President Jovenel Moise Photos

Donald Trump has made his hatred for Haiti clear from the very beginning of his presidency. It started as early as February 2017, during the swearing-in ceremony of President Jovenel Moïse, when Omarosa Manigault chose to travel to Haiti to attend the inauguration.

You might remember Omarosa Manigault from The Apprentice, the reality show where she first gained national attention. She later joined Donald Trump's political circle and became a White House aide after he was elected president. Her rise from TV personality to a senior role in the Trump administration made headlines and so did her eventual falling out with Trump.

In this blurry still photo, Omarosa Manigault is seen entering the Haitian Senate Building in Port-au-Prince on February 7, 2017, to attend the inauguration of President Jovenel Moïse. At the time, it was widely believed that she was representing the Trump administration. But as later revelations would show, Omarosa had organized the delegation herself--and President Donald Trump was not only uninvolved, but privately disgusted by the very idea of the trip.

According to Omarosa's own words in her book and during a televised interview on The View, Trump reacted angrily when she told him she was traveling to Haiti.

President Donald Trump asked Amarosa: "Why did you choose that shitty country as your first foreign trip?"

The same Donald Trump who once stood in front of a cheering crowd at the Little Haiti Cultural Center in Miami, making promises he never intended to keep. In September 2016, during his presidential campaign, Trump made an unexpected appeal to Haitian-American voters, a community that has historically supported Democrats. "I'm running to represent Haitian-Americans," he said. "I really want to be your greatest champion, and I will be your champion."

Can you believe Haitian authorities are calling these people our friends in the International community!

Trump suggested she delay her visit and go instead to his golf resort in Scotland.

Omarosa said she had to remind President Donald Trump of the campaign promises he made to the Haitian community and the moral responsibility of the United States to support one of the poorest nations in the world. Trump, she said, showed no interest.

This private exchange happened nearly a year before Trump made international headlines for referring to Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations as "shithole countries" during an immigration policy meeting. While he later denied using that specific term, Omarosa's account makes it clear: Trump's disdain for Haiti didn't begin in 2018, it was already apparent in early 2017.

So, while Omarosa walked into the Haitian Senate that day to witness a historic moment, representing hope and connection between nations, the man she worked for was making it known behind closed doors that he saw no value in Haiti or its people.

Fast forward to Trump's re-election campaign and his push for a second term in office, and you begin to see the deeper agenda behind his controversial statements. It puts into perspective remarks like his infamous "cats and dogs" comment and his plan to undo President Biden's parole program for Haitians, among others, a program that offered humanitarian relief but Trump's agenda is to dismantle the program and send over 200,000 Haitians back to a country in complete chaos.

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In this powerful photo, Jovenel Moïse stands with his right hand raised, taking the oath of office as the 58th President of Haiti.

At his side is his wife, Martine Moïse, standing quietly, solemnly, as the weight of the moment sinks in.

In the audience, watching closely, are former President Michel Martelly, the man who had handpicked him as a successor, and interim President Jocelerme Privert, who had helped steer the country through a year of political limbo.

At that very moment, Jovenel Moïse had no idea he was stepping into the most difficult job of his life. A presidency filled with promises, pressure, and powerful enemies. A role that would demand everything from him. Ultimately, even his life.

The photo captures not just an inauguration, but the quiet beginning of a storm that would follow him to the very end.

While Moïse was preparing to fight corruption in one of the most corrupt countries in the Western Hemisphere, his political adversaries were already plotting his downfall. And those who profited heavily from Haiti's dysfunction, both inside and outside the political system, were quietly laying the groundwork for his demise.

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After returning the presidential sash to the Senate a year earlier, former President Michel Martelly returned once again, this time to witness it passed on to Jovenel Moïse, the man he had personally chosen as his successor.

On February 7, 2017, Haiti held a presidential swearing-in ceremony for Jovenel Moïse, marking the end of a year of political chaos and the official start of his presidency.

President Michel Martelly, who handpicked Jovenel Moïse as his successor, was present at the official swearing-in ceremony held inside the Haitian Senate. At his side was his wife, Sophia Martelly. Sitting just next to her was Haiti's then National Police Chief, Michel-Ange Gédéon.

The ceremony marked the official transfer of power, but it came after more than a year of political uncertainty and chaos.

When Martelly's term ended in February 2016, Haiti had no elected president to replace him. The disputed 2015 elections, where Moïse was initially declared the winner, were marred by allegations of massive fraud, widespread protests, and national unrest. As a result, the electoral results were annulled.

In the absence of a clear winner, the Haitian Parliament appointed Senate President Jocelerme Privert as interim president. What was supposed to be a 120-day transitional period stretched into more than a year as the Provisional Electoral Council struggled to organize new, credible elections.

It wasn't until November 2016, after months of tension, street protests, and deepening public frustration, that a rerun of the election was finally held. Jovenel Moïse emerged again as the winner, this time with more than 55% of the vote, securing a first-round victory.

So, when Martelly returned to the Senate on that February morning in 2017 to witness Moïse take the oath of office, it wasn't just a ceremonial gesture. It was the closing of a turbulent chapter in Haitian politics and the beginning of a presidency that would carry both heavy expectations and deeper controversies.

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Even before Jovenel Moïse officially took office as Haiti's president on February 7, 2017, efforts to destabilize and discredit his presidency had already begun.

On January 20, just weeks before his inauguration, a Haitian judge, Juge Brédy Fabien, initiated a formal investigation into Moïse for alleged money laundering, an accusation based on suspicious bank deposits flagged by the country's financial watchdog agency, UCREF (Unité Centrale de Renseignements Financiers), headed by Sonel Jean-François.

At the center of the allegations was a business account at the state-owned Banque Nationale de Crédit (BNC), which UCREF claimed had received over $5.5 million in undocumented cash deposits.

Moïse, however, firmly denied all wrongdoing. He pointed out that the leaked UCREF report, which had been circulating online since August 2016, the very day his presidential campaign was launched, was politically motivated and based on partial, unverified information.

Speaking to Radio France Internationale, Moïse called the probe "political persecution" and revealed he had hired lawyers to defend his reputation and seek damages. He maintained that the deposits in question were made in Haitian gourdes, not U.S. dollars as the report falsely implied. If true, that would drastically reduce the real value of those deposits and likely place them under the legal reporting threshold for suspicious activity.

"I'm an entrepreneur. I've worked in Haiti since 1996. I've always had good relationships with all the banks in the country," Moïse stated, rejecting the notion that his business dealings were illegitimate.

This early attack, launched before he even took office, set the tone for a presidency that would be under constant pressure from political forces determined to stop him. It was, in many ways, the opening act in a long campaign to erode the foundation of his leadership.

In this still photo taking on inauguration day, February 7, 2017, Moise is seen with his wife, first Lady Martine Moise, and among personalities, Senator Youri Latortue.

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It's February 7, 2017, Jovenel Moise is seen walking out of the Musée du Panthéon National in Port-au-Prince, officially sworn in as the 58th President of the Republic of Haiti. At his side is then-Police Chief Michel-Ange Gédéon, a symbol of the security and state power that now surrounded the new leader.

Reporting from Port-au-Prince that day, Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez described him as "a banana exporter without any experience in public office," sworn in as Haiti's 58th president.

It was a historic moment for a man the Haitian people had come to know as "Nèg Bannan nan." During the campaign, that nickname--"the Banana Man"--stuck with Jovenel Moise

Despite the doubts and labels, this day marked the official start of a presidency that would face enormous challenges from the very beginning.

Jovenel Moise, who said he is the kind of person that gets things done, took office with high expectations resting on his shoulders and a huge task on his hands.

At the time he became president of Haiti, seventy percent of Haitians were unemployed, 60 percent live in poverty and over a million people were still in need of food aid after Hurricane Matthew devastated parts of the country just months earlier.

The Haitian people were tired, hungry, and desperate for leadership that could bring real, visible change.

What Haitians want, Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez reported that day, is for Jovenel Moise to rise beyond the nickname and become a strong leader, one who could give them hope. Hope that they could overcome the crushing effects of natural disasters, widespread unemployment, and the daily struggle to find food. For many, his presidency represented one last chance at stability and change in a country too long battered by crisis.

As he stepped into the presidential role, Moise repeated his commitment to discipline, order, and economic progress. But the road ahead would prove anything but easy.

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In this powerful still photo taken on January 4, 2017, newly declared President-elect Jovenel Moise is seen standing alongside his wife Martine, their younger son, and daughter addressing the media for the first time.

The moment is filled with emotion as they face a sea of cameras and journalists, gathered to capture the first words of Haiti's next leader.

What makes this image even more striking is the setting.

This appears to be the private residence of Jovenel Moise, the very same home where, just a few years later, he would tragically lose his life in a brutal assassination that shook the nation and stunned the world.

But on this day, there was hope. There was pride. There was the promise of a new chapter for Haiti.

Moise stands with his family, calm but determined, as he prepares to take on the weight of a country in crisis. His children look on quietly. His wife, Martine, stands by his side, unaware of the dark future that awaits them.

This photo captures more than a political victory, it freezes in time a moment of unity, of family, of history in motion. A man who was chosen by the people, surrounded by those who love him most, stepping into the spotlight not just as a president, but as a husband, a father, and a symbol of national hope.

In part of his speech that night, Jovenel Moïse said:

"Tonight, we are celebrating a beautiful page in history. This page in history was written by each and every one of us on November 20th," he said, referring to the day of the election.

In that same speech, he pledged to work with all Haitians, hand in hand, to put the country on the path of order, discipline, and true progress.

It is that very commitment, his promise to bring order and real change to Haiti, that would ultimately lead to his death.

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On January 4, 2017, Jovenel Moise, a businessman from northern Haiti with no prior political experience, was officially declared the winner of the 2016 presidential election in Haiti.

This still photo was taken on that day, as Jovenel Moise gave his first speech as president-elect of Haiti.

The announcement came after the Provisional Electoral Council released final results confirming that Moise won the first round with more than 55% of the vote--enough to avoid a runoff.

Moise's closest competitor, Jude Celestin, finished far behind with nearly 20%. Despite several challenges to the outcome, a special electoral tribunal found no evidence of widespread voter fraud, stating that while there were some irregularities in a sample of 12% of the ballots, they were not significant enough to alter the result.

Speaking to the press in Port-au-Prince, Moise called the victory "a beautiful page in history" and promised to be "the president of all Haitians without distraction."

Backed by former president Michel Martelly and running under the PHTK (Tet Kale) party, Jovenel Moise defeated 26 other candidates in a highly contested election. His win marked the beginning of a new chapter in Haiti's political journey, fueled by the hope that a businessman outsider might bring fresh solutions to long-standing problems.

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On Tuesday, February 18, 2020 Haitian President Jovenel Moise and Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin attended Carnaval festivities in the vibrant city of Jacmel.

In this picture you can see president Jovenel and his prime minister atop a carnival stand, overlooking the bustling scene below.

The annual event, a celebration of culture, music, and community, drew a lively crowd eager to partake in the festive atmosphere.

Their presence added to the excitement of the event, with attendees cheering and waving as they passed by.

Carnaval in Haiti holds deep cultural significance, with vibrant costumes, music, and dancing creating a spirited and joyful atmosphere.

In the city of Jacmel, it is really something special.

Jacmel is a city located on the southern coast of Haiti, known for its vibrant arts scene, historical architecture, and beautiful beaches.

The city is also famous for hosting one of the most popular traditional carnival celebration in Haiti. Carnival in Jacmel is known for its unique paper-mâché masks and floats, which are made by local artisans and are a symbol of the city's rich cultural heritage.

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President Jovenel Moise spoke to a group of UDMO police officers in Cap Haitian and reassured them that things will get better.

President Jovenel tweets:

During my visit to Cap Haitien on Friday, February 21, 2020, I was happy to meet with the police. Very soon decisions will be made to allow our policemen to work and live in the best conditions. The policemen are the children of the people, one can never face one another.

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Haitian president Jovenel Moise, acompanied by interim prime minister Jean Michel Lapin came out to oversea the delivery of new armored vehicle destined to the Haitian National Police force.

President Jovenel tweets:

We know there can be no development without a strong police force. Justice cannot be established if the police do not play its role in conjunction with the authority of the judicial system.

For the police to do good job, they must have means.

The new armored vehicles we receive today are an extra step for more efficient policing.

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