President Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated the 100th day of his second term — yet spent much of his rally marking it in campaign mode, fixated on past grudges and grievances.
He repeatedly mocked his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, attacking his mental acuity and even how he appears in a bathing suit. He again uttered the lie that he won the 2020 presidential election. And he attacked polling and news coverage not favorable to him.
And Trump again and again returned to immigration, his signature issue, at the rally that marked his largest political event since returning to the White House — boasting about his administration’s “mass deportation” efforts that have sent arrests for illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border plummeting.
“Removing the invaders is not just a campaign pledge,” Trump said in his 90-minute speech. “It’s my solemn duty as commander-in-chief. I have an obligation to save our country.”
He paused his remarks to play a video of migrants who Trump asserts are gang members arriving at a notorious prison in El Salvador, with rallygoers cheering as images of deportees having their heads shaved were played. And while Michigan has seen unemployment rise since Trump reclaimed the White House, Trump used his speech to defend his administration’s steep tariffs on cars and auto parts — hours after the White House announced it was softening those.
“We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country,” Trump said, standing before large electronic screens reading “100 Day of Greatness.” He later added: “We’ve just gotten started. You haven’t even seen anything yet.”
His Republican administration’s strict immigration policies have pushed the boundaries of the judiciary, and its protectionist import taxes imposed on America’s trade partners have also sought to reorder a global economy that the U.S. built in the decades after World War II.
Trump has also championed sweeping expansionism, refusing to rule out military intervention in Greenland and Panama, suggesting that American developers could help convert the war-torn Gaza Strip into a Riviera-like resort and even suggesting annexation of Canada. Meanwhile, government-slashing efforts led by billionaire adviser Elon Musk have shaken Washington to its core.
“After a lifetime of unelected bureaucrats stealing your paychecks, attacking your values and trampling your freedoms, we are stopping their gravy train, ending their power trip and telling thousands of corrupt, incompetent and unnecessary deep state bureaucrats, ‘You’re fired!’” Trump said.
Yet only about 4 in 10 Americans approve of how Trump is handling the presidency, and his ratings on the economy and trade are lower than that. Additionally, 46% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s immigration policies, with about half of Americans saying he has “gone too far” when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the country illegally.
Just 33% of Americans, meanwhile, have a favorable view of Musk, the Tesla CEO and the world’s richest person, and about half believe the administration has gone too far in working to pare back the government workforce.
“The bottom line for the first hundred days is, lots of damage being done to the fundamentals of our government,” said Max Stier, founding president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit dedicated to better government. Enditem
Source: AP
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