[By Guancha Observer Wang Kaiwen] At local time on April 30, US President Trump will have served 100 days in his second term.
In American political culture, the first 100 days of a president's administration is considered an important milestone and serves as a "litmus test" to measure their performance. This tradition dates back to Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency in 1933.
Roosevelt's "New Deal" laid the foundation for America to recover from the Great Depression. What kind of report card has boastful Trump delivered for bringing "unprecedented prosperity" to America?
"Chaos" and "turmoil" are the tags commonly used by American media to describe the past three months.
Domestically, Trump has drastically reduced federal government employees, shut down government agencies, and severely cracked down on illegal immigrants. Internationally, he launched an unprecedented tariff war and recklessly threatened to annex territories of other countries.
In the eyes of American media, Trump's "destructive power" during this term has surpassed that of his first term. In just 100 days, he pushed America to the edge of an economic crisis. His government's contempt for the judicial system has also prompted legal experts to warn that America is nearing a "constitutional crisis."
American expert Lü Xiang told the Observer Network that Trump's governance performance in these 100 days has set the tone for the rest of his term. The next four years will see continued chaos in both domestic and foreign policies, squandering America's credibility.
On January 20, 2025, in Washington DC, US Vice President Vance Strong climbed Greenland to inspect a military base. Visual China
Turbulent 100 Days
As of local time on April 24, Trump had signed 139 executive orders during his current term, setting a record for the highest number of executive orders issued by a US president during the same period. This figure is close to the total number of executive orders signed by Biden over his four-year term (162).
In terms of domestic policy, Trump focused on reforms in government departments, immigration control, and the abolition of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies.
On his first day in office, he signed an executive order to establish the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, to carry out large-scale reforms of federal institutions; trillions of dollars in foreign aid were frozen, and more than 100,000 federal employees were dismissed or offered buyouts. The axe of cost-cutting also fell on US public services and research institutions.
In terms of immigration, Trump initiated "the largest-scale deportation operation in history," mobilizing various government agencies from the Internal Revenue Service to the postal service to search for suspected illegal entrants.
According to ABC statistics, as of April 25, the policies promoted by the Trump administration have faced nearly 200 lawsuits in the United States.
However, facing the American judicial system attempting to limit his executive orders, Trump and his administration members repeatedly publicly criticized and even called for the impeachment of judges halting his deportation actions, leading Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court of the United States to rare public condemnation of the president.
ABC cited court documents indicating that in many cases, temporary restraining orders issued by courts against Trump administration policies were not complied with. Constitutional experts warned that these blatant acts of contempt for the courts damage the American judiciary and bring the country dangerously close to a constitutional crisis.
On February 20, former IRS workers leave the office in downtown Denver, Colorado. Visual China
In the field of diplomacy, Trump continued his "withdrawal" actions from his first term, withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, the World Health Organization, and the UN Human Rights Council, which Biden had rejoined during his term. On the trade front, he significantly escalated his protectionist policies.
Trump believed that high tariffs could revitalize American manufacturing and boost the economy, but the trade war caused continuous volatility in the American financial market. American businesses and consumers had to endure higher costs, and global investors lost confidence in America due to the uncertainty of Trump's policies. All of this increased the risk of an American economic recession.
"Now, if you're a business making plans, would you want to invest under these conditions?" asked Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate and American economist, in a podcast episode on investment bank Goldman Sachs last week.
Bullying tactics were not limited to trade policies. Since being re-elected as president, Trump has repeatedly threatened to forcibly seize control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, and even proposed annexing Canada, causing strong dissatisfaction among related countries.
At present, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza continue. Before taking office, Trump promised to quickly resolve these issues and boasted that he could end the Russia-Ukraine conflict within "24 hours," but now, not only have these conflicts not been resolved, but Trump has also infuriated NATO allies on the issue of Ukraine.
Niall Ferguson, a historian at Harvard University, recently wrote in an article: "In less than 100 days after returning to the White House, (Trump) has used his 'hammer' from the game to strike at the international security order, destroying America's credibility in NATO and among other allies, as well as the international free trade system."
Doug Sosnik, a senior advisor to former US President Clinton, said that the inability to properly plan and execute policies is a significant feature of Trump's second term. The chaos in his immigration and tariff measures, as well as the establishment of the 'Department of Government Efficiency,' reflect this. The uncertainty caused by this chaotic style of governance makes it impossible for businesses to make investment decisions.
"The first 100 days of his second term are the most turbulent period in American history." Time magazine described it this way.
On March 28, US Vice President Vance Strong visited a military base in Greenland. CNN video screenshot
"Trump won't change course, but others will"
The Washington Post pointed out that the dramatic changes brought by Trump in his first 100 days far exceeded the changes that occur every four or eight years. It was also greater than the changes during his previous term. "He fundamentally changed the way the American economy operates, how global diplomacy is conducted, and how immigration policies are enforced."
"Trump is much more radical now than he was eight years ago." Elliott Abrams, who served as the US special envoy for Iran and Venezuela during Trump's last term, told Reuters.
Lü Xiang told the Observer Network that for Trump, who is governing again, he is no longer "alone" as he was during his first term. He used the four years out of office to gather a group of politicians loyal to him.
"Leaving aside capability, there is no doubt about their loyalty. On major American policies, they take what Trump says as gospel and do not see them fulfilling their respective roles. This indirectly increases the uncertainty of Trump's actions," Lü Xiang said.
Several current and former Western diplomats told Reuters that some of the damage already done may last a long time. If Trump softens his approach, the situation may not be irreparable. However, they believe that Trump is unlikely to make major changes. To cope with Trump's unpredictable decisions, many countries are expected to make lasting changes in their relations with the United States.
For example, some European allies of the United States are seeking to strengthen their defense industries to reduce reliance on American weapons; Canada, the northern neighbor, hopes to enhance economic and security ties with Europe. Japan and South Korea, America's allies in Asia, have also been affected by Trump's policies.
Reuters noted that more and more people speculate that the deterioration of relations with the United States may prompt its partners to at least move closer to China economically.
On April 11, during his visit to China, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez said that Spain and the EU are willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with China to maintain the international trade order. Visual China
Currently, the Trump administration is trying to use tariff negotiations to pressure other economies to jointly contain China. In Lü Xiang's view, it cannot be ruled out that some small economies might comply under American threats, but there is zero possibility that the majority of economies will follow America. As long as China remains strong, other economies will have confidence.
Lü Xiang said that during his campaign, Trump claimed he could solve the Ukraine issue and trade issues in a short time. Now, it seems that none of these problems have been solved, and his usual intimidation tactics seem to have failed.
He further pointed out that in the face of Trump's "bottomless diplomacy," all countries are very clear that regardless of whether a deal is reached, the outcome will be equally bad.
"Now everyone's attitude towards America is: What difference does it make if I agree to your terms? So I don't beg you anymore, let's see how far you can go." Lü Xiang said that under such circumstances, Trump's much-ballyhooed "art of the deal" will likely turn into the "art of no deal."
"America's credibility will be squandered."
In the United States, extreme trade policies, as well as mass dismissals of federal employees and deportation of undocumented immigrant workers, have unsettled investors.
According to Bloomberg reports, as of April 28, the S&P 500 index has fallen about 8% since Trump took office, marking the worst performance for a president's first 100 days since 1974.
"This is an extreme, textbook, pure systemic risk. This volatility is unlike anything we've experienced before; it spreads like wildfire indiscriminately across all industries and asset classes, constantly driven by random remarks and ever-changing policies." Mark Marek, chief investment officer at financial services company Siebert, said.
"We haven't yet emerged from the turmoil, and I don't think we'll emerge from it in the short term either." Diaton, president of wealth management firm Wealth Alliance, said, adding, "Trump is Trump."
"In just 100 days, Trump has pushed the American economy to the brink of crisis." CNN wrote in a report on April 28.
A new survey by CNN and polling agency SSRS shows that Trump's approval rating has dropped to 41%, the lowest support rate for any president in their first 100 days in office in 70 years. His approval rating for economic policies is 39%, also setting a new low.
On April 5, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in multiple American cities to protest Trump's policies. Social media video screenshot
Other polls generally reflect public dissatisfaction with Trump and his administration.
A joint poll released on April 27 by ABC News, The Washington Post, and market research firm Ipsos showed that Trump's approval rating for the first 100 days is 39%, the lowest among all US presidents in the past 80 years; 72% of Americans believe that Trump's economic policies are likely to lead to an economic recession in the short term.
A joint poll released on April 25 by The New York Times and Siena College showed that the majority of American respondents gave negative evaluations of Trump's governance performance, with 66% of respondents believing that the current administration presents a "chaotic" state.
An opinion poll released by The Economist and YouGov Poll in mid-April showed that 53% of American respondents believe that the United States is heading in the wrong direction; 57% of respondents believe that the United States is "out of control."
Even conservative media Fox News showed in its latest poll that the overall approval rating of Americans for Trump's work (44%) is not optimistic, lower than his predecessor Biden (54%), Obama (62%), and Bush (63%), as well as lower than Trump's first term (45%).
Sosnik believes that Trump's approval rating may soon fall to even lower levels. Presidents usually experience a "honeymoon period" with the American public after elections, during which their approval ratings are often exaggerated. Accurate approval ratings will appear around early September of the first year, when the public has had time to digest the impact of the new administration's agenda.
Despite the approval rating falling to historical lows, The Washington Post noticed that there was no discouragement within the White House, and it was widely believed that Trump had laid the groundwork for profound and far-reaching changes.
The report stated that although both political factions in the United States expressed concern about economic turbulence, Trump administration officials expected that the current administrative measures would continue.
"I believe that this year we will witness the largest-scale deportation in American history," said a senior US government official. Another official said that the next 100 days of the Trump administration will focus on "trade agreements and peace agreements."
"I don't think anything is more determined to get the president's commitment than trade agreements and implementing these tariffs," said a senior US government official.
In Lü Xiang's view, Trump's governance performance in the first 100 days of his second term has set the tone for the rest of his term. For the next four years, the domestic and foreign policies of the United States will continue to be in the current chaotic state.
"This will be four years of squandering America's credibility," Lü Xiang said.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498685729048986162/
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