U.S. President Donald Trump marks one year since his return to the White House on Tuesday, January 20, a 12-month period marked by a profound alteration of the international order and the implementation of a hard-line immigration policy, which has sparked a wave of social protests.
These are the 10 moments from Trump’s first year in his second term.
1.- 10 moments of Trump’s first year: The Inauguration
#19Jan President @realDonaldTrump and @MELANIATRUMP ready for presidential inauguration.
pic.twitter.com/JOSwAo26zI– CATERINA VALENTINO (@CATERINAV) January 19, 2025
Trump was inaugurated for a second term on January 20, 2025 in a ceremony in Washington that was held indoors due to freezing temperatures and in which he proclaimed the beginning of the “golden era” of the United States.
That same day he signed a battery of executive orders that set the tone for his administration, including pardoning participants in the 2021 assault on Capitol Hill and repealing several policies of his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden.
2.- Discussion with Zelenski
trump is a thug, putting his hands on Zelensky and screaming at him in the Oval Office.
What a fucking disgrace. pic.twitter.com/f9xrEefPEw
– BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) February 28, 2025
Trump’s discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky on February 28, 2025 on camera in the Oval Office evidenced a break in the unconditional support the U.S. had provided to Ukraine in recent years.
The Republican instead staged a rapprochement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he received on August 15 in Alaska, although he has so far failed to put an end to the war he promised to resolve in 24 hours.
3.- Massive deportations
Trump has deported about 230,000 people arrested inside the country and another 270,000 at the border, according to an analysis of federal data by the @nytimes.
The number of deportations exceeds the total during Biden’s four years.
pic.twitter.com/ljuHuaYhgR– Carlos Montero (@CMonteroOfficial) January 18, 2026
Trump came to power with a promise to curb immigration, close the border and execute mass deportations, a policy he set in motion on March 15, 2025 by invoking a law of war signed in 1798 to expel more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador, accused of belonging to criminal organizations.
The case of Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran deported despite a court order protecting him, became a symbol of the opposition to these measures, which have provoked protests in numerous cities in the country.
4.- The tariff war
Donald Trump: “My fellow Americans, this is the long-awaited Liberation Day. April 2, 2025 will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day when… pic.twitter.com/ghBtQlOWs8
– Brenda Estefan (@B_Estefan) April 2, 2025
Trump christened April 4, 2025 as“Liberation Day,” the date on which he announced a battery of tariffs against much of the world, including major U.S. trading partners, on the grounds of strengthening industry and national security.
The measures shook the financial markets and the White House began to negotiate certain exemptions with several countries to try to avoid a rise in inflation in the United States.
5.- The breakup with Elon Musk
Who else is proud of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk!
Reply with a ❤️👍 pic.twitter.com/P2LjYkaAIk
– Victoria (@Victoria00025) January 15, 2026
Trump forged a close relationship with tycoon Elon Musk, whom he charged with leading the layoff of thousands of federal employees and the closure of historic entities such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), but the alliance broke down over disagreements over the tax cuts bill and a growing battle of egos.
The two engaged in a bitter public dispute on June 5, 2025, in which the Republican president threatened to pull government contracts from companies linked to Musk.
6.- The bombing of Iran
🇺🇸🇮🇷 | UNITED STATES BOMBED IRAN
BOMBED NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE
“Mission over, the planes have already left the country. Peace.”
TRUMP LEFT IRANIAN TERRORISTS WITHOUT NUCLEAR POWER pic.twitter.com/iMVgdERdQb
– La Pala de Fijap (@LaPalaDeFijap) June 22, 2025
The United States bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, 2025 with the aim of damaging Iran’s atomic program and delaying the Islamic Republic’s ability to develop a nuclear bomb.
The attack, which followed a series of Israeli bombings, put an end to negotiations between Washington and Tehran to reach a new nuclear agreement.
7.- Ceasefire in Gaza
UNICEF: at least 100 children have died in Gaza since ceasefire agreement https://t.co/R2V5fjvyxG pic.twitter.com/oLSX89ndF1
– Vatican News 🇻🇦 (@news_vaticano) January 13, 2026
Trump secured a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Gaza Strip, signed on October 9, 2025 in Egypt, which provides for the formation of a government for the enclave under the direct supervision of the U.S. leader himself.
Despite the agreement, subsequent Israeli attacks have killed hundreds of Palestinians; Hamas has yet to locate and deliver the remains of one of the hostages, and humanitarian aid continues to fail to arrive in the necessary quantities.
8.- The destruction of the East Wing
Trump orders demolition of the east wing of the White House to build a USD 250 million ballroom
Work has already begun on the east wing, where the first ladies traditionally have their offices. The goal: to hold state dinners and “much larger” events. /trc pic.twitter.com/ThPiumJOjN
– DW English (@dw_english) October 21, 2025
Trump, a former real estate mogul, wanted to leave his architectural mark and ordered the construction of a grand ballroom at the White House, leading to the demolition of the historic East Wing on October 20, 2025.
In addition, the president has added gold trim to the Oval Office, paved the Rose Garden, renamed the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after himself and plans to build a grand triumphal arch in the capital.
9.- The publication of the Epstein Papers
Here you can see the #EpsteinFiles posted by the @TheJusticeDept🇺🇸https://t.co/ZOKxgHPiKX
– Carlos Montero (@CMonteroOfficial) December 19, 2025
Pressured by sectors of his own party, Trump signed on November 19, 2025 a law, backed by both Republicans and Democrats, that forces the government to make public the documents of the investigation into the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
There are no criminal indications linking Trump, who maintained a friendly relationship with Epstein years ago; however, his evasions on the matter drove a wedge with the most radical sectors of his electoral base.
10.- Maduro’s arrest
#ULTIMAHORA CONFIRMADO✈️💥
Maduro was captured. Dictator Nicolás Maduro fell in Venezuela, along with his wife.
Apparently the commander Claudia Sheinbaum has lost the internet or has not woken up, because so far she has not expressed her indignation…. 🤷🏻♀️
– pic.twitter.com/zD5kFK6lTO– Aracely Sáenz (@AracelySaenz) January 3, 2026
After months of military pressure and threats against Venezuela, the United States launched an operation on January 3, 2026 that culminated in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were transferred to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
Since then, Trump has strengthened relations with the new government headed by Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice-president, while marginalizing opposition leader María Corina Machado, who even gave him her Nobel Peace Prize medal as a gesture of rapprochement, from the transition process.
Filed under: 10 moments of Trump’s first year
With information from EFE