The following is a timeline of the first presidency of Donald Trump during the first quarter of 2019, from January 1 to March 31, 2019. For a complete itinerary of his travels, see List of presidential trips made by Donald Trump (2019). To navigate between quarters, see timeline of the Donald Trump presidencies. For the Q2 timeline see timeline of the first Trump presidency (2019 Q2).
Overview
The first quarter of 2019 began with the continuing government shutdown which had begun on December 22; it lasted until January 25.
Public opinion
Timeline January 2019
Date Events Photos/videos Tuesday, January 1James Mattis resigns as 26th United States Secretary of Defense. Deputy Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan becomes Acting Secretary of Defense. Mattis' resignation had been announced December 2018, for the end of February 2019, before being pushed forward by President Trump. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen assumes acting duties, following the resignation of Ambassador Nikki Haley the previous day. Day 11 of the partial government shutdown Wednesday, January 2John F. Kelly resigns as 28th White House Chief of Staff. OMB Director Mick Mulvaney concurrently becomes Acting Chief of Staff. Kelly's resignation was announced in December 2018. Ryan Zinke resigns as the 52nd United States Secretary of the Interior. Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt becomes Acting Secretary of the Interior. Zinke's resignation was announced on December 15, 2018. The final session of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives took place. Day 12 of the partial government shutdown Thursday, January 3The 116th United States Congress convenes with the Democratic Party is controlling the House of Representatives while the Republican Party is retaining their majority in the Senate. Nancy Pelosi is elected as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for a second tenure. Day 13 of the partial government shutdown Friday, January 4President Trump considers declaring a national emergency on the southern border in order to bypass Congress on the issue of a border wall. Day 14 of the partial government shutdown Saturday, January 5Day 15 of the partial government shutdown Sunday, January 6Day 16 of the partial government shutdown Monday, January 7President Trump announces a prime time televised address on border security for the following day. Day 17 of the partial government shutdown Tuesday, January 8President Trump addresses the nation on prime-time television concerning the ongoing federal government shutdown. Day 18 of the partial government shutdown Wednesday, January 9 President Trump abruptly walks out of a meeting with Democratic leaders. Day 19 of the partial government shutdown Thursday, January 10President Trump visits McAllen, Texas, along the southern border and meets with Border Patrol personnel. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin gives Congress a classified briefing about his decision to lift sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Day 20 of the partial government shutdown Friday, January 11Day 21 of the partial government shutdown Saturday, January 12The partial government shutdown enters its 22nd day, becoming the longest government shutdown in U.S. history after passing the United States federal government shutdowns of 1995–1996. Sunday, January 13Day 23 of the partial government shutdown Monday, January 14President Trump entertains the Clemson Tigers, 2018 College Football Playoff National Champions, at the White House with a menu of various fast foods. President Trump travels to New Orleans to address the American Farm Bureau. Day 24 of the partial government shutdown Tuesday, January 15William P. Barr undergoes his confirmation hearing for the position of Attorney General. Trump Administration calls on some FAA and IRS furloughed employees to return to work to provide air safety and to implement the upcoming tax filing season. Day 25 of the partial government shutdown Wednesday, January 16 Day 2 of William Barr's confirmation hearing Speaker Pelosi sends a letter to President Trump that suggests he either reschedule his 2019 State of the Union Address or submit a written State of the Union to Congress instead of a televised oral speech, citing fears of security concerns regarding unpaid Secret Service members as a consequence of the government shutdown. President Trump meets in the White House with rank and file House Democrats to discuss the shutdown. Day 26 of the partial government shutdown Thursday, January 17President Trump sends a letter to Speaker Pelosi, postponing her planned trips to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan, a move which is seen by both Democrats and Republicans as an indirect response to her letter requesting that the State of the Union Address be rescheduled. A report by BuzzFeed News journalists Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier is released, alleging that President Trump directed his former attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about their Moscow Tower Project. The report further alleges that Cohen did not reveal this to the Mueller investigation himself, but rather confirmed it when prompted with evidence such as text and e-mail exchanges between implicated parties. President Trump, alongside Vice President Mike Pence and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan, visits The Pentagon to address the Missile Defense Review of 2019. In his speech, Trump calls for missile defense in space via a Space Force as well as reiterating North Korea's status as an "extraordinary threat". Day 27 of the partial government shutdown Friday, January 18President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meet with North Korea's lead negotiator Kim Yong-chol in Washington, D.C., to discuss denuclearization and preparations for a second meeting with Kim Jong-un. The special counsel's office issues a rare statement in response to the report by BuzzFeed News regarding Michael Cohen's Congressional testimony by clarifying that it is inaccurate in its assessment. Day 28 of the partial government shutdown Saturday, January 19President Trump again delivers remarks regarding the border and the ongoing shutdown, inviting Democrats to come to the negotiating table after listing topics of compromise such as DACA and temporary protected status in exchange for a border wall while bringing an end to the government shutdown. However, Democrats seem reluctant to accept this proposition. Day 29 of the partial government shutdown Sunday, January 20President Trump completes his second year in office. Day 30 of the partial government shutdown Monday, January 21President Trump and Vice President Pence make a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial to pay tribute to the late Martin Luther King Jr. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Supreme Court rules that the Trump administration is allowed to limit military service by transgender people. The court's five conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, support the exclusion of transgender men and women. Day 31 of the partial government shutdown Tuesday, January 22Day 32 of the partial government shutdown Wednesday, January 23President Trump sends a letter to Speaker Pelosi stating that he intends to move forward with the planned date of January 29 for his State of the Union Address. Pelosi blocks his attempt at an address until the government is reopened, making Trump the first President in U.S. history to be uninvited to a State of the Union Address. President Trump responds to this by announcing, via Twitter, that he will not seek an alternative route for his 2019 State of the Union Address and will instead comply with Speaker Pelosi's condition of having the government reopened before going any further. Michael Cohen requests rescheduling his testimony before Congress, citing increased threats against him and his family by President Trump and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani. This request is denied by both the House Oversight Committee and House Intel Committee. President Trump and Vice President Pence officially recognize Juan Guaidó as the interim President of Venezuela as unrest in the country continues to unfold due to Nicolás Maduro's refusal to concede. Day 33 of the partial government shutdown Thursday, January 24Both Democratic and Republican bills to end the government shutdown fail in the Senate. Day 34 of the partial government shutdown Friday, January 25Roger Stone, a former adviser to President Trump, is indicted by the Mueller investigation and then arrested by the FBI at his Florida home on charges of obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements. He is later released on a $250,000 bond and stripped of his passport. The FAA delays flights at the LaGuardia Airport in New York City, and multiple other major airports, due to safety concerns from staffing shortages as a consequence of the ongoing shutdown. President Trump, from the Rose Garden, says he and Congressional leaders Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer have agreed upon a three-week stop-gap spending deal, which does not contain funding for a wall on the southern border, in order to temporarily end the government shutdown. In addition, he states that, if no deal for a border wall is reached within those three weeks, he will announce a national emergency on the southern border. Speaker Pelosi says President Trump's State of the Union Address will be rescheduled from January 29 to a later date. The partial government shutdown ends on its 35th day. Saturday, January 26 Sunday, January 27 Monday, January 28The United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and FBI Director Christopher Wray announce 23 criminal charges (including financial fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, theft of trade secret technology, provided bonus to workers who stole confidential information from companies around the world, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and sanctions violations) against Chinese tech giant Huawei and its CFO Meng Wanzhou. Tuesday, January 29 Wednesday, January 30 Thursday, January 31
February 2019
Date Events Photos/videos Friday, February 1President Trump announces he is withdrawing the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, accusing Russia of non-compliance. Saturday, February 2 Sunday, February 3 Monday, February 4 Tuesday, February 5President Trump delivers his second official State of the Union Address. A fundraising effort by Trump's 2020 campaign in the days leading to the address and on the day of the address raised $2.4 million from 76,000 donors. His campaign displayed names of donors on a live streaming broadcast of the event on Donald Trump's Facebook page. Wednesday, February 6 Thursday, February 7President Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast. Friday, February 8 Saturday, February 9 Sunday, February 10 Monday, February 11President Trump holds a rally in El Paso, Texas. Tuesday, February 12 Wednesday, February 13