Timeline of the George W. Bush presidency

Preceded by Clinton presidency timeline

Bush presidency timeline

Succeeded by Obama presidency timeline

The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001 when George W. Bush was inaugurated as President of the United States, and ended on January 20, 2009. A Republican, he took office following a razor–thin win in the 2000 presidential election over Democratic nominee Al Gore, the then–incumbent Vice President. This was the closest presidential election in the nation's history, with a .009% margin, 537 votes, separating the two candidates in the decisive state, Florida. The narrow margin there triggered a mandatory recount. Litigation in select counties started additional recounts, and this litigation ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court. The Court's contentious 5–4 decision in Bush v. Gore, announced on December 12, 2000, ended the recounts, effectively awarding Florida's 25 electoral votes to Bush, giving him a total of 271 votes, enough to defeat Gore. While Gore lost the electoral vote and the election, he did win the nationwide popular vote by 543,895 votes. As a result, the 2000 election became the fourth presidential election in which the eventual winner lost the popular vote (after the elections of 1824, 1876, and 1888).

George W. Bush is the oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, and when he became the 43rd United States president, it was only the second time in American history that a president’s son went on to the White House (after the election of John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams, in 1824). Bush was re-elected in 2004, defeating his Democratic opponent John Kerry by a slim margin.

2001

January

• January 20 – George W. Bush is inaugurated as 43rd President of the United States.
• January 22 - Bush hosts the swearing in ceremony for new White House staff, saying in his remarks that they are all there for the same reason which he defines as "making progress" and notes the prayer of John Adams as being inscribed in a mantle piece in the White House.

February

• February 1 - Bush announces a 1.025 billion increase over the next five years toward assisting the disabled in gaining independence while speaking to a disabled audience and supporters of the disabled.
• February 4 – Bush has a meeting with Democrats after arriving at their retreat, later telling reporters, "These are professionals who want to serve their nation."
• February 5 – Bush appears with four families he describes as potential beneficiaries for his new tax rate system at the White House.
• February 6 – Bush makes several public appearances in support of a tax relief within Washington and northern Virginia. He acknowledges former President Ronald Reagan's birthday with a public statement praising him.
• February 8 – Bush releases the blueprint for a tax relief package of $1.6 trillion and with a lifespan of a decade to Congress.
• February 13 – Bush telephones Prime Minister of Japan Yoshiro Mori to apologize for the unintended sinking of a U.S. nuclear submarine of a Japanese fishing ship with high school students aboard after a four-day search.
• February 15 – The White House announces President of South Korea Kim Dae-jung will meet with President Bush following traveling to the US on the upcoming March 7.

President George W. Bush talks to an education roundtable with Laura Bush and Rosa Smith, Superintendent of the Columbus School district at Sullivant Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio on February 20, 2001.

• February 20 – After the charging of Robert Philip Hanssen with passing classified documents to Russia, Bush reads a statement to reporters traveling with him on Air Force One, referencing the event with the line that it was "a difficult day for those who love our country."
• February 21 – Bush reports the budget for the following year will include federal support of another $1.6 billion for both primary and secondary education programs.
• February 22 - During a press conference, President Bush states his intent to return money to the taxpayers after completion of funding priorities and paying a portion of the national debt and declines answering questions pertaining to the Bill Clinton presidency since he wants to move forward.
• February 24 - Bush promises funding for the most essential national priorities that still restrain spending during his weekly radio address.
• February 26 - President Bush speaks at the National Governors' Association Meeting, predicting history will record him as being "a faithful friend" to the United States governors at the time, reflecting on when he was a governor himself, announcing a new federalism imitative, and indicating interest in having a close relationship with them.
• February 27 - Bush delivers a speech to Congress.
• February 28 – Vice President Cheney says the president's budget plan leaves room for more in the budget post the tax cut, dismissing claims of otherwise as "wrong, factually untrue" while speaking to manufacturing executives.

March

• March 6 – Bush states his intent to nominate John D. Negroponte for US Ambassador to the United Nations.
• March 7 – Bush meets with President of South Korea Kim Dae-jung where the president asserts he views North Korea as a threat.
• March 8 – The House of Representatives pass the cornerstone of the president's tax-relief plan, Bush calling it a "victory" for American families, people and entrepreneurs.
• March 9 – Bush says he'll speak with politicians on Capitol Hill about their working for Americans during an appearance in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• March 12 - Bush speaks at the Youth Activities Center while in Panama City, Florida, saying his administration wants to make sure service members are housed properly during their service and claims to have enough money to accomplish this goal. Bush also announces his plans for the nomination of Paula J. Dobriansky as Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs and Dale Cabaniss for Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
• March 13 – Bush signs a bill designating a newly built courthouse as the "John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse" in honor of the retiring congressman. Bush meets with Congress, reversing a campaign pledge to impose mandatory emission reductions on carbon dioxide on US power plants.
• March 15 – Bush sends a letter to Capital Hill outlining his views on campaign reform in hopes of reaching an agreement.
• March 16 – Pentagon officials state the Bush administration allowed for the day's deadline of beginning construction on the Shemya Island on Alaska.
• March 20 – Bush meets with Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon, their first meeting since both took office.
• March 23 – Bush comes out in support of Macedonia.
• March 27 – Bush publicly expresses disagreements with the immediate tax rebate by Democrats, citing the American economy needing more than a one-time tax cut.
• March 29 – Bush gets support for his budget from the entirety of Senate Republicans with three more pledging during the day.

April

• April 3 – Outside the White House, Bush stresses his administration has tried to prevent the US spy plane-Chinese jet collision from being "an international incident."
• April 4 – Secretary of State Powell shows remorse for the death of a Chinese pilot after a collision with a US spy plane.
• April 6 – Bush reports the China-detained US service members as being "just fine" during a Virginia meeting with business leaders. Bush receives a letter from the wife of the Chinese pilot who criticizes him for not apologizing for the collision.
• April 8 – Bush sends a somber letter to the wife of the Chinese pilot.
• April 9 – Bush's proposed budget is released to Congress.
• April 11 – Secretary of State Powell admits the standoff has harmed relations between the US and China but feels nothing is unrecoverable.
• April 12 – Bush announces a hardened stance by American representatives while talking with Chinese officials in regards to the US and Chinese aircraft collision.
• April 13 – Secretary of State Powell calls off a trip to Kosovo, citing bad weather.
• April 16 – Bush gives a speech to the United States Chamber of Commerce, calling it "tax day."

May

• May 1 – Bush indicates interest in a new national defense policy while delivering an address to the National Defense University.
• May 2 – Bush praises Congressional and White House negotiators agreeing to an increase of 5% in discretionary spending. Bush meets with leaders of congress and senate Democrats.
• May 7 – Bush administration officials announce that John P. Walters will be appointed U.S. drug czar at some point during the week.
• May 9 – Bush praises the US House of Representatives for passing a federal budget resolution for the fiscal year of 2002 despite it being championed by Republicans.
• May 10 – Bush announces Walters as his pick for U.S. drug czar during a White House ceremony.
• May 11 – During a news conference, Bush says he agrees with Attorney General Ashcroft's delaying of the execution of Oklahoma City bombing perpetrator Timothy McVeigh for another month.
• May 17 – Bush releases a long term energy strategy.
• May 18 – Bush signs two executive orders, the first hastening energy projects becoming available online, and the second keeping regulators focused on the impact of energy in decision making while in Conestoga, Pennsylvania.
• May 19 – In his weekly radio address, Bush says energy and environment protection can be done simultaneously.
• May 20 – At Notre Dame University, Bush delivers a commencement address.

June

• June 1 – Bush releases a statement condemning the day's Dolphinarium discotheque massacre in Tel Aviv, Israel, calling it a "heinous terrorist attack".
• June 2 – In his weekly radio address, Bush says Congress will be sending him a bill that over the next 11 years will reduce federal income tax by $1.35 trillion.
• June 4 – During an appearance at the Everglades National Park, Bush nominates Fran Mainella to lead the National Park Service.
• June 5 – Bush requests an investigation by the US International Trade Commission on whether steel import restrictions are needed.
• June 7 – Bush signs a legislative tax cut of $1.35 trillion over the following decade.
• June 8 – Bush appears on an Iowa farm, where he insists tax relief is impending.

President Bush meeting with his administration's cabinet on June 9, 2001.

• June 14 – Bush reports the US will cease Vieques bombing exercises due to residents not wanting "us there."
• June 15 – Bush requests Europe cast aside its political divisions and become "truly united, truly democratic and truly diverse" during a speech in Poland.
• June 28 – Bush announces conservation efforts that include a $87.5 million federal grant while appearing at the Department of Energy.
• June 30 – Bush meets with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at Camp David.

July

• July 3 – Bush announces he will soon decide his decision on whether to allow federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
• July 5 – President Bush nominates Robert Mueller for FBI Director in a ceremony. Bush calls President of China Jiang Zemin over US academic detentions.
• July 10 - Bush requests a relaxed system of immigration at Ellis Island.
• July 12 - Bush requests Congress deliver a Medicare expansion and unveils a plan directed toward prescription drugs for seniors being reduced in price.
• July 15 - Bush is reported by a White House spokesman as being satisfied with the recent missile test's success.
• July 20 - The Senate confirms Roger Gregory, Richard F. Cebull, and Sam Haddon, Bush's first three judicial nominees.
• July 22 - Bush says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to linking US intentions for the construction of a missile defense shield to plans on reducing nuclear stockpiles.
• July 31 - A Bush administration backed comprehensive ban on cloning is passed in the morning hours by the House of Representatives in a 249-178 vote. Bush signs an executive order making federal agencies purchase energy efficient applies a requirement, saying beforehand that he hopes to eliminate "energy vampires" such as battery and cell phone chargers. Bush is formally given the National Commission on Federal Election Reform's report during a Rose Garden ceremony.

August

• August 3 - During a speech on the Rose Garden, Bush identifies the successes of his administration as the first tax cut "in a generation", education legislation movement, homelessness aid, and a bill of rights for patients, detailing the agenda for his administration for the upcoming fall as disadvantage individual assistance, controlled spending, and the protection of "Medicare, Social Security and our armed forces … and the American taxpayers."
• August 7 – Bush denies that he has a decision on allowing federal funding of medical research on stem cells, but says he will soon, when talking to reporters.
• August 9 – Bush signs an executive order allowing limited stem cell research. The order lifts the ban on federal funding for existing stem cell cultures but prohibits funds from going towards creating new stem cell cultures which results in the destruction of embryos.
• August 13 – Bush confirms he'll veto whatever legislation Congress sends him that distances itself from his described plan from the previous week.

September

• September 3 - In the afternoon, Bush meets with Teamsters in Detroit, Michigan.
• September 4 - Bush doubts the likelihood of an illegal immigration policy agreement during a planned meeting with President of Mexico Vicente Fox the following day.
• September 5 - Bush meets with President of Mexico Vicente Fox at the White House.
• September 7 - Bush meets with congressional leaders for talk on the previous month's unemployment numbers.
• September 10 – President Bush visits Justina Road Elementary School, an elementary school in Florida as part of a campaign pressuring Congress to agree with his education plan, his brother Governor of Florida Jeb Bush also in attendance.
• September 11 – The September 11 attacks occur. That night, Bush gives a televised address on the attack from the Oval Office. He then attends a White House security meeting.
• September 13 – Bush has a telephone call with Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani and Governor of New York George Pataki.
• September 14 – Bush travels down Manhattan and gets a first hand view of the damage done by the September 11 attacks.
• September 15 – In an attempt to create an international collation against terrorism, Bush phones President of Mexico Vicente Fox, President of Spain Jose Maria Aznar, and President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf.
• September 16 – Speaking from the White House, Bush predicts the US will rebound from the September 11 attacks.
• September 17 – Bush identifies Osama Bin Laden as the "prime suspect" and says the United States wants him captured while speaking to reporters at the Pentagon.
• September 18 – In the first formal head of state visit since the September 11 attacks, President of France Jacques Chirac meets with President Bush, promising France would support the US in battling terrorism.
• September 19 – Bush has a phone conversation with President of South Korea Kim Dae Jung, the latter issuing sympathy in light of the attacks eight days ago and showing willingness to commit to Bush's coalition of combatting global terrorism.
• September 20 – President Bush delivers an address to a joint session of Congress mentioning the September 11 attacks that had occurred nine days prior. Bush warns the Taliban that will receive quick punishment from the US barring they act to turn over bin Laden and his fellow al Qaeda leaders.
• September 22 – President Bush signs an emergency aid package into law intended to help the US airline industry, providing it with "$5 billion in direct federal aid and $10 billion in loan guarantees" in the aftermath of layoffs in the tens of thousands since the September 11 attacks.
• September 24 – Bush announces he has frozen the U.S. assets of 27 entities with links to terrorism via the signing of an executive order.
• September 25 - Bush pitches an anti-terrorism law package, calling it a fair and legal response to the September 11 attacks.
• September 27 - Bush requests that Governors across the US use the National Guard to boost security in their state airports until more cohesive steps can be proceeded with.
• September 28 - Bush reports the US is in "hot pursuit" of the September 11 perpetrators.

October

President Bush outlines the path of the US in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks while talking to FEMA employees, October 1, 2001

• October 2 - Bush meets with lawmakers to discuss a stimulating of the economy, the White House and Congress agreeing to an 18.4 million boost in military spending and 4 billion increase in funding for education than originally requested by the White House.
• October 3 - A proposal compromising making airport screeners federal employees is offered by the Bush administration. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta meets with both Democratic and Republican senators.
• October 4 - President Bush announces an emergency unemployment package while appearing at the Labor Department.
• October 7 – The United States goes to war with Afghanistan In response to the September 11 attacks.
• October 9 - Bush sends Congress a formal notification on his choice to deploy troops and forces to Afghanistan for combat operations.
• October 12 - Bush admits terrorist attacks can occur to the US, but that the country will not be taken down by them.
• October 13 - Bush says the US and Britain's airstrikes in Afghanistan accomplished "goals of the first phase of the campaign" during his radio address.
• October 14 - The Department of Health and Human Services says Bush will give a recommendation to Congress for them to allocate 1.5 billion to help the department.
• October 15 - Bush warns Americans to lookout for suspicious packages amid anthrax concerns.
• October 17 - Bush embarks on his first post-September 11 attacks for an international economic forum in traveling to China.
• October 23 - Bush asserts that he will be fine in returning to the White House after anthrax is found at a White House mail screening offsite mail facility.
• October 25 - Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announces the US is ceasing tests on a ballistic missile defense system while the administration and Russia undergo further conversing in relation to the 29-year missile pact.
• October 26 – President Bush signs the U.S. Patriot Act.

November

• November 1 – Bush releases proposals to improve the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention accord.
• November 3 – Bush calls the recent anthrax attacks a "biological attack" and assures Americans the perpetrators will be found during his weekly radio address.
• November 9 – Bush meets with Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the White House, Bush later publicly disclosing that the two spoke of an Afghanistan after the Taliban were gone that allowed for the country to both "survive and move forward."
• November 19 – Bush signs an aviation security bill at the Reagan National Airport.
• November 20 – President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft change the name of the Department of Justice building to the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in honor of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy on the seventy-sixth anniversary of his birth.
• November 24 – In his weekly address, Bush comments that the September 11 attack perpetrators unintentionally gave the US much to be grateful for.
• November 26 – During a Rose Garden appearance, Bush calls the cloning of humans "morally wrong" and asserts the procedure should not be allowed.

December

• December 1 – President Bush calls on Congress to approve a stimulus bill to help the US economy after weeks of delay.
• December 2 - Bush meets with Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon in the Oval Office.
• December 5 – Bush asserts killers attempting to intrude on the Middle East peace process must be "rout out" by President of the Palestinian National Authority Yasser Arafat during a news conference.
• December 7 – Bush delivers an address on the sixtieth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor to the U.S.S. Enterprise crew.
• December 11 – Bush delivers a speech on the occasion of the three-month anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
• December 13 – Bush announces the United States will be withdrawing from the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty signed with the Soviet Union, citing the treaty as preventing the US from developing "effective defenses."
• December 14 – Bush refutes any proposal that the tape of Osama bin Laden discussing the September 11 attacks was doctored, calling the suggestion "just a feeble excuse to provide weak support for an incredibly evil man."
• December 18 – In a meeting, President Bush tells congressional leaders of videotapes being within the content obtained from Afghanistan al Qaeda installations.
• December 20 - Exactly one hundred days after the September 11 attacks, Bush announces the targeting of Umma Tameer-e-nau and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, two organizations believed to be giving financial assistance to both terrorist and their respective groups.
• December 22 - Bush celebrates the work of the legislative body and wishes holiday greetings to Americans during his radio address.
• December 28 – Speaking to reporters at his ranch in Texas, Bush foresees U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan for "a long period of time" despite being satisfied with the way they were progressing.
• December 31 – President Bush predicts 2002 will be a favorable year for America, citing the economy rebounding and success in the war against terrorism, while speaking with reporters at a store in Crawford, Texas.

2002

January

• January 8 – No Child Left Behind Act
• January 13 – President Bush begins choking on a pretzel and faints around the time he falls off of a couch, the fainting being caused by a heart rate decrease as a result of swallowing the pretzel, according to White House physician Richard Tubb.
• January 22 – President Bush addresses Congress with an appeal to pass the Economic Security Passage.
• January 29 – President Bush delivers his State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress.

February

• February 4 – President Bush presents Congress with a wartime budget of $2.1 trillion, which sees a return to deficit spending by the federal government.
• February 7 – President Bush signs the "Humane Treatment of Taliban and al Qaeda Detainees" memorandum, reversing American's commitments to parts of the Geneva Convention.
• February 13 – Bush meets with President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf.
• February 14 – Bush reveals tax credits among a number of other incentives designed to encourage business and farmers to decrease harmful emissions.
• February 15 – Bush endorses the recommendation of the Energy Department to use an underground facility to store 77,000 nuclear waste metric tons.

March

• March 4 – President Bush says the US will continue to pursue Al Qaeda during an appearance in Minnesota, also offering condolences to the families of the US soldiers killed during Operation Anaconda.
• March 5 – President Bush announces tariffs of up to 30% on imported steel while trying to shore up the industry during its decline, being met with mixed reception. Secretary of State Powell addresses Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, expressing wishes for him to have police changes and stating that declaration of war against Palestinians would be ineffective.
• March 10 – President Bush administration officials, though stating this does not mean a change in policy, describe America as having the right to use nuclear weapons in the event that it or its allies are attacked.
• March 11 – Six months after the September 11 attacks, President Bush gives remarks on the south lawn of the White House, saying America would not forget the lives lost nor the justice needed in response.
• March 20 – Ari Fleischer announces the Bush administration will refuse to certify North Korea's abiding by a 1994 deal that froze its nuclear weapons program.
• March 22 – The Bush administration imposes 29% tariffs on Canadian softwood lumberjack imports, seeking to protect the US lumber jobs from Canadian subsidized imports. Bush and President of Mexico Vincente Fox state their intent to bring their countries closer together through the use of close cooperation and advanced technology.
• March 23 – President Bush states that he is visiting Mexico, Peru and Al Salvador to validate "the central importance" he places on America's relationships with the hemisphere.
• March 24 – In a signed agreement, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin consent to reduce the nuclear arsenal of each country to a warhead of between 1,700 and 2,200.
• March 26 – President Bush announces Elias Zerhouni and Richard Carmona as his choices for National Institute of Health Director and U.S. Surgeon General in an East Room ceremony.
• March 27 – In the morning hours, President Bush signs a campaign finance overhaul bill, releasing a written statement that the bill would improve "the current system of financing for federal campaigns and therefore I have signed it into law."
• March 28 – During an appearance at a fundraiser for the senatorial campaign of John Cornyn, President Bush says he is working to eliminate the chance of terrorist organizations aligning with "some of the world's worst leaders who harbor and develop some of the world's worst weapons."
• March 29 – Oprah Winfrey turns down an invite by President Bush to attend a touring of Afghanistan schools during a U.S. delegation, citing her work schedule.
• March 30 – President Bush addresses the Middle East crisis from his ranch as Israel troops advance toward the compound of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and after a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

April

• April 4 – During a speech in the afternoon at the State Department, President Bush sets an April 22 deadline for the Senate to bestow trading powers upon him and give privileges in trading to significant South America drug producing countries.
• April 6 – In the morning, President Bush offers condolences for the passing of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair hold a joint press conference.
• April 10 – President Bush expresses hopes that the Senate back a human cloning ban while delivering remarks in the East Room.
• April 18 – President Bush vows the keep the US in Afghanistan "until the mission is done" while showing interest in a plan he equated to that of General George C. Marshall for Europe during World War II.
• April 19 – While talking to reporters in the Oval Office, President Bush touts Secretary of State Powell's diplomacy in the Middle East as having forged a "path to achieve peace".
• April 20 – President Bush requests Arab nations combat their own forms of terrorism within their respective regions in his weekly radio address.
• April 22 – President Bush gives an Earth Day speech in the Adirondack Mountains in New York, noting his "Clear Skies Initiative".
• April 23 – Karen Hughes, a White House counselor, announces her plans to resign during the summer and return to Texas.
• April 24 – President Bush attends the Lake Area Corn Processors ethanol plant grand opening near Wentworth, Bush complimenting Senator Tom Daschle for "working on the RFS standard."
• April 25 – President Bush meets with Saudi Arabian prince Abdullah in his Texas ranch for a two-hour talk, during which Abdullah warns Bush against losing stability within the Middle East by not doing more in an attempt to stop Ariel Sharon's strategy against the Palestinians.

May

• May 10 – Bush requests both parties come together in Congress to help reauthorize a welfare reform bill first passed in 1996.
• May 13 – Bush signs a farming bill worth $190 billion and to last for the next decade which vows the expansion of subsidies for growers.
• May 14 – President Bush signs a bill increasing federal payments with at least $83 billion over the next decade while in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
• May 18 – Bush requests a reform in the Medicare program, citing the costs being too high and the choices seniors need not being provided.
• May 22 – Bush speaks from the White House lawn before boarding a flight to Germany, saying the US and European allies must continue battling terror and be strong.
• May 27 – On Memorial Day, Bush commemorates the holiday with an appearance at the Normandy American Cemetery.
• May 28 – President Bush meets with Pope John Paul II, discussing the Catholic Church, the Middle Eazt, and Russia. After the meeting, Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, reveals details of the conversation to reporters.
• May 31 – Bush announces that Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be going to the Middle East the following week.

June

• June 1 – President Bush delivers an address at the United States Military Academy.
• June 3 – President Bush reports the FBI as "doing a better job", citing its communication and sharing of intelligence with the CIA during an appearance at a Little Rock, Arkansas welcoming ceremony.
• June 4 – While speaking to reporters during a tour of the National Security Agency, President Bush says there is no evidence of the U.S. government being able to prevent the 9/11 strikes.
• June 6 – President Bush calls on Congress to create a homeland defense agency of Cabinet-level to protect the US during "a titanic struggle against terror."
• June 8 – President Bush equates the proposed Department of Homeland Security to the creation of the Defense Department and National Security Council under President Harry Truman during his weekly radio address.
• June 9 – President Bush designates José Padilla as an enemy combatant, ending Padilla's tenure as a material witness.
• June 17 – President Bush states he wishes to boast minority home ownership to 5.5 million prior to the decade ending while speaking to at St. Paul AME Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
• June 19 – Bush pledges a US support of $500 million to battling the AIDS virus while appearing on the Rose Garden.

July

• July 3 – Bush gives an executive order to hasten the citizenship proceeding for non-citizens that have served in the military post the September 11 attacks.
• July 9 – Several blocks away from the New York Stock Exchange and Ground Zero, President Bush delivers a speech to a business group, indicating that an investigation into corporate wrongdoing should take place for the sake of both the US's economy and financial systems.
• July 10 – In a defense of the Homeland Security Department, President Bush calls it bipartisan and "an American idea that makes sense for all Americans."
• July 11 – In an appearance before the House Select Homeland Security Committee, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Treasury Paul O'Neill and Attorney General John Ashcroft confirm their support for the formation of the Homeland Security Department.
• July 16 – President Bush outlines a homeland security national strategy that includes standards on state driver licenses and detecting chemical, biological and nuclear weapons with the use of technology. Tom Ridge, the incumbent Homeland Security Director, touts the proposal as "the best way to protect America."
• July 17 – President Bush reports Vice President Cheney as doing "a heck of a good job" while defending Cheney in his first public comments on the ongoing investigation into Cheney's former company Halliburton Corp, saying the inquiry will "run its course."
• July 19 – President Bush meets with soldiers and their families and speaks with the still in Afghanistan 10th Mountain Division through satellite. Bush calls on the Senate to approve his request for a funding of the U.S. military, the largest since the Ronald Reagan presidency.
• July 20 – President Bush requests Congress hasten passing a corporate ethical standard enforcing bill and other areas such as forcing a fiscal restraint to avoid adding to the deficit so much that it will not be paid in the decades to come.
• July 21 – President Bush announces Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.
• July 22 – President Bush travels to the Argonne National Laboratory and speaks with employees about the value of new technology to national security and the Homeland Security Department.
• July 24 – President Bush formally approves Yucca Mountain as the high level nuclear waste dump of the US.
• July 31 – The White House reports President Bush as having opposed Harken Energy Corporation establishing an oversea subsidiary in the Cayman Islands when he was on the board of directors. Bush repeated the claim when asked about the subsidiary.

August

• August 1 – Bush expresses outrage over the deaths of five Americans killed during a Hebrew University terrorist bombing but maintains peace in the Middle East is attainable.
• August 2 – The White House announces Bush's attendance on the upcoming first anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
• August 5 – Bush administration officials confirm Bush attended a meeting with top advisors where General Tommy Franks detailed the status of a possible attack on Iraq.
• August 8 – The Bush administration responds to a defiant speech on the part of Saddam Hussein, who boasted a US attack on Iraq would be doomed, with an aide saying, "The regime in Baghdad knows what it has to do. It must live up to its obligations to disarm that it agreed to in 1991."
• August 10 – Bush announces he will meet with American workers during the following week to evaluate the US's economic situation.
• August 13 – Bush speaks at an economic forum with the purpose of reassuring Americans of his attentiveness to the economy, him confidently stating the economy is recovering.
• August 14 – Bush calls on Congress to prevent spending and swears he will preserve the fiscal health of the US during an appearance at the Iowa State Fair.
• August 15 – Bush asserts the homeland security bill in the Senate as leaving his administration with its "hands tied" during a Mount Rushmore, South Dakota speech.
• August 16 – Bush says he will use the newest technology to come to a conclusion on how to resolve the Saddam Hussein situation while speaking to reporters.
• August 22 – Bush announces a plan to permit logging in national forests, which he said would prevent wildfire threats.
• August 24 – Bush calls on Congress to pass his Homeland Security plan when members return from their recess.
• August 30 – Bush gives praise for both the Major League Baseball players and owners for not partaking in a strike.
• August 31 – Bush requests Americans become involved in community service and make the following month one of service.

September

• September 9 – In Detroit, Michigan, Bush meets with Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chretien.
• September 11 – On the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Bush delivers a speech reflecting on how those affected by the incident had been since it occurred.
• September 12 – Bush urges the United Nations to compel Iraq to agree with the weapons of mass destruction directives made by the Security Council.
• September 13 – Minister of Foreign Affairs Naji Sabri calls Bush's speech from the previous day "a lot of anti-Iraq propaganda" devoid of proof that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction.
• September 14 – In his weekly address, Bush requests the U.N. boost their efforts to handle Saddam Hussein's continued disregard for the resolutions of the United Nations.
• September 20 – A report by the Bush administration is released outlining preemptive and aggressive action against both known terrorist groups and hostile states in a change in the national security of the US.

October

• October 7 – In a speech delivered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bush explains his disagreements with Saddam Hussein's regime and advocated for the disarming of Iraqi forces.
• October 9 – A federal judge orders a temporary restraining order to resolve a labor dispute between the US and Asia which cost the US $2 billion a day.
• October 11 – The Senate approves authorizing President Bush attacking Irag in the event that Saddam Hussein decline giving weapons of mass destruction as per the requirements of resolutions crafted by the United Nations in a 77–23 vote.
• October 12 – Bush calls on Congress to pass a terrorism insurance bill during his weekly radio address.
• October 14 – Bush comments on the weekend attacks in Indonesia, linking them to the attack on US Marines in Kuwait and a French tanker off Yemen.
• October 16 – Bush signs a resolution approved by Congress allowing him to go to war with Iraq.
• October 19 – Bush offers sympathies to Australians after the past weekend's Bali nightclub bombings, declaring the US and Australia will collaborate against terrorism.

November

• November 2 – Bush begins a 10-day campaign tour to aid Republicans in keeping their positions in Congress as well as helping his brother Jeb Bush remain Governor of Florida.
• November 4 – Bush endorses Jim Talent in his senatorial bid.
• November 15 – Bush administration officials say President Bush can nominate Tom Ridge to head the Homeland Security department at earliest the following week.
• November 19 – Bush leaves Washington for Prague ahead of a scheduled meeting with leaders of NATO and partnering countries.
• November 20 – Bush and President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel hold a joint news conference, where Bush says the US will lead a "coalition of the willing" if Hussein continues refusing to disarm.
• November 25 – United States Department of Homeland Security is established.
• November 28 – Bush releases a statement on the Kenya attacks, condemning them "in the strongest possible terms" and offering condolences to the families of victims.
• November 29 – President Bush cuts civilian federal employee pay raises and cites the war on terrorism as being threatened by them being bestowed the full pay hike.
• November 30 – Bush calls on Americans to be inspired by the Thanksgiving holiday and become serviceable to "those in need."

December

• December 4 – The New York Times discloses the Bush administration as having restored the allocation of bonuses in money for roughly 2,000 politically appointed federal workers, reversing a policy from the administration of Bill Clinton.
• December 6 – Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and economic advisor Lawrence B. Lindsey resign per request by the White House.
• December 9 – Officials of the Bush administration confirm John W. Snow as the president's choice to replace O'Neill as Treasury Secretary.
• December 10 – Bush introduces William Donaldson as his choice for chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
• December 11 – Bush issues an executive order, creating the nine-member President's Commission on the Postal Service.
• December 12 – Bush rebukes comments by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott while speaking in Philadelphia.
• December 13 – Bush announces his intent for the smallpox inoculation of 500,000 military personnel on the frontline.
• December 16 – The White House announces Joe Allbaugh will resign as Federal Emergency Management Agency Director.
• December 17 – Bush reveals plans to begin the first phase of a system meant to protect the US from ballistic missile attack within two years. The White House announces Nick Calio will step down as President Bush's representative on Capital Hill the following month.
• December 20 – Bush responds to the Iraqi arms declaration from the previous day, calling it "a disappointing day for those who long for peace."
• December 21 – Bush receives a smallpox vaccine along with 500,000 ordered to receive the same treatment, White House Jeanie Mamo reporting him as being "fine."
• December 22 – The White House updates Bush as feeling "great" in relation to his vaccine.
• December 24 – On Christmas Eve, President Bush calls members of the military to thank them for their service.
• December 28 – In his radio address, Bush declares 2002 a successful year for America, citing a growing economy and continued battling of terrorism both domestic and abroad.
• December 30 – The lawsuit against Bush for his withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty brought upon him by 32 Congress members is dismissed by a federal judge.

2003

January

• January 2 - Bush reaffirms his intent to focus on safeguarding the US and its people and says the administration is working with foreign allies to convince North Korea to discontinue the creation and proliferating of mass destruction inducing weapons while speaking to the press at the Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas.
• January 20 - President Bush speaks at the First Baptist Church in Landover, Maryland. Bush calls on those present to "remember the dream of Martin Luther King and remember his clear vision for a society that's equal and a society full of justice, this society must remember the power of faith."
• January 22 - The Senate confirms Tom Ridge for United States Secretary of Homeland Security.
• January 24 - Tom Ridge is sworn in as United States Secretary of Homeland Security in the Cross Hall.
• January 25 - President Bush talks about domestic policies in a radio address.
• January 27 - President Bush announces the nominations of nine individuals for membership to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee.
• January 28 - President Bush delivers the 2003 State of the Union Address.
• January 29 - President Bush makes a call for reform of the Medicare system within the US during a speech at Devos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• January 30 - President Bush has a White House meeting with Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi and a joint press conference with Berlusconi later in the day. Bush commemorates the anniversary of the United States Freedom Corps during a speech in Washington. Vice President Cheney speaks at the 30th Political Action Conference in Arlington, Virginia.
• January 31 - Bush meets with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair at the White House, President Bush saying afterward in a joint conference that their discussion was on "a lot of issues."

February

• February 3 – Space Shuttle Columbia is destroyed upon re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. All seven crew members perish.
• February 4 - Bush addresses the casualty of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster during a memorial service at the Johnson Space Center.
• February 5 - Bush meets with congressional leaders at the White House to discuss Secretary of State Powell's presentation at the United Nations attempting to convince other countries of Iraq's defying of disagreement resolutions.
• February 6 - Bush announces an initiative of 1.2 million aimed at hydrogen fuel of high interest for both vehicle empowerment and electricity generation while at the National Building Museum in Washington.
• February 7 - While at the Treasury Department, Bush tells reporters the meeting of the UN Security Council is at "a defining moment" in having to decide whether there will be "any force" in the resolution ordering Iraq to disarm.
• February 8 - Bush issues a written statement on the Columbia club blast from the previous night through the White House.
• February 9 - The Homeland Security Council raises the national threat level of chemical or biological attacks from Al-Qaeda from yellow to orange.
• February 10 - President Bush accuses Saddam Hussein of regarding Iraqis as "human shields" during a speech to the National Religious Broadcasters convention.
• February 11 - Pentagon officials state military vehicles equipped with anti-aircraft missiles have been released to guard Washington and patrols of fighter jets around Washington, D.C. and New York City have increased thanks to elevated risks of a terrorist attack.

March

• March 5 - Bush has a half-hour long meeting with Cardinal Pio Laghi, Laghi saying after the meeting that he conveyed Pope John Paul II's to not go to war with Iraq.
• March 17 – President Bush promises Saddam Hussein will soon be gone in a televised appearance.
• March 19 – President Bush addresses the nation and declares war with Iraq.
• March 21 - President Bush issues a statement thanking Congress for "resolutions which said loud and clear, our country supports the men and women in uniform."
• March 23 - President Bush holds a questions and answers session on the ongoing conflict in Iraq, saying he is "pleased with the progress that we're making", in the afternoon hours.
• March 28 - President Bush gives a praiseful speech on the United States Military in the East Room of the White House.
• March 29 - President Bush claims the United States and coalition troops "have cleared mines from the water and taken control of a key port city, to allow humanitarian aid to begin flowing into" Iraq during his weekly radio address.
• March 31 - President Bush delivers a speech at the Port of Philadelphia.

July

• July 16 - President Bush delivers an address in Room 450 of the Dwight DC Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
• July 17 - President Bush holds a joint press conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair.
• July 18 - Bush gives a speech on health at Lakewest Family YMCA in Dallas, Texas.
• July 23 - Bush gives an update on the Iraq War in the Rose Garden.
• July 29 - President Bush meets with Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon. Bush addresses the meeting in the Rose Garden.
• July 30 - Bush commemorates the 38th anniversary of Medicare, calling it a "time for action."

November

• November 1 - Bush speaks at Jones Park in Gulfport, Mississippi, indicating his interest in working with Haley Barbour.
• November 14 - President Bush meets with President of Italy Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in the Oval Office. The two presidents jointly deliver remarks publicly after the meeting.
• November 19 - Bush speaks about his administration's policy in Iraq at Royal Banqueting House-Whitehall Palace at London, England.
• November 21 - Bush issues a statement on the following day's marking of the fortieth anniversary of the assassination of the late President John F. Kennedy.
• November 24 - President Bush delivers a speech before troops at the Butts Army Air Field in Fort Carson, Colorado.
• November 25 - At Spring Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bush praises Congress for passing Medicare reforms that he says will "strengthen" and "modernize" the system along with providing better care for American seniors.
• November 27 – Thanksgiving Day, Bush visits American troops in Iraq.

December

• December 8 – President Bush signs the Medicare Modernization Act.
• December 13 – Operation Red Dawn leads to the capture of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
• December 14 - President Bush gives a five-minute televised address, remarking on the capture of Hussein that he will "face the justice he denied to millions", adding that his capture will bring further credence to the Iraqis that an end has been put to both torture chambers and secret police.

2004

January

• January 5 - Bush discusses education's progress within his administration in St. Louis, Missouri.
• January 7 - President Bush discusses plans to change US immigration laws and make it possible for eight million illegal immigrants to obtain legal status through working temporarily, calling the new system "more compassionate".
• January 9 - Bush talks about the economy with female business owners in Washington, D.C. at the Department of Commerce for the sake of preserving the strength of the "entrepreneurial spirit" in America.
• January 14 - In a speech at the NASA headquarters, Bush reveals a plan to get Americans to the moon by 2020, proposing $12 billion be used for the effort over the next five years.
• January 20 - President Bush delivers the State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress.
• January 26 - Bush gives a speech in Little Rock, Arkansas on the possible reform of medical liability.
• January 29 - Bush talks about the economic plan of his administration in New Hampshire.
• January 30 - President Bush talks about the economy with what he calls "some of our nation's finest economists" in the Roosevelt Room.
• January 31 - Bush releases a statement praising Jennifer Dunn.

February

• February 19 - Bush talks about the economy as well as wishes for Congress to make tax cuts a permanent fixture during an appearance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
• February 23 - Bush speaks at the National Governors Association.
• February 24 - President Bush delivers an address in the Roosevelt Room indicating his displease with attempts across the US to support same-sex marriage and recalls the Defense of Marriage Act as proof of "overwhelming consensus in our country for protecting the institution of marriage."
• February 26 - While giving a speech in Kentucky, President Bush discusses the economy and calls on Congress to rally behind passing tax cuts.
• February 27 - Bush meets with Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder at the White House and the two hold a joint press conference.
• February 29 - President Bush issues a statement on the resigning of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as the President of Haiti and says he has deployed marines for the bringing of order and stability to the country.

March

• March 1 - In a written statement, Bush urges Congress to remove newly-imposed tariffs on American exports by reforming the tax code through their passage of the FSC/ETI legislation. Bush predicts that, should the legislation not be passed, by the following year the currently imposed tariffs will "impose an increasing burden on American exporters, their workers, and the overall economy".
• March 3 - Bush delivers a critique of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry during a fundraiser in Santa Clara, California, noting that Kerry has taken both sides on issues and examples Kerry did not support removing Hussein from power despite claiming to oppose him.

President George W. Bush and Laura Bush welcome President Vicente Fox of Mexico and Mrs. Marta Sahagún de Fox to their ranch in Crawford, Texas on March 5, 2004

• March 5 - During a news conference, two September 11 attacks victim family members and a former firefighter express their disdain for new Bush campaign ads featuring the September 11 attacks. Rudy Giuliani calls the ad "tasteful" for showing the "challenges the president has faced -- the recession, other things and September 11, 2001."
• March 10 - US officials report the Bush administration in the near future will begin stronger sanctions against Syria. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns tells the House International Relations Committee the sanctions "will be a very firm implementation of the Syrian Accountability Act and the intent behind it."
• March 11 - Near the end of the morning, Bush releases a statement on the Madrid train bombings where he offers condolences to the families of victims and reaffirms the US's support for Spain. In the evening, Bush flies to New York for a fundraiser for his re-election campaign, saying New York will be part of "a great national victory in November".
• March 17 - Bush meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Bertie Ahern in the Roosevelt Room.
• March 19 - Bush marks the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, praising it as a "day of deliverance" for Iraq and a day that saw "decisive action" occur from years of requests and promises being made from the US and the countries aligned with America.
• March 27 - Bush mentions improvements to the rate of home ownership and his signing into law of the American Dream Down Payment Act during a radio address.
• March 30 - President Bush appears at the Fox Cities Performing Art Center in Appleton, Wisconsin, touting improvements to the economy before and after the September 11 attacks as well as laws made in the wake of the event.

April

President George W. Bush signs H.R. 1997, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, in the East Room on April 1, 2004

• April 1 - In the East Room, President Bush signs the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, saying the day marks the end of the federal crime code's silence "on the injury or death of a child in cases of violence against a pregnant woman."
• April 2 - Speaking to audience at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, Bush reports the passed tax relief as working, evidenced by what he dubs a "stronger" economy. He then speaks with students and educators.
• April 3 - Bush reports the tax cuts, tax relief, lowered interest rates, and increase of tax disposable income during his radio address.
• April 5 - Bush gives a speech on the economy and job training at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• April 10 - Bush gives an update on the Iraq war during his radio address.
• April 15 - Bush gives an address on tax relief in Des Moines, Iowa.
• April 16 - President Bush and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair hold a joint press conference at the White House.
• April 19 - Bush announces he is nominating John Negroponte as United States Ambassador to Iraq.
• April 21 - Bush delivers an address on how to create lasting prosperity at the Newspaper Association of America Annual Convention.
• April 26 - Bush reveals his tech initiative for the respective fields of energy, healthcare and the internet during an appearance at the American Association of Community Colleges Annual Convention.
• April 27 - Bush speaks at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
• April 29 - President Bush and Vice President Cheney meet with the 9/11 Commission, Bush calling it important and wide ranging in the issues discussed.
• April 30 - At the White House, Bush meets with Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin, Bush saying he appreciates Martin's clear vision on the world.

May

• May 1 - Bush notes the accomplishments of his policy on Iraq during his radio address.
• May 3 - United States National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice answers questions in regards to Iraq and the Middle East at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
• May 5 - Bush conducts an interview with Al Arabiya Television in the Map Room in regards to his foreign policy.
• May 17 - Bush speaks at the grand opening of the Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas.
• May 18 - Bush delivers a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee at the Washington Convention Center.
• May 20 - Bush meets with Prime Minister of Greece Kostas Karamanlis in the Oval Office.
• May 21 - President Bush delivers the commencement address for Louisiana State University at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
• May 24 - Vice President Cheney speaks at a reception for a committee on the re-election campaign in Little Rock, Arkansas.

June

• June 2 - President Bush compares the Iraq war and battling terrorism to World War II and battling communism during a US Air Force Academy commencement ceremony, also comparing the September 11 attacks to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• June 3 - FBI Director George Tenet resigns, saying it will be effective on July 11, the seventh anniversary of his appointment to the position by former president Bill Clinton.
• June 4 - The White House announces President Bush has selected Senator John Danforth as the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
• June 5 - Bush arrives in Paris for a trip to rally support for the Iraq war as well as note the D-Day invasion of Normandy for its sixtieth anniversary.
• June 6 - During a commemoration address of D-Day's anniversary to veterans at the Colleville-sur-Mer American military cemetery, he pays homage to former President Reagan by calling him a "a courageous man himself, and a gallant leader in the cause of freedom" and tells the veterans they'll eternally be honored by America and countries freed at the time of the war.
• June 11 - During his attending of President Reagan’s funeral, Bush delivers a eulogy.
• June 12 - Bush dedicates his radio address to discussing President Reagan’s life and legacy.
• June 13 - Bush declares Missouri has a major disaster, ordering federal aid to help in repairing damage brought on by storms, floods, and tornadoes the previous month.

U.S. President George W. Bush and U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair shake hands after receiving notification that the Coalition Provisional Authority had returned full sovereignty to Iraq and transferred control of the nation to the Iraqi interim government while the two were at a NATO summit in Istanbul, Turkey on June 28, 2004.

• June 28 - President Bush has a news conference with United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair in Istanbul, Bush stating the intent of the US to finish the "difficult task" in Iraq. Following a meeting between members of the State Department and Moammar Gadhafi, the State Department says the United States has ended 24 years of non-direct diplomatic ties with Libya.
• June 29 - In an address at Istanbul University, Bush says Turkey belongs in the European Union, claiming Turkey is moving rapidly to meet the conditions needed to be admitted and that the country's success "is vital to the future of progress and peace in Europe and in the broader Middle East."

July

• July 1 - In the East Room, President Bush notes the fortieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Bush saying it gives Americans "another reason to be proud of our country."
• July 2 - Bush talks about the economy in front of an audience of business owners in the East Room.
• July 12 - Bush speaks about the gains made in the war on terror at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
• July 13 - At the Dwight Eisenhower Executive Office building, President Bush signs the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
• July 22 – The 9/11 Commission releases its final report.

August

• August 10 - Bush announces his nomination of Porter Goss for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Rose Garden.
• August 12 - Bush delivers a speech to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America at the International Training Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• August 13 - Bush releases a public statement on his trip to Boeing Delivery Center in Seattle, Washington.
• August 19 - National Security Advisor Rice speaks on the War on Terror and answers questions in Washington.
• August 22 - Bush re-election campaign manager Ken Mehlman denies the campaign has been trying to smear Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, saying the Bush campaign has praised Kerry's service and that the allegation is only being made to avoid focusing on issues.
• August 25 - Vice President Cheney charges Democratic presidential nominee Kerry with wanting to have sensitivity in fighting the war in Iraq and claims past successful U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry Truman did not win with such a strategy in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
• August 29 - Bush attends a campaign rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, early in his remarks predicting that he will carry the state in the upcoming election.
• August 30 - Senator John McCain endorses Bush for re-election.
• August 31 - President Bush delivers a speech at the 86th Annual American Legion National Convention.

September

President George W. Bush and Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary Michael Brown talk with residents affected by Hurricane Ivan on September 19, 2004.

• September 19 - President Bush travels to Florida to see the damages of Hurricane Ivan, meeting with Governor of Alabama Bob Riley and brother Jeb Bush, incumbent Governor of Florida. Senator John McCain reflects that President Bush's clearness to Americans on Iraq as not "as straight as maybe we'd like to see" and calls it a mistake for not enough American troops being in place during the first victories won by Americans there, citing it as the beginning of "very, very significant" troubles for the US.
• September 20 - During a speech at New York University, Democratic presidential nominee Kerry asserts President Bush's Iran policy as having weakened American national security and accuses him of creating a "a crisis of historic proportions".
• September 23 - President Bush and Prime Minister of Iraq Ayad Allawi hold a joint press conference in the Rose Garden.
• September 27 - Bush gives a speech on the education policy of his administration at the Springfield, Ohio Midwest Livestock and Expo Center.
• September 30 - Bush thanks "those who've reached out to help the neighbors in need" while speaking at the Martin County Red Cross Headquarters in Stuart, Florida.

October

• October 1 - President Bush and Senator Kerry participate in the first presidential debate of the general election.
• October 4 - Bush signs a tax relief bill in the morning hours, claiming during a speech hours later in Des Moines, Iowa that "a family of four earning $40,000 would have seen their federal income taxes rise by more than $900" had the law not been passed ahead of a planned 2004 expiration for tax relief provisions.
• October 5 - President Bush signs a plurality of laws, including the Mount Rainier National Park Boundary Adjustment Act of 2004, the Johnstown Flood National Memorial Boundary Adjustment Act of 2004, the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Land Exchange Act, the Carpinteria and Montecito Water Distribution Systems Conveyance Act of 2004, the Railroad Right-of-Way Conveyance Validation Act of 2004, the Williamson County Water Recycling Act of 2004, the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2004, and the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve Boundary Revision Act of 2004 among several laws not formally titled.
• October 6 - Vice President Cheney and Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards participate in the sole vice presidential debate of the election cycle at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
• October 7 - Bush releases a public statement on the Iraq report, assessing in part that the US was right in taking action and is safer thanks to the incarceration of Hussein.
• October 12 - President Bush delivers a speech in Colorado Springs during a rally there, addressing the ongoing election and outlining his policies.
• October 19 - President Bush gives an address in The Villages, Florida, charging Senator Kerry with wanting to move the US "in the direction of government-run health care" and proclaiming that he himself has "set out policies that move this country toward a positive and optimistic vision." Bush argues this difference among others makes the "choice in this election" clear.
• October 29 - Bush releases a statement stating that he’d been informed earlier during the day of a tape the US intelligence community was analyzing and that Americans “will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country.”

November

• November 2 – President Bush wins re-election over challenger Senator John F. Kerry.
• November 3 - Bush delivers a victory speech, stating the intent of his second term to focus on "economic recovery, fixing an outdated tax code, improving Social Security, building on education initiatives and helping the emerging democracies of Iraq and Afghanistan", at the Ronald Reagan Building.
• November 4 - During a news conference, President Bush says he'll work with both Democrats and Republicans and reflects that he is now more seasoned.
• November 5 - Senior officials in the Bush administration report Robert Blackwill as having earlier in the day announced his intent to resign to the National Security Council.
• November 9 - In the evening, the White House announces the resignations of United States Attorney General John Ashcroft and Secretary of Commerce Don Evans.
• November 10 - In the afternoon, Bush announces his White House legal counsel and friend Alberto Gonzales as his nominee for United States Attorney General.

President George W. Bush and Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Galen B. Jackman pay respects to the unknown servicemen laid to rest at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia during a Veteran’s Day ceremony on November 11, 2004

• November 11 - Anti-abortion group American League Life criticizes Attorney General nominee Gonzales for ruling in favor of teenage girls not requiring parental consent to get abortion and by extension President Bush for selecting him given his own pro-life views. At the White House during the evening hours, President Bush meets with Prime Minister of Britain Tony Blair.
• November 12 - Bush promises the use of American dollars to create a Palestinian state during a news conference.
• November 13 - During his radio address, Bush reports the United States' offensive abroad is progressing in taking back Falluja. Vice President Cheney has test performed on him for abnormalities at George Washington University Hospital, leaving in the afternoon.
• November 15 - Secretary of State Colin Powell announces he is resigning. United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Danforth confirms he has not been approached replace Powell. Steven Kappes and Michael J. Sulick, leaders of the directorate of operations of the CIA, resign in the morning.
• November 16 - Bush announces his choice to nominate confidant and national security advisor Condoleezza Rice for United States Secretary of State during a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room.
• November 17 - Bush announces longtime political ally Margaret Spellings for Secretary of Education.
• November 18 - President Bush speaks at a dedication to the Bill Clinton Presidential Library and Museum.
• November 20 - During his radio address, Bush says he'll be meeting with "many allies and friends to strengthen our ties across the Pacific and discuss practical ways we can enhance prosperity, advance liberty, and improve our shared security" during an upcoming trip to the APEC summit.

December

• December 1 - During a speech in Halifax, Bush gives praise to Canada and its people for being allies to the US both during and after the September 11 attacks.
• December 2 - Bush denounces the delaying of elections in Iraq, saying it's time for the country's citizens to "go to the polls", when speaking to reporters at the White House.
• December 3 - President Bush names Bernard Kerik as United States Secretary of Homeland Security.
• December 4 - President Bush meets with Pervez Musharraf in the Oval Office, Musharraf saying after the meeting that they discussed terrorism in its entirety and that he felt the meeting was "extremely positive".
• December 9 - President Bush announces his nomination of Jim Nicholson for United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
• December 21 - Bush and First Lady Laura Bush visit families along with their wounded service members in the family at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
• December 24 - Bush calls several service members on Christmas Eve while at Camp David.
• December 26 - Bush issues a statement expressing condolences for the deaths caused by tsunamis and earthquakes by the bay of Bengal.
• December 29 - Bush speaks out publicly about the deaths caused by the earthquake and tsunamis in the Indian Ocean and answers questions at the Prairie Chapel Ranch.
• December 31 - President Bush announces his committing of 350 million to relief efforts for the "disaster around the Indian Ocean".

2005

January

• January 20 – Second inauguration of George W. Bush

August

• August 29 – Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf of Mexico's bordering southern states.

2006

January

• January 31 - Bush delivers his State of the Union address.

April

• April 20 – Bush meets with Hu Jintao at the White House, honoring him in a ceremony on the South Lawn.
• April 24 - A poll is released showing Bush having an approval rating of 32%.

November

• November 2 – Bush travels to Montana to appear in support of Senator Conrad Burns in his re-election bid against Democratic nominee Jon Tester.
• November 7 – The Democratic Party takes control of both Congressional Houses in the 2006 Midterm elections.
• November 9 – In the afternoon, Bush reveals Robert Gates as his choice to succeed Donald Rumsfield as U.S. Secretary of Defense.
• November 15 – Bush meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
• November 17 – President Bush recalls the Vietnam War and touts it as reminding Americans the US will succeed "unless we quit" following a lunch with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
• November 19 – The US and Russia sign agreements supporting the ascension of Russia into the World Trade Organization, President Bush saying in an official statement, "This is a good agreement for the United States. And it's an equally important agreement for Russia. And it's a good agreement for the international trading community."

December

• December 25 – Bush releases a written statement in response to the death of James Brown, saying in part, "James Brown's family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers this Christmas."
• December 27 – Bush addresses the death of former U.S. President Gerald Ford the previous day in a televised statement.

2007

January

• January 2 - Sources in Washington reports expectations that Bush will announce his strategy in Iraq early the following week.
• January 3 - An opinion column is released of Bush indicating a willingness to work with the Democratic Party-controlled Congress.
• January 10 – Iraq war troop surge

March

• March 3 - Bush assures tornado victims of incoming assistance.

April

• April 13 - White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says she would not rule out the White House has lost "a potential 5 million e-mails".
• April 16 – Virginia Tech shooting
• April 17 - Bush attends a memorial at Virginia Tech.
• April 28 - President Bush delivers the commencement address at Miami Dade College at the Kendall Campus in Florida.
• April 30 - President Bush meets with foreign leaders Angela Merkel and José Barroso at the White House. Bush, Merkel, and Barroso later hold a joint press conference in the Rose Garden.

2008

January

• January 1 - At Texas State Technical College, President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush wish Americans "a happy and healthy 2008."
• January 2 - Bush announces his intent to nominate Jamsheed K. Choksy, Dawn Ho Delbanco, Gary D. Glenn, David Hertz, Marvin Bailey Scott, and Carol M. Swain as members of the National Council on the Humanities for terms lasting six years, and Jan Cellucci, William J. Hagenah, and Mark Y. Herring as members of the National Museum and Library Services board for terms lasting five years.
• January 3 - United States National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley announces Bush will travel to the Middle East in five days to give President Bush a chance "to discuss with Israelis and Palestinians their efforts toward a negotiated peace and achievement of the President's vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security."
• January 4 - Bush signs S. 2436 for the establishment of commencement of Commissioner of Internal Revenue terms to have a designated date.

April

• April 1 - Bush holds a joint press conference with President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko at the House of Chimaeras in Kyiv, Ukraine.
• April 4 - Noting the fortieth anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Bush laments that America was "robbed of one of history's most consequential advocates for equality and civil rights" and calls for both mourning of King's death and celebrating his preaching of "justice and hope" in a statement.
• April 5 - In Croatia, President Bush meets with Prime Minister of Croatia Sanader.

October

• October 3 – Bush signs the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

November

• November 4 – Democratic Senator Barack Obama wins the 2008 presidential election against Republican Senator John McCain.
• November 10 – President Bush meets with President-elect Obama at the Oval Office to discuss the transition of power between the presidents. White House spokesman Dana Perino describing the meeting as "friendly" and "relaxed".

2009

January

• January 15 – Farewell Address to the Nation.
• January 19 – Last full day as President of the United States.
• January 20 – Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.