The term “First 100 Days” was conceived by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 as a benchmark to evaluate his administration’s progress in implementing the much-ballyhooed “New Deal.” As some of you will recall from history the ND was his key campaign slogan, his plan to lift the country out of the Great Depression. It focused on three key areas: relief for the unemployed and impoverished, economic recovery, and reforms to the financial system to prevent another depression. Over time we have come to recognize the first 100 days as an arbitrary benchmark to evaluate a president’s tenure. I believe it is useful, to some degree, but it is important to realize that some of an incoming president’s policies will take months or even years to bear fruit. Nevertheless, in my view Trump has accomplished more during this period than any other president.
Wednesday, April 29 marked the 100th day of President Trump’s second term. How has he done? Has he implemented the policies for which he was elected? Please read on for my observations and opinions.
- The Trump Administration hit the ground running. He had a mandate and a plan, and he wasted no time to begin implementing it. The same has been true for his cabinet appointees, all of whom have been most effective. According to CBS News in the first 100 days he has signed 142 executive orders, the most of any president.
- The Trump Administration has been the most transparent of any in history. He has given dozens of interviews many of which last for an hour or more during which he has answered every question often extemporaneously. Many of his cabinet meetings have been televised. Contrast this with the opaqueness of the Biden presidency where Joe would remain sequestered for days on end and then answer prearranged fluff questions, such as his favorite flavor of ice cream, from prechosen reporters, often incoherently.
- Any objective analysis of Trump’s accomplishments must recognize the impact of the intense negative and mendacious media coverage, which, reality, has plagued him since he began his first presidential campaign.
- For example, the latest polls published by the Media Research Center have reported that 92% of the media coverage by three of the major tv networks – ABC, CBS and NBC – has been negative. Even though the media’s credibility has been in sharp decline it is inevitable that this one-sided coverage would affect the public’s viewpoint to some degree. For example, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll twice as many people opined that President Trump deserves a grade of “F” rather than an “A” for how he’s handled his first 100 days in office. This would be among the worst first 100 days rating for any president. However, I have seen many other pols and opinions that strongly endorse his many accomplishments and assert the country is on the “right track.” So far, Trump’s legion of fans has been sticking with him.
- Trump’s greatest achievement has been reasserting control of our southern border, which has resulted in a 55% approval rate. By any objective measure the border is the most secure it has ever been.
- Trump has made us feel safe and secure again. We are now respected by our allies and feared by our enemies.
- Homeland Security and ICE have been rounding up and deporting illegals at a massive rate. We don’t really know how many entered the country under the Biden-Harris open border policy of the last four years, nor their intentions nor where they are. Estimates run as high as 20 million. In addition, tragically we have “lost” some 500,000 children many of whom are likely being “trafficked.”
- The initial deportee groups include criminals, traffickers of illegal drugs such as fentanyl, and other undesirables. They have been the priority and deservedly so, but the plan is eventually to also address other groups. According to ICE, to date, it has deported nearly 66,000 illegals and arrested some 66,000 more, 75% of which have pending criminal charges or convictions.
- It should be noted that this effort has been hindered to some degree by some far-left district judges whose overly zealous rulings have exceeded their legal authority, and Dem congresspersons and most notably Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen who have advocated for an MS13 gang member who is a convicted murderer (of a Maryland citizen, no less, that Van Hollen conveniently ignores) and wife beater who had been ordered deported on two separate occasions by two different judges.
- Border encounters have been down 93%, crossings 99% and “gotaways” 95%.
- Perhaps, his biggest criticism has been with respect to his tariff policy. He has aggressively sought to reverse what he has characterized as a well-entrenched, longstanding, inequitable trade system whereby other countries have been charging us high tariffs, which have impeded our ability to export products. There are many egregious examples of this. His oft-stated goal is to create an equitable playing field by equalizing tariffs. A corollary goal is to encourage foreign-based businesses to relocate to the US to create jobs.
- These tariff policies have hollowed out many of our key our industries to the point where we now manufacture virtually nothing. This presents a potentially existential threat to the US should there be a war or another COVID-like disaster that interrupts our supply chain of necessary imports. We could be at the mercy of our enemies, particularly China. (To quote acerbic Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, “The Lord made the earth in seven days. Everything else is made in China.”) Over 100 countries have been lobbying Trump to make tariff deals, but negotiations are complicated. This is one of the policies that will take some time to bear fruit. Eventually, they should work to our benefit, but there has been some short-term pain.
- He has facilitated the return of 26 Americans who were being held hostage in foreign countries.
- He has been getting inflation under control. Due to the Biden Administration’s wild, irresponsible spending the Consumer Price Index for all items rose 2.9 percent from December 2023 to December 2024. The CPI reported a 2.4% increase for March, a six-month low, and for the next few years most predictions forecast a gradual return to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
- He has commenced drilling for oil with the intent of creating jobs and making us energy independent again.
- The financial markets have been fluctuating wildly, which has caused angst among investors, but I believe one should trust that the long-term prognosis is positive.
- He created the DOGE to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.
- Perhaps, the most critical task, however, will be to extend the 2017 “Trump Tax cuts” which are set to expire this year. Congress hopes to include this in its “one big, beautiful bill.” An extension would likely result in a massive tax cut, which, like all tax cuts, would probably provide a substantial boost to the economy. If not, the country will likely suffer a huge tax hike which could lead to a recession and a decisive defeat in the 2026 mid-term elections. In my opinion this bill holds the key to Trump’s economic policy and perhaps his presidency.
- He has begun to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions that have insisted on harboring illegals in defiance of federal law.
- He is cracking down on colleges who have failed to rectify the rampant and blatant antisemitism on their campuses.
- He is curtailing DEI and wokeism and eliminating transgender men invading women’s safe spaces and competing against them in sports.
- All that said, Trump’s most significant and long-lasting achievement may be that he has maneuvered the Dems into advocating for the wrong side of every significant issue that the voters care about. This is because the Dems simply are unable to support ANY policy or issue that Trump has advocated, even if it is obvious and makes common sense.
- Thus, the public perceives that they favor criminals over victims, illegal aliens over citizens, open borders over closed borders, radical Muslim terrorists over Israel and Jews, government fraud, waste and abuse over government efficiency, foreign workers over American workers, and America last over America first to name a few examples.
Conclusion
As I have said in previous blogs the Dems are in disarray. Six months after the election they still have not figured out how and why they lost so decisively. In my view until they do so they will not be able to win a national election again. They are allowing themselves to be dominated by the party’s far-left wing. They are woefully out of touch with the voters. The party’s favorability rating in most polls is in the 20th percentile. Senate Majority Leader Chuck (the “Chameleon”) Schumer’s approval rating is a well-deserved 15%, and he is in danger of being ousted by the radical AOC in his next election.
They make speeches and tv singalong commercials that are inane and nothing short of buffoonery. They are unable or unwilling to offer cogent alternatives to Trump’s policies. All they do is criticize and spew hatred and divisiveness. They have become the Party of “no.” This is not a sustainable strategy in the long-term.
Has Trump’s tenure been perfect? No. Have some of his policies caused some concern? Of course. However, we elected him decisively to do a job, which is to fix what ails the country. I say give him a chance. Love him or hate him, there is one undeniable truth; he means what he says and says what he means.
Remember, 100 days is just an arbitrary benchmark. He deserves more than 100 days to accomplish what needs to be done, to undo the damage of the last four years, a lot more.
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 