The presidency of Donald Trump began at noon EST (17:00 UTC) on January 20, 2017, when Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States, succeeding Barack Obama. A Republican, Trump was a businessman and reality television personality from New York City at the time of his 2016 presidential election victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The statements have been documented by fact-checkers, with political scientists and historians widely describing the phenomenon as unprecedented in modern American politics. Trump's approval rating has been stable, hovering at high-30 to mid-40 percent throughout his presidency. The final year of Trump's current term has been marked by the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, which has wiped out most of the economic gains made under both his and Obama's administrations. 'Trump falsely claims nearly 3,000 Americans in Puerto Rico 'did not die''. CNN.