In the year after a crazy political season, politics dominated the headlines once again in 2017. There was no shortage of stories to choose from, so we narrowed down the list to seven key topics that got people talking, fighting, and taking action over the past 12 months.
1. Donald Trump sworn in as 45th president
Almost none of these stories would have happened this year without Pres. Donald Trump. But even the inauguration itself sparked controversies, right from the infancy of his presidency (we’re looking at you crowd size debate, rioters, and side-eyeing Michelle).
2. The Future is Female
It started with a march, transformed to a hashtag, and ended with powerful men resigning or being forced out of their jobs.
The women’s movement in 2017 crossed paths with the political world on many occasions, starting with the Women’s March on Washington the day after Pres. Trump was sworn into office. As the year went on, women felt empowered to share their stories of sexual harassment using the hashtag #MeToo. Accusations against several lawmakers have led them to resign.
3. The Obamas move out
After eight years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the Obamas packed up, but they didn’t go far. For the first time in decades, a former president and his family stayed in D.C. Photos of the Obamas' new home in Kalorama went viral, along with the five-hour sprint it took to flip the White House from Obamas to Trumps. Observant people also took note of how the Trump Administration wiped Obama off the White House website within moments of the swearing-in ceremony (and no, we’re not just talking about switching out names).
4. Eyes on Virginia
The Commonwealth went to the polls in November—and made history, while restoring faith for Democrats nationwide. Ralph Northam won the race for governor, despite tweets from Pres. Trump encouraging voters to pick Republican Ed Gillespie instead. Also, Democrat Danica Roem became Virginia’s first openly transgender delegate—unseating one of the state’s most socially conservative lawmakers.
But there was also controversy when the Electoral Board in Stafford County refused to count votes from troops overseas and around the country in the tight District 28 race because they arrived the day after the election.
5. Pres. Trump makes moves
Within hours of taking the oath of office, Pres. Trump grabbed a pen and started signing executive orders—many of them reversing the work of his predecessor, including steps to undo Pres. Obama’s Affordable Care Act. So far, Trump has signed more than 50 executive orders.
In his first year, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch was appointed to the bench. He approved the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, saying it’ll create jobs for thousands of Americans. The president pulled America out of the global climate deal known as the Paris Agreement, saying it put the U.S. at a disadvantage. He won and lost challenges on a travel ban. And most recently, he has put pressure on Congress to pass a tax reform bill.
6. The Resistance
No action from Pres. Trump came without a reaction. With almost every move there was a protest, march, or rally somewhere in our nation’s capital.
But a couple acts of rebellion stand out—like the time a woman went viral (and lost her job… then got a job offer from an adult entertainment company… then got hundreds of thousands of dollars in a GoFundMe) for giving the finger to the president’s motorcade. And then there was the mass resignation letter to Trump from the Committee on the Arts and the Humanities that appeared to have a hidden message.
7. Revolving White House door
The Trump Administration has been rocked by departure after departure—and we’re not just talking about low-level employees. More than a dozen top-tier people have either resigned or been fired. It’s become so much of a spectacle in Washington that at least one bar is offering a happy hour discount anytime someone is fired from the White House.
The departures have made headlines all year long—from Sally Yates (who Trump fired within his first 10 days of his presidency) to Anthony Scaramucci (who only lasted about 10 days) and James Comey (just the second FBI director to be fired by a president).
Honorable Mentions
These stories are quirky, went viral, and—for some people—just might sum up the 2017 political world better than anything that’s written above:
Note: This list is based on page views from stories written, produced, and/or shared by WUSA9.