From President Trump finding himself on many sides of the Charlottesville protest, to that appalling Taylor Swift song, it was a rough summer for the entire world.
Before taking refuge in the fall, let’s take a moment to bid farewell to the atrocities of the past few months.
June
June 1: President Trump announced from the White House Rose Garden the United States would be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord. The move had then-chief strategist Steve Bannon’s fingerprints all over it.
June 3: Terror struck London once again as attackers killed seven and wounded more than 50 at Borough Market. This was Britain’s third terror attack in less than three months.
June 9: Adam West, most famous for playing TV’s Batman, passed away at 88 after succumbing to leukemia.
June 14: A gunman attacked Republican members of Congress during a baseball practice. Several people were wounded, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.
June 14: London’s Grenfell Tower was engulfed in flames, killing at least 80 residents.
June 16: Trump announced a tough new policy on Cuba relations, thus implying a reversal of Obama’s strategy.
June 17: After more than 50 women accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault, the comedian was granted a mistrial when 12 jurors could not come to a unanimous decision.
June 19: Twenty-two-year-old American Otto Warmbier, who had been held captive by North Korea since January 2016, died after being in a coma for 15 months. He was medevaced to Cincinnati before passing.
June 29: Trump attacked MSNBC anchors Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough via Twitter. Trump shared an anecdote about how the pair visited Mar-a-Lago, where he claimed Brzezinski “was bleeding badly from a face-lift.”
July
July 2: After the White House proclaimed Trump does not incite violence, he tweeted a video of himself punching “CNN.”
July 19: Senator John McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer. The tumor was found while doctors were removing a blood clot.
July 20: Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington committed suicide two months after Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell took his life.
July 26: Trump tweeted that he would no longer allow “transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military.”
July 31: After less than two weeks as the White House’s communications director, Anthony Scaramucci was out. His tenure was a wild ride that included the resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer and the firing of Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.
August
August 12: A protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, took a violent turn when a car mowed down anti-racism protesters. The car killed one and injured hundreds. Trump did not immediately respond to the horrific incident, but when he did he condemned violence “on many sides.” Over the next few days he went back and forth on his original statement, ultimately quadrupling-down on his “many sides” remark.
August 25: In his first presidential pardon, Trump absolved former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio was convicted of misdemeanor contempt of court for consistently violating court orders to stop detaining Hispanics for thinking they are in the country illegally.
August 25: Hurricane Harvey swept Houston in a massive storm the area was not prepared to manage. Mandatory evacuations were ordered four days after it was clear Harvey would sink the city.
August 25: Taylor Swift released the worst piece of trash you will listen to all summer. After hiding for a year, one would think she could have come up with something better.
September
September 4: Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration would be ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program temporarily blocked the deportation of some undocumented immigrants and offered work permits.
September 9: Record-breaking Hurricane Irma tore through Florida, leaving flooding, wind damage, and massive power outages in its wake.
September 19: In a continuing saga with North Korea, Trump referred to Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man” and threatened to “totally destroy North Korea” if forced.
September 8: Covert Russian-funded propaganda posts on Facebook were most likely seen by 23-70 million users. Facebook also won’t let users know if they were targeted during the 2016 election.
September 18: Hurricane María barreled into Dominica, St. Croix, and Puerto Rico as the first Category 4 storm to hit land in 80 years. The island was still recovering from Irma when María landed.
September 19: A 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City, leveling buildings throughout the Mexican capital. Over 200 people were killed and rescuers are searching through the rubble for any survivors.