A look back at 2025’s top political stories

It’s been a long year, jam-packed with an inauguration, hotly debated policies, ongoing conflicts, assassinations, consequential elections, a government shutdown and more.It’s impossible to list every story that happened in 2025; you could probably write a book about it. However, this recap will highlight some of the most significant and impactful events of the year.Here’s a look back at 2025 in politics.JanuaryIt started with the 119th Congress being sworn in on Jan. 3, reestablishing Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., as House speaker and making Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the majority leader of the Senate.About a week later, on Jan. 9, former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral was held in Washington, D.C. The day after, on Jan. 10, President Donald Trump, president-elect at the time, was sentenced to an “unconditional discharge” in his New York hush money case.Before Trump’s inauguration, a couple of stories to highlight: Israel and Hamas agreed to their first ceasefire of the year on Jan. 15, and TikTok went offline in the U.S. briefly on the evening of Jan. 18, ahead of a looming ban deadline. The social media app restored its services the next day.Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20. Due to cold temperatures, his ceremony was held indoors for the first time in 40 years. He became the second nonconsecutive two-term president in U.S. history.On his first day, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” established the Department of Government Efficiency, withdrew from the World Health Organization and signed other orders that cracked down on immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion policies.On Jan. 21, setting the tone for the artificial intelligence boom in 2025, OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank and other major corporations announced The Stargate Project, a joint AI-infrastructure venture aiming to raise $500 billion in investments and create 100,000 new jobs by 2029.Video below: Donald Trump sworn in as 47th president of the United StatesRounding out the month:Jan. 23: A federal judge issued the first legal roadblock against Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship.Jan. 24: Pete Hegseth was confirmed as secretary of the Defense Department in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance issuing the deciding vote.Jan. 29: Former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted on corruption charges.Jan. 29: A midair collision between a commercial airplane and an Army helicopter occurred over the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, killing all 67 passengers on both aircraft.FebruaryTrump’s tariffs agenda took shape in February, first, when he announced a 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico on Feb. 1. Trump walked back the tariffs on Mexico and Canada on Feb. 3. He continued the agenda by declaring a 25% tax on all aluminum and steel imports on Feb. 10, and then, on Feb. 26, he announced a 25% broad tax on European Union imports. DOGE also picked up momentum this month, announcing the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development on Feb. 3. Additionally, the temporary agency was behind layoffs of thousands of federal employees this month, including at the National Nuclear Security Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Pentagon and the Social Security Administration.Three high-profile Cabinet members were confirmed this month: Attorney General Pam Bondi on Feb. 4; Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Feb. 13; and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Feb. 18.A few other notable events from February:Feb. 4: Trump said that the U.S. would eventually take control of the Gaza Strip, proclaiming that Palestinians would have to leave the area, the U.S. military would oversee the operation and that reconstruction would turn the land region into “The Riviera of the Middle East.”Feb. 13: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon and five other Department of Justice officials resigned after being ordered to drop the federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.Feb. 28: Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. The televised meeting was contentious as Trump and Vance criticized Zelenskyy for not being appreciative enough of the United States’ help in the Russia-Ukraine war.Video below: Trump cuts short talks with Zelenskyy MarchSome early March events worth noting include Trump declaring English as the country’s official language on March 1, Trump delivering a speech to a joint session of Congress on March 4, the Department of Veterans Affairs announcing it would lay off over 80,000 employees on March 5 and Trump signing an order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve on March 6.On March 9, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who protested against the war in Gaza.On March 15, furthering Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda, the administration flew roughly 260 alleged immigrants to El Salvador to be held at the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, defying a district judge’s restraining order. Officials said the men were members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs, but later reporting showed that was untrue for most of the passengers.On March 18, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth after being stuck in space for nine months aboard the International Space Station.Trump signed an executive order to start dismantling the Department of Education on March 20.Another year-defining event for the Trump administration occurred on March 24, when Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, revealed that he had accidentally been added to a Signal group chat with numerous members of the Cabinet, including Vance, Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among others. In the group chat, Trump officials detailed classified information that Goldberg should not have seen. Most notably, they laid out the plans for airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, before, during and after the attacks.AprilApril began with arguably the biggest story of the month: Trump’s Liberation Day announcement.On April 2, in a White House Rose Garden ceremony, Trump signed an executive order establishing new “reciprocal” tariff rates for over 180 countries. A majority of countries were hit with a baseline 10% rate, while others, including China, Japan, Brazil and India, received higher rates. A week later, on April 9, Trump increased tariffs on China to 125% and paused new tariffs on every other country for 90 days, lowering them to 10% across the board.Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father from Maryland, emerged as the face of the men who were wrongfully deported to El Salvador back in March. On April 10, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia to the U.S. On April 14, El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, met with Trump at the White House, and both of them said they would not return Abrego Garcia. Soon after, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., traveled to El Salvador, meeting with Abrego Garcia on April 17.On April 15, the Trump administration paused more than $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard University. The school sued on April 21.On April 25, disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison on charges of wire fraud and identity theft.On April 28, the Air Force launched airstrikes on a migrant detention center in Yemen, killing at least 68 African migrants. It was the largest civilian death toll from a U.S. military operation since 2017.Finally, on April 30, the U.S. and Ukraine signed a minerals deal, guaranteeing the United States’ continued support of Ukraine in its war against Russia.MayThe defining moment of May, which dipped its toes in the political world, was the election of Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope on May 8. Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, is the first American pope in history.Also in May, former President Joe Biden announced his cancer diagnosis on May 18, two Israeli embassy workers were shot and killed in Washington, D.C., on May 21, and Elon Musk announced he was leaving DOGE on May 28.As for Trump this month, he kicked things off by signing an executive order to cease funding for NPR and PBS on May 1. He also held a contentious meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office on May 21, leveling claims of “white genocide,” which were met with strong pushback by Ramaphosa and experts.Lastly, the Supreme Court made a couple of consequential rulings. On May 19, it ruled that the administration could strip temporary protected status from 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants. On May 29, the court extended that ruling to Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan immigrants.Video below: Robert Francis Prevost announced as Pope Leo XIVJunePro-Israel demonstrators were attacked in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1. A man allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at them, injuring seven people. One person later died from their injuries.On June 5, Trump and Musk exchanged jabs on social media, marking a public break in their once-close alliance. Musk hit Trump on the economy and the president’s alleged connection to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump threatened to pull federal funding from Musk’s companies.The next day, on June 6, Abrego Garcia returned to the U.S. from El Salvador to face charges of trafficking migrants.June was also the month that Trump’s unprecedented use of the National Guard began. In response to protests against the administration’s immigration policies, Trump sent 2,000 Guard members to Los Angeles on June 7. California sued on June 9, stating it did not request federal help, nor did it want the added presence. On June 19, a panel of federal judges ruled that Trump could keep the Guard in LA.While that played out, Trump held a military parade on June 14, which coincided with the nationwide “No Kings” protests against the administration.Additionally, on June 14, two Minnesota lawmakers were shot at their homes by a gunman impersonating a police officer. State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed while state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife survived the attack.A couple more events from June:June 18: Japan’s Nippon Steel finalized its acquisition of U.S. Steel, allowing the company to keep its name and remain in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.June 18: The Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors.June 24: Zohran Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.JulyThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the administration’s principal legislative achievement, passed in the Senate by a 51-50 vote, with Vance casting the tiebreaker on July 1. Trump signed the bill on July 3.There was a flurry of tariff updates in July: Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazil on July 10 in response to charges leveled against former President Jair Bolsonaro; then, the U.S. struck deals with Japan on July 22, the E.U. on July 27 and South Korea on July 30, all of which included 15% “reciprocal” tariffs on imports from each country.On July 7, the IRS ruled that churches can endorse political candidates for the first time since 1954.On July 15, the administration withdrew 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles, leaving 2,000 still deployed. A week later, on July 21, 700 Marines were also removed from Los Angeles.Also on July 15, the House held its first vote to release the Epstein files, with Republicans successfully blocking Democrats’ attempt to force the release. Three days later, Trump sued Rupert Murdoch after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s name appeared in Epstein’s birthday book.On July 21, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee banned transgender women from competing in women’s sports in compliance with one of Trump’s executive orders.AugustAugust started with an underwhelming jobs report, which resulted in Trump firing the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Aug. 1.On Aug. 4, civil arrest warrants were issued for Texas House Democrats who left the state to delay the vote on a new congressional map that heavily favored Republicans.Two notable events on Aug. 5: a federal judge struck down Arkansas’ law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools, and HHS Secretary Kennedy revoked $500 million in funding for messenger RNA vaccines.On Aug. 6, the Department of Homeland Security reported that it was removing age restrictions for new hires at ICE.Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., on Aug. 11, placing the city under federal control in an attempt to crack down on crime.Rounding out the month:Aug. 15: Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska to discuss the war against Ukraine.Aug. 21: A federal judge ruled that “Alligator Alcatraz,” Florida’s controversial migrant detention center, must close due to its environmental impact.Aug. 22: Former national security adviser John Bolton’s home was raided by the FBI.Aug. 22: The U.S. took a 10% equity stake in Intel in exchange for funds already allocated under Biden’s CHIPS Act.Aug. 22: Iryna Zarutska was killed on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Video of her death would be released later, sparking calls for criminal justice reform.Aug. 25: Trump signed an executive order to charge people who burn the American flag.SeptemberOne of the biggest stories of the year happened in September: Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 at a campus event in Utah. The suspect was arrested on Sept. 12, and a televised memorial took place on Sept. 21.Relatedly, Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC on Sept. 17 for comments he made about Kirk’s alleged assassin. Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr’s role in the suspension was highly scrutinized. Kimmel returned to his show on Sept. 22.Video below: Charlie Kirk posthumously receives Presidential Medal of Freedom On Sept. 5, Trump “renamed” the Department of Defense to the Department of War. The new name only serves as a secondary title since renaming a department requires an act of Congress.On Sept. 8, an appeals court declined to overturn the ruling in E. Jean Carroll’s case against Trump, which found the president liable for sexual abuse and defamation.That same day, the House Oversight Committee released Epstein’s birthday book, which included a note allegedly signed by Trump.Other stories worth noting:Sept. 17: The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point.Sept. 18: Trump labeled antifa as a terrorist organization.Sept. 20: The New York Times reported that border czar Tom Homan accepted a $50,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent.Sept. 23: Trump delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly that was very critical of the global organization.Sept. 24: Two detainees were killed and one was injured after a shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas. Sept. 25: Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on charges of giving false statements to Congress.Sept. 26: More Epstein files were released, and among those named are Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Steve Bannon and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew.Sept. 27: Trump deployed U.S. troops to Portland, Oregon.Sept. 30: Trump and Hegseth delivered politically charged speeches to an audience of roughly 800 U.S. generals and admirals in Quantico, Virginia.OctoberWhat would become the longest government shutdown in U.S. history began on Oct. 1.A few noteworthy stories from this month: the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Ghislaine Maxwell of her sex trafficking conviction on Oct. 6; HHS rehired 700 employees on Oct. 11 who were erroneously fired; and on Oct. 14, Politico published leaked messages from a group chat featuring young GOP leaders, which included jokes about the Holocaust, slavery and rape.On Oct. 8, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed on a framework for a peace deal. The deal included Israel’s withdrawal of its forces and a prisoner exchange.On Oct. 9, New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on mortgage fraud charges.U.S. military operations in the Caribbean near Venezuela ramped up in October. On Oct. 15, Trump confirmed that the CIA was conducting covert operations in Venezuela. On Oct. 22, Hegseth announced the latest strike in a series of attacks on alleged drug boats, with this one killing three people.Trump commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. Santos on Oct. 17 while pardoning the co-founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, on Oct. 23.A second nationwide “No Kings” protest was held on Oct. 18. Trump announced on Oct. 29 that the Defense Department would restart nuclear testing for the first time in over 30 years.Also on Oct. 29, Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, resulting in the administration lowering tariffs on China. The next day, the Senate passed a bill to nullify all of Trump’s global tariffs. The bill stalled in the House.Video below: Trump announces tariff reduction and trade agreements with ChinaNovemberThe government shutdown became the longest in history on Nov. 4 as millions of Americans worried about access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, with funding running low. The shutdown eventually ended after 43 days on Nov. 12. The new spending bill did not include an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, a sticking point for Democrats during the shutdown.Off-year elections were held on Nov. 4, with Democrats performing better than Republicans. Notable wins included Mikie Sherill for New Jersey governor, Abigail Spanberger for Virginia governor and Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor.On Nov. 6, Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced she would not run for reelection, ending her 40-year career in Congress. Similarly, GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Nov. 21 that she was resigning from the House in 2026. This comes after a public feud with Trump.On Nov. 9, Trump pardoned Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and more than 70 others for their roles in the 2020 fake elector scheme. Staying on the 2020 election, a Georgia prosecutor officially dropped the state racketeering case against Trump and others for attempting to overthrow the election.The Epstein situation came to a head on Nov. 18 when the House and Senate passed a bill forcing the DOJ to release all files related to the sex trafficker’s cases. Trump, after initially opposing the release, signed the bill on Nov. 19.Other notable events:Nov. 24: A federal judge dismissed the cases against Comey and James.Nov. 26: Two National Guard members were shot and killed blocks away from the White House in Washington, D.C.Nov. 28: Following a new report, lawmakers and experts began to wonder if Hegseth or other military leaders had committed a war crime by ordering a follow-up strike on Sept. 2 to kill the survivors of an initial airstrike on an alleged drug boat.DecemberThe big story of the month was the partial release of the Epstein files. On Dec. 12, before the official release, House Democrats published a series of photos from the files that showed Trump, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Woody Allen and Richard Branson. On Dec. 19, the DOJ released a tranche of heavily redacted files. The department released over 10,000 more on Dec. 23 after criticisms from members of Congress that the release did not comply with the law. The latest batch included numerous references to Trump. The DOJ has promised to release more files in 2026.Also this month: Costco, along with several other companies, sued the Trump administration on Dec. 2 over its tariffs; on Dec. 4, the FBI arrested a Virginia man suspected of planting pipe bombs at the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021; the U.S. seized a Venezuelan oil tanker on Dec. 10 in a clear escalation of tensions in the region; and Republican Indiana state lawmakers broke from Trump, rejecting a new congressional map on Dec. 11 that would have favored the party in the 2026 midterms.Lastly, Trump cracked down on immigration further this month. On Dec. 2, the administration paused immigration applications from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti and Iran. And then, on Dec. 18, following a shooting at Brown University allegedly carried out by a Portuguese national, Trump suspended the green card lottery program.