|
|
|
As Trump
takes office |
Trump
one year in |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Free” countries | The number of countries considered “free” by Freedom House, as defined by a number of measures pertaining to things like corruption, civil rights, and free and fair elections, increased by 1 since 2016. But the organization warned that “democracy faced its most serious crisis in decades” in 2017, with 71 countries — including the U.S. — experiencing declines in rights and liberties. (Sources: 1, 2) | 87 (2016) | 88 (2017) |
| North Korean nuclear tests | North Korea conducted a nuclear test in September that it claimed was a thermonuclear weapon — a hydrogen bomb. Pyongyang also conducted nine tests of intermediate-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017. (Sources: 1, 2) | 5 (Cumulative) | 6 (2017 (i.e. 5+1=6)) |
| Detainees at Guantanamo Bay | “We will load Guantanamo up with some bad dudes,” DonaldTrump vowed on the campaign trail. But the number of prisoners in the detention facility has stayed the same since he took office. (Sources: 1, 2) | 41 (Jan. 19, 2017) | 41 (Jan. 16, 2018) |
| Number of high-level State Department positions with confirmed nominees | U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley was the Trump administration’s first high-level diplomatic appointee to be confirmed by the Senate. Compared with the Obama and George W. Bush administrations, Trump’s has lagged in nominating political appointees in its first year. (Sources: 1, 2) | 1 (Jan. 24, 2017) | 61 (As of Jan. 11, 2018) |
| Forcibly displaced people | The number of forcibly displaced people — generally people fleeing conflict — remained high, and Syria continued to produce the highest number of refugees.. (Sources: 1, 2) | 65.3 million (End of 2015) | 65.6 million (End of 2016 (report published mid-2017)) |
| Nuclear warheads (all countries) | Both the U.S. and Russia scaled back (by 18 and 190 respectively), while China, India and Pakistan each added 10 to their arsenals. (Sources: 1, 2) | 9,398 (2016) | 9,220 (2017) |