U.S. Presidents Since World War I

Progressive reforms, Federal Reserve Act, and declared neutrality in the opening years of World War I.

Asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany; mobilized the economy and raised the American Expeditionary Forces.

Issued the Fourteen Points, led the Paris Peace Conference, and advocated for the League of Nations.

Faced the First Red Scare and a Senate defeat of the Versailles Treaty after a national speaking tour and stroke.

Budget and Accounting Act created the Bureau of the Budget and the General Accounting Office.

Washington Naval Conference set tonnage limits on capital ships and affirmed the Open Door in Asia.

Teapot Dome bribery scandal erupted over oil leases, tainting the administration even after Harding's death.

Johnson-Reed Immigration Act established national origins quotas.

Dawes Plan restructured German reparations with American banking support.

Great Mississippi Flood prompted federal relief debates.

Kellogg-Briand Pact renounced war as national policy.

Stock market crash triggered the global Great Depression.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff provoked retaliatory trade restrictions.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation extended emergency credit to banks and railroads.

Bonus Army marchers were expelled from Washington by federal troops.

First and Second New Deals created Social Security, the SEC, and labor protections while stabilizing banks.

Neutrality revisions, Lend-Lease, and the Arsenal of Democracy aided Allies prior to Pearl Harbor.

Led the United States during World War II in Europe and the Pacific, culminating in Yalta and the creation of the United Nations.

Approved atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and accepted Japan's surrender.

Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Berlin Airlift, and NATO formalized containment.

Committed troops to the Korean War under UN command after North Korea's invasion.

Negotiated Korean War armistice and ended active combat.

Formed SEATO and backed the Formosa Resolution to defend Taiwan.

Handled the Suez Crisis while condemning Anglo-French intervention.

Sputnik shock spurred NASA, the National Defense Education Act, and ICBM development.

Bay of Pigs invasion failed, prompting distrust of CIA plans.

Cuban Missile Crisis resulted in Soviet missile withdrawal and a nuclear test ban push.

Accelerated U.S. advisory role in Vietnam and created the Green Berets build-up.

Launched the Alliance for Progress and Peace Corps in Latin America.

Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act dismantled Jim Crow and empowered federal enforcement.

Great Society created Medicare, Medicaid, and antipoverty programs.

Vietnam War escalated with Operation Rolling Thunder and 500,000 U.S. troops, culminating in the Tet Offensive.

Intervened in the Dominican Republic to prevent a perceived communist takeover.

Vietnamization, Cambodia incursions, Paris Peace Accords, and POW withdrawals.

Ping-Pong diplomacy and the Shanghai Communique normalized ties with the PRC.

SALT I and the ABM Treaty formalized detente with the Soviet Union.

Watergate investigations exposed abuses, leading to resignation.

Issued a pardon for Richard Nixon, prioritizing national healing.

Oversaw evacuation of Saigon and end of U.S. presence in Vietnam.

Helsinki Final Act advanced human rights monitoring across the Soviet bloc.

Mayaguez incident saw Marines rescue a seized merchant ship off Cambodia.

Camp David Accords produced peace between Egypt and Israel.

Established full diplomatic recognition of the People's Republic of China.

Iranian revolution and hostage crisis dominated foreign policy, culminating in a failed rescue mission.

SALT II signed with the Soviet Union but never ratified after the invasion of Afghanistan.

Economic Recovery Tax Act launched Reaganomics and the Volcker disinflation.

Marine barracks bombing in Beirut led to withdrawal; Operation Urgent Fury ousted the Grenadian junta.

Iran-Contra affair revealed covert arms sales funding Nicaraguan rebels.

INF Treaty eliminated an entire class of nuclear missiles in Europe.

Operation Just Cause removed Manuel Noriega in Panama.

Led Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm to expel Iraq from Kuwait.

Managed fall of the Berlin Wall, Soviet collapse, and START I.

Faced recession and signed the 1990 Budget Enforcement Act raising taxes.

NAFTA ratified and the World Trade Organization launched.

Dayton Accords ended the Bosnian war under U.S. leadership.

Impeached over the Lewinsky scandal but acquitted by the Senate.

NATO air war over Kosovo forced Serbian withdrawal from Kosovo.

Terrorist attacks led to the Global War on Terror and the invasion of Afghanistan.

Launched the Iraq War to depose Saddam Hussein, leading to long insurgency.

Hurricane Katrina exposed homeland security and disaster response failures.

Financial crisis triggered TARP bank rescues and recession.

Affordable Care Act overhauled health insurance coverage.

Ordered raid that killed Osama bin Laden and supported the NATO Libya campaign.

Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and Paris Climate Agreement were concluded.

Responded to ISIS with Operation Inherent Resolve and re-engaged in Iraq and Syria.

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced corporate rates and reshaped the tax code.

Trade war with China imposed tariffs and renegotiated NAFTA into USMCA.

COVID-19 pandemic response combined travel bans, Operation Warp Speed, and contested public health guidance.

Abraham Accords normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.

American Rescue Plan and COVID-19 vaccination surge aimed to reopen the economy.

Completed the withdrawal from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.

Provided extensive aid to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion. Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023, and Sweden on March 7, 2024.

Sources: NATO member countries

CHIPS and Science Act plus Inflation Reduction Act invested in industrial policy and clean energy.

Inaugurated for a second term with JD Vance as vice president.

Sources: Inaugural address

Ordered Operation Midnight Hammer, U.S. strikes on Iran's Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities during the Israel-Iran conflict.

Sources: Pentagon briefing, June 22

Signed H.R. 1 into law as Public Law 119-21, tax and spending reconciliation legislation.

Sources: GovInfo enacted law

U.S., Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediation produced a Gaza ceasefire effective October 10, 2025. In September 2026, the UN reported continued Israeli strikes, transitional bodies not yet operating in Gaza, and disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups not implemented.

Sources: UN September 2026 report

U.S. forces carried out Operation Absolute Resolve in Caracas, capturing Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores and transferring them to the United States for prosecution.

Sources: Presidential report to Congress; January 3 press conference

The Supreme Court held that IEEPA did not authorize presidential tariffs. Trump ordered the listed IEEPA duties discontinued, with collection ending for covered entries on February 24. Other tariff authorities were unaffected by that order.

Sources: Supreme Court opinion; Executive Order 14389; CBP implementation notice

U.S. and Israeli forces began military operations against Iran on February 28; the U.S. campaign was designated Operation Epic Fury. An April ceasefire reduced combat, but strikes resumed. CRS reported on October 5 that conditions remained fluid.

Sources: CRS October 5 report (mirror)

Hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit to Washington, including talks on trade and international security.

Sources: White House visit report; White House discussion summary