The following is a timeline of the first presidency of Donald Trump during the fourth and last quarter of 2018, from October 1 to December 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.
Overview
Public opinion
Timeline October 2018
Date Events Photos/videos Monday, October 1 President Trump announces the new USMCA trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada as a renegotiation of the former North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Tuesday, October 2 The White House corrects the official transcript from yesterday's press conference to now include his initial insult of a reporter. Wednesday, October 3 President Trump mocks Senate Judiciary Committee witness Christine Blasey Ford at a Mississippi campaign rally. Thursday, October 4 Friday, October 5 The Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in a vote of 51–49. Saturday, October 6 Sunday, October 7 Monday, October 8 President Trump attends the swearing in of Brett M. Kavanaugh as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in an East Room of the White House ceremony. Tuesday, October 9 United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley announces her resignation. Wednesday, October 10 Thursday, October 11 President Trump expresses concern over the disappearance of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey on October 2. Friday, October 12 Saturday, October 13 Sunday, October 14 Monday, October 15 President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visits areas affected by Hurricane Michael in Lynn Haven, Florida. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visits areas affected by Hurricane Michael in Macon, Georgia. President Trump suggests "rogue killers" may be responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Tuesday, October 16 Wednesday, October 17 President Trump says the U.S. is requesting that Turkey provide audio and video relating to missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, "if it exists". Donald McGahn resigns as White House Chief Counsel. He will be replaced by Patrick Cipollone. Thursday, October 18 Friday, October 19 President Trump holds a rally in Mesa, Arizona. Saturday, October 20 Sunday, October 21 Monday, October 22 President Trump attends a political rally at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, and claims "I'm a nationalist." Tuesday, October 23 Wednesday, October 24 President Trump and the White House condemn as "alleged violent attacks" a number of packages containing "potential explosive devices" that were addressed to various Democrats and intercepted by the Secret Service. Thursday, October 25 Friday, October 26 President Trump attends a political rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. Saturday, October 27 Sunday, October 28 President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in the White House Halloween event. Monday, October 29 Tuesday, October 30 Wednesday, October 31
November 2018
Date Events Photos/videos Thursday, November 1 Friday, November 2 President Trump attends a campaign rally in Indianapolis, Indiana. Saturday, November 3 President Trump attends a campaign rally at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Belgrade, Montana. Sunday, November 4 Monday, November 5 President Trump visits Ohio, Indiana and Missouri to campaign on the eve of the midterm elections. Tuesday, November 6 The midterm elections are held with the Republicans maintains control of the Senate while Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives. Gains in the House of Representatives give Democrats the majority, and the ability to control committees to investigate President Trump and his administration beginning in January 2019. Wednesday, November 7 Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns at the request of President Trump and is replaced by Matthew Whitaker, Sessions' Chief of Staff. President Trump suspends the access pass of CNN journalist Jim Acosta after he continues to ask questions and refuses to give up the microphone. Thursday, November 8 Friday, November 9 President Trump travels to France aboard Air Force One. President Trump receives a call from British prime minister Theresa May, whom he berates over Iran and Brexit. Saturday, November 10 President Trump holds a bilateral meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. President Trump fails to attend a ceremony at the Aisne Marine American Cemetery in France. He cites poor weather grounding his helicopter, and a desire not to disrupt traffic with his potential motorcade. Sunday, November 11 President Trump attends a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe with 60 other world leaders marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. French president Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech in which he denounces nationalism as a betrayal of patriotism and warns against 'old demons coming back to wreak chaos and death'. This is seen as a rebuke of President Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin, who is also in attendance. President Trump fails to attend the inaugural Paris Peace Forum with European leaders, instead visiting the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial. President Trump returns to Washington where he again misses a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World WarI claiming he was unable to do so because he was "extremely busy on calls for the country". Monday, November 12 Tuesday, November 13 Wednesday, November 14 Media reports that President Trump has been in a bad mood since the midterm elections due to the significant Republican losses and is planning to shuffle his staff including Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. President Trump announces support for the FIRST STEP Act, a bipartisan legislative package of sentencing and prison overhaul measures. Thursday, November 15 Friday, November 16 Saturday, November 17 President Trump visits California to tour the devastation caused by the 2018 California wildfires. He mistakenly refers to the fire ravaged area as "Pleasure" rather than Paradise. Sunday, November 18 President Trump sits for an interview on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. Monday, November 19 President Trump criticizes Admiral William McRaven, a Navy Seal and former head of Special Operations Command for not killing Osama bin Laden sooner. First Lady Melania Trump welcomes the arrival of the 2018 White House Christmas Tree. Tuesday, November 20 President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation. President Trump issues a statement called extraordinary and remarkable by the media, declaring unwavering loyalty to Saudi Arabia despite its killing of Khashoggi. Details emerge of attempts by President Trump to order the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies, 2016 presidential election opponent Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. President Trump's lawyers hand in his responses to questions for the Mueller investigation. President Trump defends Ivanka Trump's use of personal email for official government business declining to acknowledge hypocrisy given his calls for Hillary Clinton to be imprisoned for her use of personal emails during her time as Secretary of State. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, rules against President Trump's immigration policy. The president lashes out against the court calling it 'a lawless disgrace' and threatening unspecified retaliation. Chief Justice John G. Roberts issues a rare statement defending the impartiality of courts. Wednesday, November 21 President Trump fires back at Chief Justice Roberts on Twitter. Thursday, November 22 President Trump spends Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago estate, visiting a Coast Guard station in Palm Beach. He uses calls to overseas troops to vent on immigration and trade and to boast about his own success in a break from non-partisan traditions of such calls. President Trump authorizes troops stationed at the U.S.–Mexican border to use lethal force if deemed necessary and also threatens to close the entire southern border with Mexico. President Trump rebuffs the CIA for concluding that the Saudi crown prince was responsible for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Friday, November 23 The New York Supreme Court rejects a motion by President Trump to have New York State Attorney General's lawsuit against the Trump Foundation dismissed, allowing the case to proceed. The motion was made on the basis of presidential immunity and political bias. Saturday, November 24 Sunday, November 25 U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporarily close all vehicle and pedestrian traffic at the major San Ysidro port of entry between Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego, California and used tear gas on migrants and refugees who approached the border fence. Monday, November 26 First Lady Melania Trump unveils the Christmas decorations at the White House for the second time. President Trump and Vice President Pence speak in Tupelo and Biloxi, Mississippi, rallies in support of Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in the lead up to her run-off election. President Trump defends the use of 'very safe tear gas' against migrants. Tuesday, November 27 Wednesday, November 28 President Trump uses his Twitter account to retweet an image calling for his political opponents to be imprisoned for treason. The image includes Rod Rosenstein, his own Deputy Attorney General, and Robert Mueller. Thursday, November 29 President Trump travels to Buenos Aires, Argentina, ahead of the G20 summit. He abruptly cancels a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin over Moscow's capture of Ukrainian ships and sailors. President Trump's long time lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress in relation to the Mueller Russia investigation. Trump makes a statement to the media that Cohen was lying to reduce his prison sentence. He further states that there was nothing wrong with his involvement with an ultimately unsuccessful personal business deal with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. Friday, November 30 President Trump attends the G20 summit hosted by Argentine President Mauricio Macri. President Trump signs the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) along with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto. President Trump holds bilateral meetings with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe and South Korean president Moon Jae-in.
December 2018
Date Events Photos/videos Saturday, December 1 President Trump releases a statement on the death of former president George H. W. Bush and declares December 5, 2018, as a national day of mourning. President Trump holds bilateral meetings with German chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and dinner with Chinese president Xi Jinping, claiming they have reached an agreement to halt the escalating trade war between the United States and China. The following Tuesday senior officials play down expectations and acknowledged that key provisions were not finalized. Trump tweets that he is a "Tariff Man", causing stock markets to plunge three percent. Sunday, December 2 Monday, December 3 In a series of tweets, President Trump calls for harsh sentencing of Michael Cohen, following a guilty plea in cooperation with the Mueller investigation. The president also praises longtime associate Roger Stone for not cooperating with Mueller.