Trump in the White House
Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have seen an unprecedented level of attacks.
Trump has moved at a record speed. He has signed 139 executive orders already, which is close to the amount Joe Biden signed in the last four years. This sweeping action has fundamentally changed international relations, economic production and the lives of millions of working class people.
Despite his seemingly unshakable power Trump is not experiencing a honeymoon period. A recent poll has shown that he has unparalleled unpopularity.
No president since the Second World War has been so disapproved, according to recent polling.
Some 76 percent of people in the United States believe that Trump does not have his priorities right. These feelings are shared across the board, regardless of race, level of education or region.
Nearly 60 percent would describe his presidency as “scary’’ and think he’s abusing his powers.
Trump promised the “largest deportation operation in American history’’. He blamed migrants for the lack of jobs, poor healthcare and education and higher prices.
His second term has seen toddlers representing themselves in court and the state deporting US citizens deported for disagreeing with Trump’s administration. His government has sent hundreds of people to dehumanising prisons in countries such as El Salvador and Venezuela.
There have been swathes of immigration arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers, who are storming schools, courthouses, workplaces and homes. They’re running a massive and remorseless operation, arresting as many as 800 people in a single attack in Florida last week.
But 53 percent of people in the US disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration.
This disapproval has turned into mass opposition to his racist immigration policies. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to defend the rights of immigrants. People are resolute in defending their communities and neighbours.
This opposition has seen some results, Trump has already had to backtrack on his plan to revoke foreign students’ visas, which would have meant deportation for hundreds of students.
Trump’s victory was dependent on tapping into the anger of the working class. He exploited their struggles for his own gain by promising something in return.
Biden’s last term left millions feeling worse off. Trump’s promise to “make America wealthy again’’ fed them exactly what they wanted to hear.
But the aggressive global tariff war launched by Trump will mean economic hardship for the majority of people.
One senior official in Trump’s administration even described it as the “self-mutilation’’ of US economic production.
Every month of Trump’s second term has seen a consecutive drop in how people feel about the economy. April saw the second lowest ever approval rating regarding the economy.
Some 57 percent disapprove of his handling of the economy so far, this number reaching 69 percent among younger generations. People are “extremely’’ or “very’’ concerned about the possibility of a recession.
The tariff shocks saw the stock market drop to a level not seen since the crash at the beginning of the Covid pandemic.
If Trump can’t deliver on the economic security and prosperity he promised, millions will feel the betrayal.
Trump’s tariff war has thrown the world economic order into turmoil. He claims the US has been “ripped off’’ by the rest of the world and that he is restoring “justice”.
These tariffs have been implemented to choke the demand for foreign goods by hiking their prices up. This would hypothetically recentre US manufacturing and products.
In reality it will drive inflation and cut purchasing, cutting economic growth in the US.
These tariffs have shaped international politics, notably changing the direction of the Canadian election.
Conservative politician Pierre Poilievre has built his image around Trump’s brand of far right populism, promising to “make Canada great again”. Before Trump announced his plans to slam Canada with 25 percent tariffs, the Conservatives had a 25 point lead over the Liberals.
Instead, the Liberals went on to win the election on Monday, signalling a dramatic turnout, after it ran a heavily anti-Trump campaign.
And the majority of people in the US do not approve of Trump’s use of tariffs. Some 61 percent do not believe he should be able to impose them without the approval of Congress.
Trump once promised to end the war in Ukraine in a day.
Yet 100 days in, every week sees another complication in Trump’s attempts to balance his relationships with Ukraine and Russia.
Most recently he has condemned Russian missile attacks on Ukraine and said that he thinks Putin “doesn’t want to stop the war’’. He has sided with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. But only two months ago Trump thoroughly enjoyed humiliating Zelensky publicly.
Truce talks are going ahead this week but Zelensky isn’t moving from his stance that he will not accept anything that legitimises Russian control of the Crimea region.
The last 100 days have seen signs of mass resistance to Trump.
There have been countless legal challenges, largely against his use of historic laws to justify his deportation schemes.
But more importantly, people are organising on the streets. On 5 April, millions took to took part in anti-Trump demonstrations. Weeks later, hundreds of thousands were out joining more mobilisations.
There is widespread outrage at Trump’s disregard for democracy and his authoritarianism.
Resistance from the left has likely played a part in far right billionaire Elon Musk taking a step back from his involvement in Trump’s inner circle.
We must not be stunned into inaction by the dizzying rate of attacks from Trump. Trump’s record unpopularity must be transformed into action, like we’ve seen in the protests across the country in April.
Ruptures have emerged between the president and tech giants
Failure to end forever wars or bring prices way down
The US is home to 989 billionaires
Trump ruling follows Labour’s proscription of the direct action group last year
