Wildfires, chainsaws and a White House demolition: Photos that defined 2025

The images that Bloomberg photographers took in 2025 captured a world in flux, as politicians jockeyed over rare minerals and trade tariffs, European war games imagined a conflict with reduced US support and national guard troops patrolled the streets of major American cities.

The year was bookended by devastating fires, from the wildfires that burned across swathes of Los Angeles in January, to the fire that tore through a Hong Kong housing estate in November.

In between, it was a year of firsts: the first woman elected as prime minister of Japan, the first-time humanoid robot athletes have competed on a world stage, the first chainsaw brandished at a major political conference. It was also a year of lasts: Jerome Powell’s final speech at Jackson Hole as chair of the US Federal Reserve, and the last few months before the East Wing of the White House was demolished to make way for a gigantic new extension.

This collection of 20 photographs documents the events that reshaped the world in 2025, chronicling communities strained by disaster, governments redefining authority and markets jolted by rapid shifts in policy and innovation.

Los Angeles Fires

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At least five massive blazes burned across the Los Angeles region in January, as hurricane-strength wind gusts spread flames across neighborhoods and forced more than 200 000 residents to flee. The biggest wildfires — in Altadena and the wealthy coastal community of Pacific Palisades — burned more than 11 000 homes, with estimated losses of as much as $75 billion for the insurance industry.

As of September, less than 10% of property owners had permits to rebuild.

Palestinians Return

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two weeks into a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in January, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians started returning to their devastated neighborhoods in northern Gaza. Access to the area — including Gaza City — had been banned shortly after the start of the war in 2023, as Israel bombarded the territory’s largest urban center with an air and ground campaign.

A more permanent ceasefire was announced in October 2025, though the truce remains fragile, with each side accusing the other of violations.

Musk at CPAC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference in February, billionaire Elon Musk, the face of President Donald Trump’s initiative to slash the federal government’s workforce and spending — aka DOGE — wielded a chainsaw on stage while wearing dark glasses and a cap emblazoned with Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” slogan.

He touted the power tool — gifted to him by Argentina’s President Javier Milei — as “the chainsaw for bureaucracy.”

Trump’s Deportation Drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the start of his second presidency, Trump signed sweeping executive actions designed to crack down on illegal border crossings and target undocumented migrants already in the US. He promised record deportations, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined immigration officers on highly publicized raids in US cities.

As migrants have left the US on chartered flights, international governments have been working out how to reintegrate the deportees, some of whom have spent decades in the US.

Oval Office Clash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A meeting that was supposed to end with the signing of a critical minerals agreement devolved into a fiery exchange in February, as Trump and US Vice President JD Vance argued with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy for several minutes in front of cameras in the Oval Office.

The meeting had been intended as a moment of unity between the leaders, with the natural resources agreement designed to satisfy Trump that US aid would be repaid. The meeting exploded when Vance criticized Zelenskiy for not respecting the event and repeatedly urged him to show more appreciation for the president. The deal was eventually signed in April, and Zelenskiy returned to the White House in August and October.

Congo Mining

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo shocked commodity markets by suspending all cobalt exports in February, after a flood of the battery metal sent prices tumbling. Congo is home to around 110 million people, as well as a vast array of mineral resources to power everything from wind turbines to next-generation weapons systems.

The country is also the second-largest producer of copper. The boom in demand for the critical minerals has led to an increase in illegal artisanal mining, in which tens of thousands of laborers dig for ore using rudimentary tools. They often work in dangerous conditions for uncertain income, and the government has struggled to keep child laborers away from the sites.

Reciprocal Tariffs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In early April, Trump laid out his plans for a 10% tariff on all imports entering the US, with additional duties for major trading partners depending on their perceived barriers. The event — which he labelled “Liberation Day” — delivered on campaign promises based on his belief that the US got a raw deal as globalization swept across trading systems.

The tariffs were suspended just hours after they went into effect as turmoil spread through financial markets, with an August deadline introduced for countries to strike deals to reduce the additional duties. Negotiations with many countries — including India, Thailand and Vietnam — are ongoing.

Robot Games

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A three-day event in Beijing acted as the latest showcase for China’s advancements in robotics, as humanoid robots competed against each other in the first World Humanoid Robot Games.

Robots manufactured by companies like Unitree Robotics showed off various athletic feats, from running in a 1 500-meter race to grappling in boxing rings and squaring off in soccer matches — though some tripped and one even lost an arm in the process. Nvidia Corp. boss Jensen Huang has said robotics have the potential to grow into a multitrillion-dollar industry.

Putin Meeting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In August, a more than two-hour meeting in Alaska marked the longest ever face-to-face talks between Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, culminating in a joint briefing in front of the press. Trump and Putin described talks as “constructive” but offered scant detail on any progress made toward ending the war in Ukraine.

It was Putin’s first time on US soil in nearly a decade. In early December, a US national security strategy document signed by the president said European officials “hold unrealistic expectations for the war.”

Jackson Hole Speeches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his final Jackson Hole speech as US Fed chair, Jerome Powell surprised markets with a shift in his signaling on near-term monetary policy, suggesting he was open to lowering rates in September. Stocks and Treasuries surged, and the dollar advanced.

US central bankers repeatedly came under fire from Trump in 2025. He nicknamed Powell “Mr. Too Late” for not lowering rates as fast as the president would like and threatened to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations that she has denied.

National Guard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In August, Trump announced he would take federal control of Washington DC’s police department and deploy 800 National Guard troops there. Trump has sought to flex his authority over states and cities run by Democrats since returning to power, arguing their policies have led to rampant crime.

Earlier in the year, Trump deployed the National Guard to quell protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles. He’s also sent troops to Chicago, Memphis and Portland, Oregon.

Mangione on Trial

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luigi Mangione, the 27-year old accused of shooting Brian Thompson, a UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive, in midtown Manhattan last December, made multiple court appearances in 2025. In September, a New York state judge dismissed first-degree murder charges against Mangione but allowed a lesser murder count to go to trial, ruling that prosecutors failed to show that he committed the crime as an act of terrorism.

His appearances often attracted dozens of supporters, some of whom dressed in green as a reference to the Luigi character from the Super Mario video game series.

US Government Shutdown 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The longest government shutdown in US history encompassed all of October and half of November — a 43-day impasse that halted food aid to millions of households, canceled thousands of flights and forced federal workers to go unpaid for more than a month.

In the end, the House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 to pass interim funding through Jan. 30. Democrats largely opposed the bill because it didn’t include their central demand in the shutdown fight: the renewal of subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance policies set to expire at the end of the year.

Japan’s Female Prime Minister

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sanae Takaichi made history in October by becoming Japan’s first female prime minister, marking a watershed moment for Japan’s male-dominated society.

She won the vote with the help of a new coalition with the right-leaning Japan Innovation Party, also known as Ishin, signaling a shift to the right as an increasing number of Japanese people express dissatisfaction over living standards, the influx of foreigners into the country and concern about rising security tensions in the region.

Nvidia’s Dealmaking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even as fears of a trillion-dollar AI bubble grew among investors and executives, the industry’s biggest cheerleaders kept on striking deals — none more so than Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang. In one extraordinary week in October, Nvidia added almost $400 billion to its market capitalization as Huang announced deal after deal with companies including Nokia Oyj, Uber Technologies Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co. Huang used his keynote speech at a developer conference in Washington, DC, to detail the tie-ups, telling a packed convention hall that the company had reached “our virtuous cycle, our inflection point.”

Since then, global semiconductor stocks have foundered, and Nvidia shares are down from their highs.

Suspended Food Aid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the government shutdown dragged into November, Trump suspended funding for US food aid benefits, cutting off the 42 million Americans who rely on government assistance to feed themselves and their families.

Food banks across the country saw surging demand, with some reporting three times the number of calls they usually received requesting assistance. Full funding was restored following the end of the federal government shutdown, but disputes over the program continue.

NATO Training

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A November wargame in Transylvania showed NATO members preparing to defend Europe as Trump reduces US deployments on the continent.

As the White House pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine, its threats to shut off remaining military support for Kyiv raised the possibility of European powers having to defend the country — and perhaps even the rest of Europe’s eastern frontier — with limited US backing.

White House Renovations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the end of the year approached, demolition crews began pulling down the East Wing of the White House to make space for a new, 90 000-square-foot ballroom.

Trump had teased the project for months, but the administration didn’t originally say that construction of the ballroom — whose estimated price has swelled to $350 million — would require the entire East Wing to be razed. The new complex will be much larger than the main White House building, which is about 55 000 square feet.

Hong Kong Fires

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the worst blazes in Hong Kong’s history killed at least 151 people at a residential complex in the Tai Po district. The buildings had been undergoing renovation work, and officials say the Nov. 26 blaze began on the lower floor of one of the towers after construction netting attached to the bamboo scaffolding on the building exterior caught fire.

More than a dozen people have been arrested as investigators point to the use of cheaper, substandard materials, which they say allowed the fires to spread quickly.

Venezuela Tensions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In late November, Trump said airlines should consider the airspace above and around Venezuela to be closed as his administration threatened yet more aggressive steps against President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

US forces have been massing in the region as Trump weighs military action that would go beyond the nearly two dozen US strikes on boats that Washington has claimed are ferrying narcotics toward the US.

© 2025 Bloomberg

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