Trump’s first year in office: Defining moments in frames

Defining images show Trump’s first year shaping US politics and world affairs

Last updated:
Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor
President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington.
AP
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President-elect Donald J. Trump entering the state of his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States inside the Capitol Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Monday, January 20, 2025. It is the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration and the second non-consecutive inauguration of Trump as U.S. president.
AFP
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US President Donald Trump takes the oath of office as Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump look on during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
AFP
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US President Donald Trump (R) raises a fist as he and US First Lady Melania Trump attend the Commander-In-Chief inaugural ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025.
AFP
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Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with his son X Æ A-Xii join US President Donald Trump as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 11, 2025.
AFP
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On 4 July, the president uses a gavel after signing the sweeping spending and tax legislation, which he calls the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act".
AP
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US President Donald Trump and King Charles inspect the Guard of Honour as they attend a welcome ceremony during Trump's state visit at Windsor Castle on 17 September.
AP
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US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks alongside (L-R) Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary, Director of the National Institutes of Health Jayanta Bhattachary, President Donald Trump, and speechwriter and political advisor Vince Haley during an executive orders signing event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2025.
AFP
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US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 28, 2025
AFP
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Trump throws on his medal after receiving the newly-created FIFA Peace Prize at the Kennedy Center on 5 December, having argued for years that he should be handed a Nobel Peace Prize.
AP
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US President Donald Trump (L) and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands as they leave after their talks at the Gimhae Air Base, located next to the Gimhae International Airport in Busan on October 30, 2025.
AFP
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US President Donald Trump meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2025.
AFP
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US President Donald Trump puts his medal back as he receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup taking place in the US, Canada and Mexico, at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC, on December 5, 2025.
AFP
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US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac after they arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025.
AFP
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US President Donald Trump holds a chart as he delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 2, 2025.
AFP

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