Thousands of women march against US President Donald Trump

It has been a full year since US President Donald Trump entered the White House, but his reign has been anything but rosy. From intense criticism over his many remarks, to controversial policies on immigration, his has been an eventful year.

His approval ratings clearly showing a man under siege, with questions raging on chances of clinching a fresh mandate in 2020.

Trump surprisingly silenced his critics and shocked the world when he whitewashed Democrat’s Hillary Clinton in the November 2016 presidential contest.

A year since he succeeded Barack Obama at the White House, President Donald Trump may have had a roller-coaster ride that has sparked detest and admiration in almost equal measure.

His critics term him a racist and divisive character, a tag he has strongly denounced.

“No, I am not a racist, I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed,” he said in a recent press address.

His battalion of supporters cheer him on, and claim he was a victim of resistance for his unconventional way of doing things.

“There’s nothing wrong with being honest. He can sometimes be abrasive but that doesn’t necessarily make him a bad person. It does not even mean that what he is saying is bad. Sometimes the hard truth is just the truth and people should run to take it as that,” says Ms Deandra, a Trump supporter.

For the second year, women took to the streets in Cleveland, Ohio to agitate for their rights. But the march was largely an anti-Trump event, because of his administration’s stand of immigration policies that could see thousands of immigrants kicked out of America, particularly those from Mexico, Haiti and African countries.

“I am very concerned that we are going to lose some wonderful people for no reason at all,” says Catherine Baka.

“It’s a total predictable embarrassment, like all the fears I thought will happen, happened. I am disturbed at how good I was in guessing what would happen,” adds Katrina Lindsay.

At the heart of the controversy is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This is a kind of administrative relief whose purpose is to protect eligible immigrant youth who came to the United States when they were children from deportation.

DACA gives young undocumented immigrants protection from deportation, and a work permit. The program expires after two years, subject to renewal.

Janeth Espanizo, an 18-year-old immigrant from Mexico is one of the DACA beneficiaries. Her future, and that of many like her looking bleak.

“We are here to stay and we will fight, immigrants rights are human rights, we all matter,” says Janeth Espanizo amid tears.

The friction between Trump and the Democratic lawmakers on immigration has resulted in a government shutdown.

While negotiations are on to broker a deal, even if a temporary one, the president’s supporters read blackmail.

“He is doing what is necessary, will some people get hurt or inconvenienced, yes. Some will. Do they deserve it, probably not. Some people are just criticising him instead of looking closely at what he is doing. Some people have been here for over 30 years, why didn’t they get citizenship,” questions Deandra.

“I don’t see a president, I see a person struggling to be a president, but I hope he changes, if he sees it the way God wants to,” says William Silva Richards.

With Trump marking his first year in office under a cloud of controversy, focus is on what he will achieve in the remaining three years of his term.