Donald Trump's tumultuous 1st year as U.S. president

Donald Trump's stunning victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has led to one of the most memorable and unpredictable years in American history, with reverberations felt across the globe.

From the day of his inauguration, Trump's presidency has been fraught with controversy and criticism, stoking divisions in American society and prompting protests across the U.S. and around the world.

Whether it was following through on his promise to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border or his recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Trump's policies have drawn scorn from political opponents and protesters but have also earned him the praise of many Americans who swept him into power.

Scroll down for a look at some of the highlights — and lowlights — of Trump's turbulent first year in the White House.

The inauguration

Trump succeeded Barack Obama making him the 45th president of the United States, taking the oath of office on Jan. 20, with his wife Melania and his five children by his side. It did not take long for the first controversy of the Trump presidency to erupt.

Following the inauguration ceremony, both the president and his then-press secretary Sean Spicer took aim at the media for comparing the crowds to Obama's 2009 inauguration. Trump accused the media of "attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration" and claimed a bigger turnout than the available data suggested.

'Alternative facts'

Trump said throngs "went all the way back to the Washington monument," despite photos and live video showing the crowd stopping well short of the landmark.

The combination of photos below shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in Trump on Jan. 20, 2017, left, and Obama on Jan. 20, 2009. 

Spicer accused the media of intentionally framing pictures and video to make the event look smaller. "This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — period — both in person and around the globe," he said. Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway defended Spicer's comments, saying he presented "alternative facts."

Women's March on Washington

Just one day after Trump's inauguration, an estimated 500,000 demonstrators clogged the streets of Washington, D.C., to bring attention to what they fear the new administration would mean for women's, human and civil rights.

Downtown streets were brought to a standstill, with men, women and children packing into the same Pennsylvania Avenue parade route Trump used during the previous day's inauguration.

The U.S.-Mexico border wall 

Donald Trump signs an executive order to start the Mexico border wall project on Jan. 25.

Eight prototypes for the border wall have been set up in San Diego and are awaiting tests to determine how easily they could be tunnelled under, climbed over or chiselled through. 

Construction of the border wall was one of Trump's key campaign pledges, but as CBC's Paul Hunter reported earlier this month, the status of the project is unclear due to persistent opposition and complications, particularly in Texas. 

Trump's travel ban 

In January, Trump issued an executive order barring citizens from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., creating chaos and protests at airports around the world. Here, people are seen praying during a protest against the travel ban at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Jan. 29.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court gave approval to the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries. The ban applies to travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, but the ruling is not final as legal challenges continue to wind through the courts.

Demonstrators rally in support of Trump's travel ban at the Los Angeles international airport on Feb. 7.

Revolving door of White House staffers 

Trump's first year in office has been marked by several major personnel shakeups, with a slew of officials that have either resigned from or been forced out of his administration. 

The image below shows some of the officials who have been fired or have left during Trump's first year in office: (top left to right) Anthony Scaramucci, director of communications; Reince Priebus, White House chief of staff; Sean Spicer, White House press secretary; Katie Walsh, deputy White House chief of staff; (bottom left to right) James Comey, FBI director; Jason Miller, transition team communications director; Michael Flynn, national security adviser; and Sally Yates, acting attorney general.

In one of the more high-profile departures, one-time chief strategist Steve Bannon — the contentious former CEO of Breitbart news — left the Trump administration in August by "mutual agreement," according to a White House statement. He is now executive chairman of Breitbart News.

Charlottesville 

The town of Charlottesville, Va., was in the spoltlight over the summer, when deadly clashes erupted at a white nationalist rally on Aug. 12.

Groups including the Ku Klux Klan converged on the Virginia college town to protest the city's plans to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, prompting a confrontation with counter-protesters. The rally turned deadly when a car driven by James Alex Fields Jr., 20, plowed into a group of counter-protesters killing Heather Heyer, 32, who came to Charlottesville with her friends to take a stand against the white nationalists. 

Trump was criticized for his response to the violence in Charlottesville, initially saying "there is blame on both sides." He then denounced neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan as criminals and thugs, but critics said he waited too long to address the bloodshed and slammed him for not singling out the white supremacists widely seen as sparking the violence.

The events that occurred in Charlottesville sparked several protests across the U.S. against white nationalism, including this one in New York City on Aug. 13.

Duelling rallies

With much of the focus on the protests against Trump and his policies, the U.S. president still maintains the support of many conservative American voters and continues to attract large crowds at rallies. Here, Trump hugs a supporter he invited onstage during a "Make America Great Again" rally in Florida on Feb. 18.

A Trump supporter walks past a group of anti-fascist protesters during competing demonstrations in Portland, Ore., on June 4.

National anthem spat with NFL players

In September, Trump set his sights on NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, saying National Football League owners should fire players who do so and encouraged spectators to walk out in protest. "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you'd say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired,'" Trump said to loud applause at a rally in Alabama.

Trump's words sparked a mass increase in national anthem protests around the NFL, with hundreds of players — and even some owners — participating in the weeks following the U.S. president's comments.  

U.S. army veteran Marvin Boatright kneels with a folded U.S. flag as Trump's motorcade passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Ind. Boatright told Reuters he wanted to send Trump a message about social injustice. 

Allegations of Russian meddling

The one issue that has dogged Trump more than any other is the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian contacts with Trump's campaign members is still ongoing, with reports surfacing recently that Mueller and his team have gained access to thousands of emails sent and received by Trump officials before the start of his administration.

In March, former FBI director James Comey confirmed that the bureau was investigating possible links and co-ordination between Russia and Trump associates as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. 

Comey was fired by Trump in May reportedly due to his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. In June, Comey testified before the Senate intelligence committee, disputing the Trump administration's justification for his firing and saying the administration was spreading "lies, plain and simple."

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was also called to testify before the Senate intelligence committee in June, calling suggestions that he colluded with the Russians a "detestable and appalling lie."

Trump's Jerusalem announcement

Earlier this month, Trump again made headlines around the world when he announced that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and begin the process of moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The move provoked strong reactions from many world leaders and sparked protests in the Mideast and around the world. Here, Palestinians burn posters of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Dec 6.

First Christmas as president 

Trump's wife Melania presses the button to light the tree during the national Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Washington on Nov. 30.

As 2017 comes to a close, the world waits to see what the second year of Donald Trump's presidency has in store. Stay tuned.