The following is a timeline of the first presidency of Donald Trump during the first quarter of 2018, from January 1 to March 31, 2018. For a complete itinerary of his travels, see List of presidential trips made by Donald Trump (2018). To navigate between quarters, see timeline of the Donald Trump presidencies. For the Q2 timeline see timeline of the first Trump presidency (2018 Q2).
Overview Public opinion
According to FiveThirtyEight, President Trump's approval rate at the end of March was 40.5%, up 2% from the previous quarter and down 4.9% from the start of his presidency. For more polls, see 2018 opinion polling on the Donald Trump administration.
Timeline January 2018
Date Events Photos/videos Monday, January 1Donald Trump begins his first full calendar year as President. The Trump administration announces it will withhold the scheduled millions of military aid to Pakistan with President Trump declaring it a terrorist "safe haven". Nick Ayers announces that Vice President Mike Pence's chief lawyer, Mark Paoletta, and domestic policy director, Daris Meeks, are to resign. Tuesday, January 2President Trump tweets that his "nuclear button" is larger and more powerful than that of Kim Jong-un. On Twitter, President Trump refers to the Department of Justice as the 'deep state' and then calls on it to investigate former FBI director James Comey and Hillary Clinton's top aide, Huma Abedin. Via Twitter, President Trump threatens to cut off U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority, claiming the Palestinians were no longer willing to negotiate on a peace process with the Israelis—seemingly after his December 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Wednesday, January 3President Trump disbands his Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. President Trump issues a statement describing Steve Bannon, former CEO of the Trump campaign, as having "very little to do with our historic victory" and as having "lost his mind", following the publication of excerpts from a forthcoming book by Michael Wolff in which Bannon is said to describe Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner's meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic". Wolff's book also describes Bannon's confidence that Trump Sr. knew of the meeting at the time. Thursday, January 4President Trump's lawyer Charles J. Harder sends to Michael Wolff and his publisher, Henry Holt and Company, a cease and desist letter demanding the non-publication of Wolff's White House exposé, Fire and Fury, due for release on January 9. Wolff's publishers move the date of publication forward to January 5. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announces a plan to open up 90% of the U.S. coastline to oil drilling. Friday, January 5The Trump administration submits to Congress initial details of a request for $18 billion to fund 316 miles of new barriers and upgrades to 407 miles of existing barriers along the Mexican border. Wolff's Fire and Fury is published. President Trump describes it on Twitter as a "phony book", "full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist". BSEE Director Scott Angelle announces plans to overhaul the oil-industry regulations introduced following 2010's Deepwater Horizon disaster. President Trump leaves for Camp David for a weekend of meetings with his Cabinet, Republican party leaders, and Vice President Pence. It is reported that a decision is expected concerning whether the administration will move next to welfare reform or infrastructure. NSA Director Michael S. Rogers announces his retirement for spring 2018. Following a personal interview with President Trump, former Deutsche Bank lawyer Geoffrey Berman takes up his position as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Berman shortly afterwards appoints as his deputy Deutsche Bank's former U.S. general counsel Robert Khuzami. Saturday, January 6President Trump tweets that he is "a very stable genius", praising his own "mental stability". Also within the tweet, he says he became president "on the first try", despite having run as a Reform Party candidate in 2000. President Trump declares "everyone found that, after a year of study, there's been absolutely no collusion... between us and the Russians." Meanwhile, the special counsel investigation into such matters are still in progress with no declared findings. Sunday, January 7 Monday, January 8President Trump makes an on-field appearance during the National Anthem at the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship. The Trump administration announces the end in September 2019 to the temporary protected status granted to nearly 200,000 Salvadorans by then-president George W. Bush following the 2001 El Salvador earthquakes. President Trump submits to the Senate 21 re-nominations for judicial posts, including two rated 'not qualified' by the ABA. Vice President Pence describes Fire and Fury as a "book of fiction", while saying he has not read the book and does not intend to. Tuesday, January 9President Trump holds a bipartisan meeting with members of Congress discussing the topic of immigration. District judge William Alsup rules that the DACA program must remain in place while litigation continues over the Trump administration's September5 decision to end it. The next morning, Trump describes the U.S. court system as "broken and unfair". Secretary Zinke announces that Florida will be exempted from oil drilling under the new policy announced on January 4. Wednesday, January 10President Trump describes Senator Dianne Feinstein as "sneaky" and a "disgrace" following her unilateral publication on January9 of the Simpson testimony of August 2017 concerning research into potential crimes in respect of the 2016 election. President Trump reiterates that he will be reviewing libel law, describing the current law as "a sham and a disgrace". President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg at the White House. Thursday, January 11The Trump administration announces new state guidelines that Medicaid recipients may be required to work or volunteer, or enroll in education. The Washington Post reports that President Trump, in a meeting with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) regarding immigration law reform, referred to Haiti and African countries as "shithole countries" and expressed preference for immigrants from Norway. On the following day, Trump denies using the term, but says he used tough language in regards to the countries; Senator Durbin affirmed that Trump had made those remarks. Vice President Pence visits Las Vegas, Nevada, and speaks at nearby Nellis Air Force Base. Friday, January 12President Trump proclaims Martin Luther King Jr. Day for January 15. President Trump cancels a planned visit to the UK, blaming his predecessor, Barack Obama, for a "bad deal" on the new embassy due to be opened in London, despite the fact it was agreed under George W. Bush. The Wall Street Journal reports that, in October 2016, President Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, arranged a payment of $130,000 to the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence regarding a 2006 extramarital affair. Cohen denies that Trump had sexual relations with Daniels. Fellow adult-film actress Alana Evans said Daniels told her she had "ended up with Donald in his hotel room". Citing disagreements with the Trump administration, John Feeley announces his resignation as U.S. Ambassador to Panama, effective March 9, 2018. Saturday, January 13President Trump is briefed at the White House concerning Hawaii's emergency management protocol following a public disturbance due to a false alarm of an incoming ballistic missile. Sunday, January 14 Monday, January 15Secretary of State Rex Tillerson co-hosts with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland the first of two days of talks in Vancouver concerning the North Korea crisis. Nine of the twelve members of the National Park System Advisory Board resign following Interior Secretary Zinke's refusal to convene meetings. The Wall Street Journal reports that Jared Kushner was warned in early 2017 by U.S. intelligence officials that his friend Wendi Deng Murdoch may be a Chinese spy. Tuesday, January 16President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the White House. President Trump's former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon is questioned at a private sitting of the House Intelligence Committee. He is issued with a subpoena during the meeting upon citing executive privilege to refuse questions about the Trump transition and administration, but maintains his refusal. Wednesday, January 17In an Oval Office interview for Reuters, President Trump accuses Russia of harming Chinese/American efforts to solve the ongoing North Korean nuclear crisis. In Touch Weekly publishes excerpts from a 2011 interview with adult-film actress Stormy Daniels alleging a 2006 extramarital affair with Trump. The magazine describes her passing a polygraph and her friend's and ex-husband's both corroborating the interview. President Trump announces the winners of the "Fake News Awards", despite criticism from Republican senators Jeff Flake and John McCain. Thursday, January 18President Trump delivers a speech at a factory near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He offers his support for Republican candidate Rick Saccone in the upcoming March 13 special election for Pennsylvania's 18th district. The House passes a short-term government budget in advance of a deadline of midnight January 19–20. It is widely reported that Hungarian police have an active arrest warrant, issued on September 17, 2016, against former Trump White House advisor Sebastian Gorka. The warrant concerns alleged abuse of firearms. Friday, January 19President Trump states on Twitter that Democratic votes will be needed in the Senate to prevent a government shutdown at midnight. He writes, "but they want illegal immigration and weak borders". German periodical Manager Magazin reports that Deutsche Bank has presented to Germany's financial authority, BaFin, evidence concerning "suspicious money transfers" by White House advisor Jared Kushner. MM reports that this information is due to be handed to Robert Mueller's inquiry. Deutsche Bank on January 22 denies the report, and announces that it is taking legal action. Saturday, January 20President Trump completes his first year in office. A federal government shutdown begins, after the Senate fails to pass a continuing resolution to maintain funding for the government. Vice President Pence arrives in Cairo, Egypt at the start of a tour of Africa and the Middle East. Sunday, January 21Vice President Pence meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman. Abdullah criticizes the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Pence reaffirms U.S. respect towards Jordan's role as the guardian of Jerusalem's Islamic holy sites. Monday, January 22During the third day of the federal government shutdown, President Trump accuses the Democratic Party of precipitating the shutdown "in the interests of their far left base". President Trump signs a bi-partisan bill, which passed Congress with support from both parties, officially ending the government shutdown that began three days earlier. The bill provides funds until February 8, 2018. Vice President Pence delivers a speech at Israel's Knesset, announcing that the U.S. will relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of 2019. A number of Arab members of Parliament are ejected while protesting. Tuesday, January 23Vice President Pence visits Jerusalem's Western Wall. Wednesday, January 24President Trump announces during remarks at the White House that he is willing to testify to Mueller under oath, stating, "I would love to do it, and I would like to do it as soon as possible."