Trump 100 Days
The First 100 Days: A Critical Investigation of Trump’s Disruptive Presidency Donald J.
Trump’s presidency began on January 20, 2017, amid unprecedented polarization.
A political outsider with no prior government experience, Trump promised to “drain the swamp” and upend Washington’s political establishment.
His first 100 days a benchmark established by Franklin D.
Roosevelt were marked by bold executive actions, legislative struggles, and relentless media scrutiny.
While supporters hailed his aggressive deregulation and nationalist rhetoric, critics warned of democratic erosion and policy chaos.
This investigation critically examines Trump’s early tenure, assessing its successes, failures, and long-term implications.
Thesis Statement Trump’s first 100 days were defined by disruption rather than durable achievement, characterized by executive overreach, legislative gridlock, and ethical controversies that foreshadowed the turbulence of his presidency.
Executive Actions: Speed Over Substance Trump wielded executive power aggressively, signing 24 executive orders in his first three weeks more than any president since Truman (The American Presidency Project, 2017).
Key directives included the controversial travel ban targeting seven Muslim-majority countries (later blocked by courts), the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
While these moves energized his base, legal scholars questioned their constitutionality.
Harvard Law’s Cass Sunstein noted that Trump’s orders often lacked “rigorous legal review,” leading to costly reversals (Sunstein, 2017).
Legislative Struggles: The Obamacare Repeal Debacle Despite Republican control of Congress, Trump’s legislative agenda stalled.
His first major test repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) collapsed in March 2017 when the House Freedom Caucus rejected the replacement bill as insufficiently conservative (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2017).
The failure exposed divisions within the GOP and Trump’s limited grasp of policy details.
As Sen.
John McCain remarked, “No one knew what was in the bill, not even the president” (The Washington Post, 2017).
Ethical Controversies: Conflicts and Russia Shadows Trump’s refusal to divest from his business empire raised unprecedented ethics concerns.
The Trump International Hotel in Washington became a hub for lobbyists and foreign officials, prompting lawsuits alleging violations of the Emoluments Clause (CREW v.
Trump, 2017).
Meanwhile, the Russia investigation loomed large; FBI Director James Comey confirmed an active probe into Trump campaign ties to Moscow, a scandal that would eventually lead to Robert Mueller’s appointment (The New York Times, 2017).
Media Warfare and “Alternative Facts” Trump’s relationship with the press was openly hostile.
He labeled critical outlets like CNN “fake news” and bypassed traditional media with direct Twitter communication.
His advisor Kellyanne Conway’s defense of false claims about inauguration crowds as “alternative facts” (Meet the Press, 2017) underscored a troubling disregard for truth.
Scholars warned of “democratic backsliding” as Trump eroded trust in institutions (Levitsky & Ziblatt, 2018).
Conflicting Perspectives: Populism vs.
Pragmatism Supporters praised Trump’s unorthodox style as a rejection of political correctness.
Economists noted a 3% stock market surge (Bloomberg, 2017), attributing it to deregulation hopes.
However, critics argued his policies disproportionately benefited corporations evidenced by a tax plan favoring the wealthy (Tax Policy Center, 2017).
Former Obama advisor David Axelrod concluded, “He campaigned as a populist but governed as a plutocrat” (CNN, 2017).
Conclusion: A Prelude to Chaos Trump’s first 100 days revealed a presidency built on disruption, not consensus.
While he fulfilled some campaign promises via executive fiat, his lack of legislative success and ethical entanglements foreshadowed deeper instability.
The erosion of democratic norms attacks on the judiciary, media, and intelligence agencies set a dangerous precedent.
As historian Jon Meacham warned, “This isn’t normal, and it shouldn’t be normalized” (Time, 2017).
Ultimately, Trump’s early days were less a transformative success than a warning of the chaos to come.
References - American Presidency Project.
(2017).
- Sunstein, C.
(2017).
“Trump’s Executive Order Blitz.
”.
- Kaiser Family Foundation.
(2017).
- Levitsky, S.
& Ziblatt, D.
(2018).
- Tax Policy Center.
(2017).
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