japan, to discuss the threats posed by North Korea’s missile program.
President Trump holds talks with Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the White House, and announces his intention to visit the Republic of Ireland during his presidency.

March 17 –

President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Rex Tillerson visits South Korea to discuss international threats, and indicates the possibility of military action against North Korea.
The White House announces that it will appeal the ruling against the second travel ban.
Vice President Pence meets with Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis.

March 18 –

Rex Tillerson meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, to discuss the North Korean missile program.

March 19 –

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen rejects an assertion by President Trump on March 18th that Germany owes a financial debt to NATO.
Rex Tillerson completes his diplomatic tour of eastern Asia with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

March 20 –

President Trump issues a tweet rejecting allegations of collusion with Russia as “fake news”.
In a House Intelligence Committee hearing, FBI Director James Comey states that their investigation of Russian influence on the presidential election also covers possible links between Russia and Trump campaign figures, and that the FBI has no evidence of wiretapping against Trump.
President Trump meets with philanthropist Bill Gates in the morning and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the afternoon.
President Trump holds an evening political rally in Louisville, Kentucky.
President Trump nominates Judge Amul Roger Thapar to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

March 21 –

President Trump signs a bill which defines the budget and objectives of NASA, including a crewed mission to Mars as early as 2033.
The draft 2018 budget expands support of public-private partnerships for deep-space habitation, revives a supersonic flight research program, strengthens NASA’s cybersecurity, increases focus on planetary science and robotic exploration, cancels the Europa lander and Asteroid Redirect Mission, terminates four Earth science missions, and eliminates the NASA Office of Education, resulting in an overall 0.8% budget decrease.
Secretary Tillerson meets with Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

March 22 –

Secretary Tillerson hosts a summit of (68) nations in Washington to discuss anti-ISIS strategy.
President Trump offers United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May the United States’ full support, following a briefing by National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster on a fatal terrorist attack carried out near the Palace of Westminster in London.

March 23 –

The first major Congressional vote on President Trump’s planned repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act is postponed until March 24. Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney delivers an ultimatum to Congress on behalf of the Trump administration that the March 24 vote will be final.

March 24 –

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon Jr. issues a presidential permit to allow the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline by TransCanada Corporation.
With the consent of President Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan indefinitely postpones the first major Congressional vote on the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, due to lack of support from both sides of Congress.
President Trump and Defense Secretary Mattis host a group of prior medal recipients at the White House on the eve of National Medal of Honor Day.

March 25 –

A ban on some electronic devices on flights from Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait goes into effect.

March 27 –

At the daily White House press briefing, Attorney General Sessions outlines plans to withhold funds and grants from sanctuary cities which refuse to fully enforce federal immigration laws.
President Trump signs a memorandum creating the White House Office of American Innovation, consisting of 2 senior advisors and 8 assistants to the president.

March 28 –

President Trump signs an executive order which abolishes the National Environmental Policy Act, removes restrictions on fracking, and directs the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend, revise or abolish the Clean Power Plan.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer denies allegations that the White House attempted to prevent former acting Attorney General Sally Yates from testifying to the House Intelligence Committee.

March 29 –

President Trump signs Executive Order 13784 to combat drug addiction and the opioid crisis.[298] Trump also hosts a meeting in the Cabinet Room, concerning opioids and drug abuse.
President Trump issues a presidential notice continuing Executive Order 13694, which “[blocks] the property of certain persons engaging in significant malicious cyber-enabled activities”.
Federal Judge Derrick Watson converts the temporary restraining order on President Trump’s travel ban into an indefinite preliminary injunction, citing evidence of a religious objective in violation of the Establishment Clause.
The White House verifies that Ivanka Trump is to become an unpaid employee in the West Wing.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos delivers her first extended policy address at the Brookings Institution, stating an interest in implementing choice policies and criticizing the Obama administration’s policies.
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Scott Pruitt denies the administrative petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network North America to ban Chlorpyrifos.

March 30 –

President Trump meets with Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, at the White House.
The US Department of Justice issues a statement that it disagrees with Judge Watson’s March 29 ruling against the revised travel ban, and that it will continue its legal contest to reactivate the ban.
Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn seeks immunity from the FBI in exchange for testimony on White House links to Russia.
Vice President Pence casts his second tie-breaking vote, voting to advance a bill to defund Planned Parenthood.
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley states that the priority of the United States policy concerning Syrian President Bashar Assad is to no longer force him out of power.

March 31 –

President Trump issues a tweet describing as a “witch hunt” allegations of links between Russia and his associates, and recommending that Michael Flynn request immunity in return for testimony to the intelligence authorities.
President Trump signs two executive orders aimed at preventing foreign trade abuses. The signing occurred behind closed doors after Trump walked out of a public signing without signing the orders.
President Trump and Vice President Pence meet with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the White House.
The Treasury Department announces new sanctions against North Korea in response to Kim Jong Un’s continuing nuclear missile program.
District Judge David J. Hale rules against a freedom of speech defense by President Trump’s lawyers, permitting to proceed a lawsuit in which three plaintiffs allege that Trump incited violence at a presidential campaign rally in 2016.

See Timeline of the presidency of Donald Trump (wikipedia.org)