Trump’s First 100 Days: Bluster, Barks, and Brinkmanship
Despite a record-low 100-day approval rating, Trump hails his early tenure as the most successful in U.S. history.
Donald Trump has celebrated his 100th day in office with a campaign-style rally in Michigan and an attack on “communist radical left judges” for trying to seize his power, warning: “Nothing will stop me.” The president also served up the chilling spectacle of a video of Venezuelan immigrants sent from the US to a notorious prison in El Salvador, accompanied by Hollywood-style music and roars of approval from the crowd. Trump’s choice of Michigan was a recognition not only of how the battleground state helped propel him to victory over Vice-President Kamala Harris in last November’s election, but its status as a potential beneficiary of a tariffs policy which, he claims, will revive US manufacturing. But the cavernous sports and expo centre in the city of Warren, near Detroit, was only half full for the rally, and a steady stream of people left before the end of his disjointed and meandering 89-minute address. “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 declared. “In 100 days, we have delivered the most profound change in Washington in nearly 100 years.” The 45th and 47th president falsely accused the previous administration of engineering massive border invasion and allowing gangs, cartels and terrorists to infiltrate communities. “Democrats have vowed mass invasion and mass migration,” he said. “We are delivering mass deportation.” Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said: “Trump’s pathetic display tonight will do nothing to help the families he started screwing over 100 days ago…Michiganders and the rest of the country see right through Trump, and as a result, he has the lowest 100-day approval rating in generations. If he’s not already terrified of what the ballot box will bring between now and the midterm elections, he should be.” - Guardian
My comment: Watching today’s Trump cabinet meeting felt like stepping into a parallel universe. According to the president and his team, every national problem stems from the Biden administration, countries are clamoring to sign bilateral trade deals, and foreign firms are eager to pour billions into the U.S. economy. The rhetoric stood in stark contrast to reality: Trump’s approval rating at the 100-day mark is the lowest of any modern president, the economy is contracting, and the likelihood of a recession has increased since he took office, according to CNN and most economic forecasters. Expect the noise to grow louder as Trump’s sweeping tariffs begin to bite—when factories close, layoffs accelerate, and grocery prices surge. Many expect the midterms to deliver a harsh reckoning for Trump and his party. As for the cabinet meeting: it resembled more of a performance than a policy session. Autocrats often rise when surrounded by sycophants too afraid to speak hard truths. Judging by the fawning two-hour spectacle, that dynamic was on full display.
Despite White House officials boasting that more than a dozen countries have put offers “on the table” to avoid the biting tariffs scheduled to kick in in just over two months, the documents other countries have submitted to the White House are far from final offers, according to a dozen foreign diplomats and three officials, granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive conversations. Rather, they are preliminary outlines of what their governments are willing to discuss in the trade talks, something the Trump administration has made a prerequisite for pursuing any further negotiations. Some trading partners are balking at proposing even an outline of their terms before they get more guidance from the U.S. side on what Trump is seeking from the talks. The tensions underscore the lingering confusion and distrust over Trump’s endgame for the so-called reciprocal tariffs he slapped on more than 60 trading partners earlier this month, before pausing all but the duties on China for 90 days. While the White House has projected confidence that the tariff threat is bringing scores of countries to the table and will result in significant new trade concessions, foreign officials privately say the discussions are much more tentative, raising questions about what kind of deals the White House can reach by its self-imposed July 8 deadline - Politico
Tensions between India and Pakistan continue to mount after a top Pakistani official claimed to have "credible intelligence" that New Delhi is prepared to undertake military action against Islamabad following a militant attack in Kashmir. "Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends carrying out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours," Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a video message posted on X in the middle of the night. There was no immediate response from India to the claim. RFE/RL contacted India's External Affairs Ministry and Defense Ministry for comment, but has yet to receive an answer - RFE/RL
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine should be signed this afternoon. During a White House cabinet meeting, he said no changes have been made from US side. At the same meeting, Trump repeated false figures that the US had given $350bn to Ukraine. The actual figure is closer to $182bn. Back in Ukraine, the rare earth deal has sparked anxiety. Leaked drafts have lacked detail and omitted any U.S. security guarantees in return—prompting criticism from some who fear the agreement could reduce Ukraine to an economic colony of the U.S. One opposition leader warned the deal would require "tectonic changes" to national legislation. Some versions of the agreement reportedly grant the U.S. control over key natural resources and elements of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
Viktoriia Roshchyna, a 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist who died in occupied Russian territories was returned to Kyiv with signs of torture and with some organs, including the brain, removed. The Washington Post reported these gruesome facts after an investigation. It said the Russians had classified the cause of death as “extensive damage to the coronary arteries.” The corpse was among 757 dead Ukrainians handed back in an exchange on Feb. 14. She had disappeared into the Russian prison system after being detained while reporting in the occupied territories. Yuriy Belousov, who heads the war crimes department at the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, said that forensic examination found “numerous signs of torture and ill-treatment… including abrasions and hemorrhages on various parts of the body, a broken rib and possible traces of electric shock.” He said the experts have determined the injuries were sustained while Roshchyna was still alive. Roshchyna’s colleagues at Ukrainska Pravda said her body was returned from Russia with missing organs. Citing members of the investigating team who handled her remains, they said the brain, eyeballs and part of the trachea, or windpipe, were missing, in what they said could have been an attempt by Russia to disguise the cause of death, CNN further reported
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Hi Michael.... Thanks for your excellent reporting on the constantly changing state of our fractured world! I think that the title of your above article should be...Bluster, Barks and Bullroar!