President Trump and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Tuesday, July 3
Wednesday, July 4
President Trump hosts military personnel and their families for a picnic and fireworks show at the White House as part of Independence Day celebrations.[2]
Thursday, July 5
Scott Pruitt resigns as EPA Administrator, effective July 6, amidst fifteen federal investigations by various government ethics agencies for his assorted management scandals (see here for descriptions.)[3][4][5]
Friday, July 6
Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist and Deputy Administrator of the EPA since April 2018, succeeds Scott Pruitt as acting EPA administrator.[3][4][5]
President Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court Justice
Tuesday, July 10
Wednesday, July 11
Thursday, July 12
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend a black-tie dinner at Blenheim Palace.[10]
Friday, July 13
Special counselRobert Mueller indicts twelve Russian intelligence officers,[11] alleging that they "engag[ed] in a 'sustained effort' to hack Democrats' emails and computer networks".[12][13]
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump meet with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle for the first time since becoming president.[16] Their meeting makes Trump the 12th incumbent US president the Queen has met during her reign.[17]
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.
Saturday, July 14
Sunday, July 15
President Trump remarks during a CBS interview, "Now you wouldn't think of the European Union, but they're a foe," in response to a question about the biggest foes of the United States.[18]
Trump claims that he misspoke in his joint press conference with Putin the previous day, saying "I don't see any reason why it would be Russia" when he intended to say "I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia":[34][35][36][37]
It should have been obvious—I thought it would be obvious—but I would like to clarify, just in case it wasn't. In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word "would" instead of "wouldn't". The sentence should have been: "I don't see any reason why I wouldn't—or why it wouldn't be Russia." So just to repeat it, I said the word "would" instead of "wouldn't". And the sentence should have been—and I thought it would be maybe a little bit unclear on the transcript or unclear on the actual video—the sentence should have been: "I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia." Sort of a double negative.[34]
Trump's new remarks are criticized by some Democratic senators[38] who do not believe he misspoke[38][39][40] and thought his "back-handed retraction"[38][41] was "too late".[38][41]
President Trump's statement on the 17th of July.
Wednesday, July 18
When asked by a reporter before a Cabinet meeting whether he believes that the Russian government continues to make efforts to interfere in American elections, Trump replied, "no".[42][43] However, Sarah Huckabee Sanders (the White House Press Secretary) disputed that Trump was in fact answering the reporter's question when he said "no",[42][43] and Trump himself refused to clarify his intent to the press later in the day.[43]
The New York Times reports that Trump was briefed on January 6, 2017, regarding the Russian government's attempts to interfere in American elections.[44][45] Trump "sounded begrudgingly convinced", according to the Times's sources.[44][45]
Trump receives a public request from Russian prosecutors for permission to interrogate eleven American citizens, including former Amb.Michael McFaul, as part of an investigation into financial crimes that the Russian government alleges against American hedge-fund manager Bill Browder.[46][47] Trump did not immediately decline the request, with Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying that Trump is "gonna meet with his team" regarding the request.[47]
President Trump replies "no".
Thursday, July 19
After a non-binding resolution to oppose permitting Russian investigators to interrogate any American citizen passes in the United States Senate by a vote of 98–0,[48] the Trump administration issues a statement that the request "was made in sincerity by President Putin, but President Trump disagrees with it".[48]
Dan Coats (the Director of National Intelligence) reacts to the news of the Putin invitation in a manner deemed by White House officials to be "laughing at the president",[51] and a senior White House official anonymously says to The Washington Post that "Coats has gone rogue".[51]
Friday, July 20
The New York Times reports that Trump's long-time lawyer, Michael Cohen, secretly recorded a phone call in which Trump and Cohen discuss a September 2016 payment, in the amount of $150,000, by American Media, Inc. (the owner of the National Enquirer) to Playboy model Karen McDougal in order to acquire the exclusive rights to her story of her 2006 affair with Trump.[52][53][54] The National Enquirer never planned on publishing McDougal's story, so the payment (termed a "catch and kill" payment)[52] effectively silenced McDougal's story for the duration of the 2016 presidential campaign.[52][53][54] The Times also reported that the tape contains a discussion of a back-payment from Trump to American Media, Inc.;[52] the reporting directly contradicted Trump's long-standing claim that he had no knowledge of the payment to either McDougal or American Media, Inc.[52][53][54]
Rudy Giuliani, Trump's legal adviser, comments that the tape is, in fact, "powerful exculpatory evidence".[52] Some commentators conclude that Trump's legal team, not Cohen's legal team, had leaked the tape to the media;[55][56] the tape had originally been shielded from prosecutors due to attorney–client privilege, which was waived by Trump's legal team.[56][57] Some commentators speculate that Trump's legal team released the tape partly to deny Cohen a bargaining device in potential plea negotiations involving cooperation with federal investigations.[56][57]
NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS![64][65]
The threat was the culmination of a weekend of intense rhetorical exchange between the Trump administration and the Rouhani administration.[65] Trump's tweet was in response to Rouhani's message that war with Iran would be "the mother of all wars"; Rouhani also warned Trump to "not play with the lion's tail, because you will regret it eternally".[66] Rouhani's message was, in turn, in response to a scathing speech made by Mike Pompeo (the U.S. Secretary of State), which included an allegation that Rouhani owns a $95 billion hedge fund;[67] Pompeo also stated that "to the [Iranian] regime, prosperity, security, and freedom for the Iranian people are acceptable casualties in the march to fulfill the Revolution",[67] and that "the level of corruption and wealth among regime leaders shows that Iran is run by something that resembles the mafia more than a government".[67]
President Trump launches "Made in America Week" at the White House by showcasing products made in all 50 states.[citation needed]
President Trump at the White House Made in America showcase.
Tuesday, July 24
At a speech to the annual convention of a veterans' organization (Veterans of Foreign Wars) in Kansas City, Trump says that "what you're seeing and what you're reading [in the media] is not what's happening".[72][73][74] Some observers describe this quote as "Orwellian".[72][73][74]
The September 2016 tape, the existence of which was revealed on July 20, is published by CNN on its 9:00p.m. show, Cuomo Prime Time.[75] The three-minute recording proves that Trump and his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, did discuss the $150,000 payment to American Media, Inc., as claimed on July 20.[75][76] Moreover, Trump and Cohen can be heard discussing whether to make the payment in cash;[75][76] on the recording, Trump appears to suggest a cash payment, and Cohen appears to dismiss the suggestion.[75][76] According to The New York Times, the salient portion of the "sometimes muddled"[76] recording reads as follows:[76]
Mr. Cohen is heard telling Mr. Trump that he will need to set up a company to arrange the payments.
Mr. Trump then asked, "What financing?"
"We'll have to pay," Mr. Cohen said.
Mr. Trump then appears to say, "Pay with cash."
Mr. Cohen then says, "No, no."
The word "check" is uttered, but it is not clear by whom, and the audio is then cut off.[76]
However, Trump's legal team disputes this.[75][76]
Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims that Trump had contemporaneous knowledge of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump campaign officials (including Trump's son, Don Jr., and son-in-law, Jared Kushner) and Russian lobbyists, where the Trump campaign was promised "dirt" on Hillary Clinton.[84] While Trump has repeatedly denied that he knew that this meeting took place, Cohen claims that he is prepared to testify to the Special Counsel investigation that Trump knew in advance of the meeting.[84] Commentators note that "this revelation, if true, would directly implicate Trump himself in an effort to conspire with a foreign power to tip the election to him, and a subsequent effort to cover that up."[85][86] Trump tweets in his denial that "[it] sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?)."[85][86][87]
President Trump tweets a threat to support a government shutdown if Democratic lawmakers do not vote for "Border Security, which includes the Wall!"[92][93]
After President Trump has claimed "no collusion" for months,[95][96] his legal adviser Rudy Giuliani says that "I don't even know if [colluding with Russia] is a crime".[95][96][97] Another Trump adviser, former Gov.Chris ChristieofNew Jersey, echoes the sentiment, saying that "collusion is not a crime".[96] While there technically is no crime called 'collusion' in the U.S. Code,[96][97] legal experts agree that 'collusion' is an informal shorthand for a number of similar charges, especially conspiracy, which are in the Code,[96][97] and that the difference between 'collusion' and 'conspiracy' is "just a word choice".[96][97] Giuliani's and Christie's claims come on the eve of the trial of former Trump campaign chair, Paul Manafort.[95][96][97]
Giuliani also claimed the existence of a previously-unknown June 7, 2016, meeting between Trump campaign officials and Russian lobbyists preceding the Trump Tower meeting on June 9, 2016;[98] however, Giuliani later said that the meeting "never happened".[98] Asked how he could be sure that the July 26 claim by Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen (that Trump had advance knowledge of the Trump Tower meeting) was false, Giuliani replied, "Nobody can be sure of anything".[98]
President Trump offers to meet Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhani with "no preconditions".[99] This follows a heated exchange between the Trump administration and Rouhani on July 21 and July 22.[99]
During a rally in Florida, President Trump defends strict "voter ID" laws by claiming that Americans are required to show identification to purchase groceries.[107][108][109][110]
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August 2018
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Week 81
Wednesday, August 1
President Trump tweets that "Attorney GeneralJeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further",[111] the first time Trump has publicly and explicitly called for the termination of the Special Counsel investigation.[112] Many observers note that this tweet raises concerns about possible obstruction of justice,[113][114] while Rudy Giuliani (Trump's legal adviser) claims that Trump intentionally chose the word "should" because he was expressing an opinion rather than issuing an order to Sessions;[115]Sarah Huckabee Sanders (the White House Press Secretary) echoes Giuliani's sentiments, saying, "It's not an order. It's the president's opinion."[116]
The White House director of strategic communications, Mercedes Schlapp, confirms with Univision that Helen Aguirre Ferré, the White House director of media affairs for Latino and African-American news outlets, has resigned from the White House.[126][127][128]
In a flurry of early-morning tweets, President Trump describes Omarosa Manigault as "wacky", "vicious", "not smart", "nasty", "a loser", and "a lowlife", and claims that she "begged [Trump] for a job, tears in her eyes".[132][133][134]
President Trump tweets that Omarosa Manigault had been "a crazed, crying lowlife" when he gave her a job at the White House, describing the appointment as Trump giving Manigault "a break";[144] in the same tweet, Trump called Manigault a "dog".[144] Some commentators express concern that Manigault, whose official title had been Assistant to the President andDirector of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison, carrying a taxpayer-funded annual salary of $180,000, had been hired out of pity as Trump admits to knowing at the time that she was unqualified for the position.[145]
I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.[153][154]
Yup, I'm Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad).[164][165]
OMB Director Mick Mulvaney says that there were other non-monetary considerations that factored into the decision to postpone the parade; Mulvaney would not specify the other "contributing factors".[166]
Saturday, August 18
The New York Times reports that the White House Counsel, Don McGahn, has testified for nearly thirty hours in three voluntary interviews with investigators working on the Special Counsel investigation.[167] According to the report, Trump and his lawyers allowed McGahn to testify, and did not ask for a de-briefing of the content of his testimony,[167] which included the manner in which FBIDirectorJames Comeywas dismissed, as well as other personnel-related matters, including Trump's "obsession with putting a loyalist in charge of the [Special Counsel] inquiry".[167] In response to the report, Trump tweets that "disgraced and discredited Bob Mueller and his whole group of Angry Democrat Thugs spent over 30 hours with the White House Counsel, only with my approval, for purposes of transparency."[168][169][170]
Sunday, August 19
In an interview on Meet the Press, a news program on NBC hosted by Chuck Todd, Trump's legal adviser Rudy Giuliani says that "truth isn't truth".[171][172] Giuliani later clarified that he was "referring to the situation where two people make precisely contradictory statements, the classic 'he said, she said' puzzle".[173] Many observers, noting that this is the latest in a sequence of unusual statements, including Kellyanne Conway's "alternative facts", Trump's "fake news", and Trump's recent claim that "what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening", draw comparisons to George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984.[174][175]
Week 84
Monday, August 20
President Trump attacks Bruce Ohr, a current senior Justice Department official, asking whether he will "ever be fired".[176] Trump has attacked Ohr numerous times since August 11, alleging that he and his wife, Nellie, had been involved both in gathering information for the Steele dossier and in starting the FBI investigation into the Russian government's interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.[177][178] Nellie Ohr worked for Fusion GPS, the firm which commissioned the dossier, and Bruce Ohr had contact with Christopher Steele, the author of the dossier, throughout its production.[177][178] However, there is no evidence that Ohr had any involvement with either the FBI investigation or the Special Counsel investigation.[177][178]
Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, pleads guilty to five counts of tax evasion, two counts of campaign finance violations, and one count of bank fraud.[184][185] The campaign finance violations relate to Cohen's arrangement of payments in 2016 with American Media, Inc. to purchase the exclusive rights to the stories of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, regarding their affairs with then-candidate Trump;[184][185] these are regarded as "in-kind contributions" to Trump's campaign, and exceeded the maximum amount allowable by U.S. campaign finance law.[184][185] In the court proceedings, Cohen makes a prepared statement on the charges, describing the counts in his own words; Cohen implicates Trump on the two counts of campaign finance violations, saying under oath, and under penalty of perjury, that he made the illegal campaign contributions "in coordination with, and at the direction of, a candidate for federal office [Trump]".[186][187] Trump denies that he directed Cohen to make the payments.[188][189]
Trump talks about Mollie TibbettsAugust 22, 2018, White house press briefing
Thursday, August 23
In an interview with Fox News, President Trump claims that "if I ever got impeached, I think the market would crash, I think everybody would be very poor".[194]
David Pecker, the CEO of American Media, Inc. (which owns the National Enquirer magazine), who was, along with Trump, named by Michael Cohen in his guilty plea as an un-indicted co-conspirator in campaign finance violations committed in the payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, is granted immunity by federal prosecutors in exchange for his testimony.[195][196] A report by the Associated Press indicates that, during the 2016 election, the National Enquirer hid stories to which it had gained exclusive rights, but which were damaging to Trump, in a safe, as a form of 'friendly blackmail'; a National Enquirer reporter told the Associated Press, "It's 'I did this for you, now what can you do for me'... they [the National Enquirer] always got something in return."[197]
President Trump sarcastically tweets "Good job Jeff ..." following the Justice Department indictments of Duncan Hunter and Chris Collins.[199] Trump was criticizing Attorney GeneralJeff Sessions' handling of the investigations as supporting the Democratic agenda, adding that "the Democrats, none of whom voted for Jeff Sessions, must love him now."[200]
President Trump and Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait.
Thursday, September 6
Friday, September 7
Kavanaugh confirmation hearing ends with a vote scheduled for September 20.[204] Over the course of the hearing, over 200 protesters were arrested by the Capitol Police.[205]
President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in
Tuesday, September 25
President Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez at the UN General Assembly in New York City.[216]
President Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly at the Headquarters of the United Nations, and drew laughter from international representatives when he said that the Trump "administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of the United States—"so true". Trump immediately commented that he had not expected that type of reaction.[217][218]
President Trump addresses the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Wednesday, September 26
President Trump holds bilateral meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, and British Prime Minister Theresa May at the UN General Assembly in New York City.[citation needed]
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing in which Professor Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are questioned about Ford's allegations.[220]
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