Saturday will mark one year since President Donald Trump was inaugurated, and Iowa’s support for Trump (51.1 percent) was a switch from the Obama campaigns in 2012 (51.99 percent) and 2008 (53.93 percent).

Johnson County was one of six blue counties (all metro areas) that voted for Hillary Clinton, with 66 percent to Trump’s 27.8 percent.

Iowa has experienced the effect of Trump’s presidency over the last 12 months.

January 2017

Trump wasted no time implementing Trump administration policies shortly after his inauguration.

Much of the Trump campaign centered on his pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act and put a new health-insurance law in place. Trump signed an executive order to “minimize the economic burden” of the Obama administration act, which was only his first step in making way for his new wave as president.

According to Politifact, analysts said the order may have been symbolic because it did not advance efforts in repealing the ACA and did not give the executive branch any new power.

February 2017

On Jan. 27, Trump signed an executive order implementing a 90-day visa suspension for refugees from seven countries: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

The act also indefinitely banned Syrian refugees.

On Feb. 9, University of Iowa students and Iowa City community members gathered at the Pentacrest to rally against the proposed ban. Leaders from UI Persian Students Organization, the Human Rights Student Collective, the Organization for Active Support of International Students, the Arab Students Association, and the Muslim Students Association hosted the rally, and joined in the belief that diversity allows students to thrive on campus.

The same day, the 9th Circuit Courts of Appeals blocked the travel ban. The ban underwent three versions before the Supreme Court allowed the ban on Dec. 4, 2017.

March 2017

On March 30, 2017, Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate to allow states to block federal money to fund Planned Parenthood affiliates and other abortion providers.

In the following months, Planned Parenthood clinics in Burlington, the Quad Cities, Keokuk, and Sioux City closed. Then-Gov. Terry Branstad approved a budget in May that would eliminate Medicaid funding for these clinics, which closely follows a provision on the Republican health-care proposal to do this nationwide.

Maggie DeWitte, the executive director of Iowans for Life, said her organization saw this as a win for Iowan women and families. Her organization focused on the reallocation of federal money from the Planned Parenthood affiliates to other health-care clinics that provided some of the same care, she said.

“[We] put together a map that details rural, community health centers across the state; we had hundreds,” she said. “Women have better access [to health-care clinics] because these clinics are all across the state rather than just in urban areas.”

In February, the Des Moines Register surveyed adult Iowans — and 77 percent were in favor of federal funding to the non-abortion services that clinics provide.

April 2017

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos withdrew Obama administration memos from the Federal Student Aid Office that offered protections for students who borrow loans.

One was targeted toward people who were at risk for defaulting on their loans.

May Branstad was confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to China. He is the longest-serving governor in U.S. history; he held the position for 22 years (not consecutively).

Kim Reynolds, who had been lieutenant governor, was sworn in shortly after as Iowa’s first female governor.

Tess Seger, the communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party, said that since Reynolds took office, she has followed Branstad’s policies to a “T,” even if the policies have proven detrimental to the state.

In terms of such issues as the closing of mental-health clinics and money flow to higher education, she said, Reynolds has failed to serve Iowans.

“We are sick and tired of the partisan games that put our state last,” Seger said. “Our first and foremost job is to represent the people of Iowa no matter the political party.”

June 2017

Trump held a rally in Cedar Rapids, his first time in Iowa as president.

He led the rally at the U.S. Cellular Center, speaking enthusiastically about fixing the economy, weathering the immigration controversy, and fulfilling his campaign promises. While he received support from Iowans, Trump was also greeted by hundreds of protesters, who in turn organized a walkout during the rally.

July 2017

Trump proposed a ban on transgender individuals joining the military, which sparked widespread controversy, including on social media.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, opposed Trump’s ban. In a statement from a spokeswoman, Ernst believed the most important thing is ensuring individuals can meet the physical standards and that they are willing to defend the country.

August 2017

White nationalists protested the removal of a statue commemorating Robert E. Lee by local officials in Charlottesville, Virginia. In turn, counterprotesters clashed with the protesters, which resulted in a counterprotester being killed by a white nationalist, and 34 people were injured. Two pilots were killed in a crash on a police helicopter.

UI freshman Josh Covarrubias said he was shocked to see the extent of the riots in Charlottesville on Twitter.

“I understand why they were mad because [the statue] was history, but they were defending it for the wrong reasons,” Covarrubias said.

He said he was also shocked to see people his own age sporting Confederate flags on their cars and supporting such a cause on social media.

September 2017

The Trump administration announced that it would withdraw from DACA and put 800,000 “Dreamers” at risk for being deported.

Hundreds of UI students and community members gathered on the Pentacrest to protest the move and to stand in solidarity with people who may be affected. Emiliano Martinez, President for Hawkeyes for DREAM Iowa, organized a lot of DACA protests and events on campus.

Martinez said he wanted to focus less on protests and more on issue awareness in the Iowa City community to demonstrate that the issues are important, regardless of the community’s demographic makeup.

“I was awestruck. People were paying others’ DACA renewal fees,” Martinez said. “It was really cool that you don’t have to show you are from a state with a high Latino population for something to be important.”

Because officials have not made a final decision on the program’s fate, Martinez believes the university has not had a huge hand in helping DACA students. At the time, those students were not able to apply to the Carver College of Medicine.

“It’s a ridiculous premise, and a procedural thing. It’s more important that we value students who get 4.0s and work numerous jobs,” he said. “I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt despite political labels.”

October 2017

Trump declared the opioid crisis to be a national public-health emergency on Oct. 26 in a speech at the White House. In 2016, nearly 64,000 Americans suffered from opioid-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

In Iowa, Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Percocets are some of the most abused opioids. Steve Steine, the clinical manager for outpatient services at Prelude Behavioral Services in Iowa City, said, “There has been an increase in the number of patients who are being seen for opioid-addiction issues.”

The number of patients being seen for these drug-related issues are consistent with the national trend, he said.

Trump directed officials to take extensive and necessary efforts to combat the problem and promised an extensive antidrug campaign. Strong evidence of progress toward this epidemic has yet to surface.

November 2017

While #MeToo began trending on social media in October, the movement heightened and received national attention for much of November and December. In early December, three women appeared on Megyn Kelly’s NBC show to talk about their allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump.

He was one of many who were accused in the movement. The social awareness that the movement sparked was felt in Iowa City as well.

RVAP created a training program for the Iowa City community consisting of a three-session course titled Advocating for a Safer Community. After completing the three courses, people receive certificates proving they went through the training and as a result, hopefully make the community safer and sensitive to survivors.

December 2017

The most monumental piece of legislation in Trump’s presidency thus far is the Senate passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This act affects all classes of people and businesses, and luckily for students, the final legislation preserved the opportunities to make education more affordable.

Tuition waivers for graduate students will remain in place, and student-loan interest deductions will stay.

Seger said that if the tax plan wanted to benefit families, then the state should have better looked at wages and investing in higher education.

“It disproportionately benefits wealthy families, and it adds a $1 trillion to the debt,” she said.