The following is a timeline of the first presidency of Donald Trump during the fourth and last quarter of 2019, from October 1 to December 31, 2019. For a complete itinerary of his travels, see List of presidential trips made by Donald Trump (2019). To navigate between quarters, see timeline of the Donald Trump presidencies.
Overview
The fourth quarter of Donald Trump's presidency was largely dominated by his impeachment scandal.
Public opinion
Timeline October 2019
Date Events Photos/videos Tuesday, October 1 President Trump accuses the impeachment inquiry against him of being a coup d'état, designed to strip Americans of their freedoms. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calls congressional demands for interviews in front of committees "an act of intimidation". Wednesday, October 2 President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Finnish president Sauli Niinistö at the White House. While responding to reporters about the impeachment inquiry, President Trump calls Adam Schiff a "low life" and the whistle-blower's source a "spy". After previously evading questions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo admits he was a listener on the July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. President Trump expresses interest in building an electrified moat filled with alligators along the southern border with Mexico, forcing his aides to find a cost estimate. He also proposes shooting migrants in the legs in order to slow them down and threatens to close the 2,000 mile border with Mexico in an effort to control immigration. White House officials tell reporters that President Trump frequently engaged Vice President Mike Pence in the president's efforts to pressure Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to find damning information on Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Thursday, October 3 President Trump publicly urges China and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his family on national television. Friday, October 4 Saturday, October 5 Sunday, October 6 A second whistle-blower comes forward to the U.S. intelligence community with corroborating first-hand information concerning President Trump's call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Monday, October 7 President Trump signs the U.S.–Japan trade agreement. President Trump announces a Sunday night decision to withdraw U.S. special forces from northeastern Syria. The House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees subpoena the Department of Defense and the White House Office of Management and Budget for documents related to Ukraine. The Trump administration announces it is adding 28 Chinese corporations to a blacklist over concerns of the role the companies played in human rights violations, barring American companies from doing business with these companies. Tuesday, October 8 President Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Attorney General Edwin Meese. The House announces that it will subpoena Gordon Sondland to testify and hand over any documents to the Impeachment inquiry after the State Department blocked Sondland's testimony. The Trump administration announces in a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that it will not cooperate in any way with the impeachment inquiry, calling it "illegitimate" and "dangerous", effectively challenging Congress's constitutional power. Wednesday, October 9 Thursday, October 10 President Trump holds a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Michael McKinley resigns his position as senior advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Friday, October 11 President Trump holds a rally in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan, the fourth person to serve in that post during the Trump presidency, resigns. "Kevin McAleenan has done an outstanding job." President Trump tweets that he will announce a replacement in the coming days. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defends President Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president and accuses Democratic members of Congress of "trying to take down this president", saying that is commonplace to ask allies to "do things for us". Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, in defiance of a White House ban on cooperating with Congress, tells the House impeachment inquiry that Trump personally pressured the State Department to have her ousted from her position. Saturday, October 12 Sunday, October 13 Monday, October 14 President Trump falsely claims that Kurdish soldiers—former allies in the War against ISIS—are releasing ISIS POWs during the Turkish invasion of Syria following President Trump's order for U.S. troops to vacate the country. President Trump announces sanctions on Turkey following backlash from Republican Party congressmen over the president's withdrawal of American troops stationed in Syria. Fiona Hill, past senior official for Russia and Europe on the National Security Council, testifies for nine hours before House panels regarding a July 10 meeting with senior Ukrainian officials, then-National Security Adviser John Bolton, and other U.S. officials including U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland. Tuesday, October 15 President Trump entertains the St. Louis Blues, 2019 Stanley Cup champions, at the White House. George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for Ukraine, testifies in the House impeachment inquiry of President Trump. Wednesday, October 16 President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Italian president Sergio Mattarella at the White House. The House of Representatives formally condemns President Trump's withdrawal of troops from Syria by a vote of 354–60. President Trump holds a White House meeting with key Democrats and Republicans on Syria. After the meeting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some Democrats contend that the president was "having a meltdown", calling the speaker a "third-rate politician". Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and Michael McKinley, recently resigned senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, testify in closed-door sessions before the House impeachment inquiry. Thursday, October 17 Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agree to a ceasefire regarding the Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held northeastern Syria. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney confirms Trump blocked military aid to Ukraine in order to force investigation of his political rivals. Mulvaney called the quid pro quo exchange "absolutely appropriate" and "we do that all the time with foreign policy." Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney defends President Trump's decision to hold the 2020 G-7 summit at the Trump National Doral Miami Golf Club. President Trump holds a rally in Dallas, Texas. Energy Secretary Rick Perry informs President Trump of his plans to resign. Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, testifies before the House impeachment inquiry. Friday, October 18 Saturday, October 19 In response to fierce criticism from Congress, President Trump announces on Twitter that he will no longer be holding the 2020 G-7 summit at Trump National Doral Miami, instead considering Camp David as a possible alternative. Sunday, October 20 Monday, October 21 Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, refuses to testify in the House impeachment inquiry. During an interview on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Donald Trump says both The New York Times and The Washington Post treat him terribly with very negative stories and that he will cancel White House subscriptions to these newspapers. Tuesday, October 22 Bill Taylor, an American diplomat to Ukraine, testifies to the House impeachment inquiry that President Trump directed officials to deny foreign aid to Ukraine if the country would refuse to open an investigation into Joe Biden and his son. Kelly Ann Shaw, a senior woman on President Trump's economic team, announces she will be leaving as deputy assistant to the president for international economic affairs and deputy director of the National Economic Council. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham confirms Trump's statements and says the White House is cancelling subscriptions to two both The Washington Post and The New York Times. Wednesday, October 23 President Trump announces the removal of sanctions against Turkey, resulting from the negotiation of a ceasefire on Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-held Syria. President Trump also says American involvement in Syria is over, adding that he will "let someone else fight over this long bloodstained sand". Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper, a Pentagon official in charge of Ukraine policy, testifies to the House Impeachment inquiry after a five-hour delay. Thursday, October 24 President Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Roger Penske. A federal judge holds that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is in contempt of court for violating an order to stop collecting on student loans. Friday, October 25 Saturday, October 26 Philip T. Reeker, acting assistant secretary of state, testifies to the House impeachment inquiry that he was unaware of President Trump's request for an investigation of the Bidens by Ukrainian authorities until the whistle-blower report was made public. Sunday, October 27 President Trump confirms that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonated an explosive vest in a confrontation with American troops in northwest Syria, killing himself and three of his six children. Monday, October 28 Charles Kupperman, former deputy national security advisor, defies a congressional subpoena and fails to appear for a deposition before House impeachment investigators. Kupperman, who listened in to the July 25 telephone call between President Trump and Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, sought guidance from a federal judge about whether he should testify. In an effort to prevent Kupperman from testifying, President Trump invoked constitutional immunity, thereby preventing Kupperman from testifying to Congress. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in the White House Halloween event. Tuesday, October 29 Director of the National Security Council (NSA) Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman testifies to the House Impeachment inquiry about outside influencers who promoted "a false and alternative narrative" that was not helpful "to U.S. national security". Wednesday, October 30 President Trump presents the Medal of Honor to Army Master Sergeant Matthew O. Williams. Catherine Croft, a State Department Ukraine expert and National Security Council (NSC) staff member, testifies to the House Impeachment inquiry. Christopher J. Anderson, a career Foreign Service officer, testifies later in the day. Timothy Morrison, a top adviser for Russian and European affairs, announces that he is leaving his job. He is scheduled to testify before the House impeachment investigators the following day. Thursday, October 31 The House of Representatives votes to formally endorse the impeachment inquiry 232–196, mostly along partisan lines. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham condemns the vote, calling the inquiry a "a blatantly partisan attempt to destroy the president". Timothy Morrison testifies to the House impeachment inquiry that he was informed that President Trump wanted Ukrainian officials to launch an investigation to help him in return for American aid to the country.
November 2019
Date Events Photos/videos Friday, November 1 President Trump holds a rally in Tupelo, Mississippi.