Trump latest updates: President marks one-year of second presidency with weak economy and weak poll numbers – UK Times

The president spent the eve of his one-year anniversary back at the White House up late on social media.

His two most recent messages were attacks on the U.K., one of his country’s longest standing overseas allies, and on his Democratic enemies in Minnesota, claiming without evidence that Sunday’s demonstration at a St Paul church was carried out by “professional” agitators:

“Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER. There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are International Powers who only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before. The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired. Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING.”

“Just watched footage of the Church Raid in Minnesota by the agitators and insurrectionists. These people are professionals! No person acts the way they act. They are highly trained to scream, rant, and rave, like lunatics, in a certain manner, just like they are doing. They are troublemakers who should be thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country. The first to go should be Walz, and Fake Sleazebag, Ilhan Omar, who is supposedly worth over $30 Million Dollars, even though she’s never had anything but a Government job. Investigate these Corrupt Politicians, and do it now!”

Before that he published what appeared to be personal text messages sent to him by Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte and French President Emmanual Macron, which will surely make them think twice about casual diplomatic messaging in future, and a meme of himself planting a U.S. flag in Greenland’s soil.

Here’s more from James C Reynolds.

President Donald Trump observes the first anniversary of his return to the White House Tuesday but does so in a highly fraught moment, facing problems on multiple fronts.

A year on from his swearing-in at the Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025, half of voters now say Trump has made the economy worse, compared to just 35 percent who see an improvement under his stewardship, according to the latest Wall Street Journal poll of American citizens. Meanwhile, his approval rating continues to languish.

The president is also engaged in a heated feud with his European allies over his threat to impose steeper tariffs unless they support his determination to acquire Greenland, which he insists must become a U.S. territory in the interests of national security.

Tensions also continue to rage in Minneapolis over the surge of federal immigration agents into Minnesota in support of Trump’s crackdown on undocumented migrants, which have boiled over into mass protests following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother-of-three, earlier this month.

The president will set out for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later today where his remarks Wednesday will be closely watched.

Here’s Brendan Rascius to take a look at the last 12 months, which Norman Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Independent has amounted to “a sprint toward an autocracy.”

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Donald Trump’s presidency one year on from his return to office to succeed Joe Biden and serve a belated second term.