George W. Bush
He was re-elected to a second term in 2004, against Democrat John Forbes Kerry. In his second term, Bush reached multiple free trade agreements and was able to put John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. He wanted to make major changes to Social Security and immigration laws, but these changes did not pass in Congress. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continued, and in 2007 he sent more troops to Iraq. Bush received criticism from both sides politically for his handling of Hurricane Katrina and for the midterm dismissal of U.S. attorneys. Around December 2007, the U.S. entered the Great Recession. This made the Bush administration create programs for protection of the country's financial system, such as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).