On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States of America. The outspoken businessman, real estate developer, and television personality had previously declared some interest in becoming a candidate for public office in 2000 and 2012, but it wasn't until June 2015 that his political goals became clear. When he first announced his plan to become the Republican Party candidate for the 2016 presidential election, his chances of success were widely dismissed and often ridiculed by large numbers of Americans, including influential members of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Trump quickly took the lead ahead of the 16 other contenders for the Republican nomination and, by May 2016, it was obvious that he would be representing the party in the November 2016 election. While his success in winning the nomination had come as a surprise to many of his opponents and detractors, the results of the November 8th general election astonished millions of observers around the world as they came to realize that, with no previous government or military experience, Donald J. Trump had defeated the highly experienced Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Trump's approach to both the nomination and election campaigns was unconventional and controversial. He ignored many traditional political strategies, routinely used insults and name-calling in dealing with his opponents, held dozens of sometimes raucous public rallies, and relied on Twitter as one of his primary means of communication. Promising to "make America great again", Trump spoke in opposition to free trade, climate change, and immigration, pledging that he would have a wall erected along the US-Mexico border and would make Mexico pay for it.