Donald Trump’s first 100 days into his second term have been riddled with controversies and challenges, painting a stark picture of a presidency marked by economic turmoil and foreign policy missteps. Our former president, Donald Trump, has done it. Now, having become the most unpopular president in the history of recorded polls, Trump’s administration is mired in self-inflicted crises that could undermine his political legacy, often referred to as Trumpism.
On the political front, Trump’s decisions have triggered an economic calamity that is no less grave or self-induced. All the inflationary pressures that initially fueled his popularity now operate as a stinging rebuke of his leadership. He’s charging ahead with reckless spending through the Inflation Reduction Act and impulsive policy changes, like the student debt forgiveness. Consequently, the American public is now enduring an economic calamity that undermines his past boasts of accomplishment in the fight against inflation.
The Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions have performed no better. His efforts to take on China in a trade war have largely blown up in his face. Unfortunately, he is now alone as China increasingly counters with its own advantageous deals with nations formerly in America’s camp. This dynamic has diminished America’s standing on the global stage, leaving Trump to contend with the stark reality that his strategies have only reinforced China’s power.
Further exacerbating this incendiary dynamic, Trump has embraced and pioneered the use of demonization as a domestic political strategy. He has vilified immigrants and his rival racialized, Vice-President Kamala Harris to energize and incite his base of support. In doing so, his rhetoric stands to demonize transgender people as the ultimate bogeyman throughout his entire political narrative. This latest ploy is intended to deflect scrutiny from the growing crises that his administration is under.
Unfortunately, the president’s response to these challenges has, for the most part, been just as predictable and monotonous. That urge for retribution and propaganda goes much deeper as Trump tries to identify scapegoats for the rising rage among an increasingly dissatisfied electorate. As each day unfolds we’re faced with the chilling reality. The truth is that Trump’s formula for success is quickly becoming a blueprint for failure.
By April 27, the end of his third month in office, Trump had signed 137 executive orders. Yet he was met with litigious impediments almost immediately after each signing. This flurry of activity just shows his continued dependence on the empty unilateralism. In addition to prioritizing equity, it urges working in partnership with Congressional Republicans.
His presidency rests heavily upon two principal issues: immigration and inflation. Both of those subjects have become double-edged swords. Increasing unaffordability is starting to turn against voters who believed in his pledges to bring public safety and fiscal sanity back to their municipalities. That self-inflicted economic crises have done a great deal to undercut his demagogy, leading to a desperate need for new scapegoats to shift blame.
Trump’s economic policies are a snapshot of malignant narcissism, grandiosity, and impulsiveness that has defined most of his tenure. This lack of investment has led to a staggering accumulation of our resources. Almost $500 million was gifted to him by his racist real estate mogul daddy, Fred Trump. As the wreckage of his administration’s failure just stands around him, his clinical and unemotional tone leads us to doubt his ability to seize reality.
Trump has a lot of ground to cover if he hopes to distance himself from plans such as Project 2025. Then, in bold letters, he declares, “I’m not involved at all with Project 2025. This announcement comes against the backdrop of increasing criticism regarding these plans’ failure to support top-line goals of his administration.
…He who saves his country.” — Trump This quote crystallizes his vision of what governance should be, and speaks to his faith in that transcendent calling, even as he tries to reconcile that with legal, moral and ethical crisis. This false binary serves to highlight a larger and more basic chasm between President Trump’s understanding of his job and what he’s actually doing.
While the first term of Trump’s presidency imploded in the face of high-stakes crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. His administration’s complete mismanagement and confusion around the crisis reached as far as contributing to the January 6 insurrection, exposing weaknesses that have extended past his second term. He is proceeding, but a cloud of uncertainty hangs overhead. Can he change his tune enough to address the myriad crises that could sink his presidency even deeper?