Trump’s first 100 days: Is he the only person celebrating?
Donald Trump has praised himself for his own achievements during his first 100 days in The White House – but what has he actually achieved since January?
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In brief…
- Donald Trump told supporters in Michigan they “haven't seen anything yet” from his administration, criticised opponents and allies alike and claimed he had delivered a “revolution of common sense” for the American people.
- He focused on his poor approval rating, calling polls for legacy media “fake”, but did not address new economic figures which showed a huge drop in America’s GDP, which The News Agents say is the one thing that will “spook” the president.
- Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel say his governing is “exhausting”, but calculated to be that way so no one knows where to look next, and has no time to dig deeper into his claims or actions.
What’s the story?
Donald Trump's presidency has been a revolution for America, delivered "profound change", and all reports of his popularity declining are nothing but fake news.
That is, if you believe the man himself.
Trump delivered a speech in Michigan, Detroit on Tuesday 29 April to mark the 100 days of his second term as US president, where he claimed he, and his administration, were "just getting started".
He also criticised Joe Biden and Jerome Powell, head of the US central bank, and falsely said the price of eggs had declined by 87% during his time in office – a claim disputed by government figures.
“One person is very happy with the direction of the presidency right now – and that person is Donald Trump,” says Emily Maitlis.
Since his inauguration in January, Trump has pushed America to the brink of recession with tough tariffs on its trading partners, failed to secure a peace deal in Ukraine (which he previously said he could solve in one day), proposed turning war-torn Gaza into the "riviera of the Middle East" and proposed turning Canada into the 51st US state.
How are the numbers looking for Trump after 100 days?
At the 100 day mark, Trump now has the lowest approval rating of any US president Since 1945, with NBC polls showing 55% of Americans disapprove of his leadership so far, CNN shows a 59% disapproval rating, and an ABC poll reporting that just 39% of people approve.
Support for Trump would be much higher, however, with viewers of right-wing broadcasters such as Newsmax.
But perhaps the real numbers Trump should be focusing on are the recently-released GDP figures, which show a 0.3% decline in America's GDP, a "significant decline", and if this drops again in the second quarter of 2025, the country will be in a recession.
There have been warnings from business leaders about US shoppers facing empty shelves due to supply chain issues, with an inability to get goods into the country because ofTrump's tariffs policy.
“I think that he will get spooked by these economy numbers, he will get spooked if there are empty shelves and people can't buy their goods,” says Jon Sopel, who was in Michigan for Trump’s address.
“At his rally last night there were a whole series of claims that if you subjected them to any scrutiny, you would realise they were not true – the price of eggs, about the price of gas – it was untrue what he was saying.”
What successes can Trump legitimately claim?
Donald Trump has made good on one of his key campaign pledges in his presidency so far – and has overseen an enormous drop in the number of migrants entering America on its southern border.
He has implemented stiff deportation measures since coming to power – which have included the unapologetic removal of people from the US with a right to remain in the country.
Around 7,100 people crossed the US-Mexico border in February 2025, down from 8,350 in January. This is a monumental drop from the 140,000 a month in the same period last year under Joe Biden’s presidency.
“That is a huge success story, and that resonates with an awful lot of Americans who did think there was a massive problem,” says Jon.
He has also, Emily says, shifted the entire mechanism of how US politicians communicate with their citizens – through social media, numerous TV interviews and a relentless willingness to speak to reporters, leaving the political landscape “forever changed.”
“Every other politician we know is desperate to catch up,” she adds.
“I don't know if you call it an accomplishment or a schism or a break, but it's shifted something that I think we will never go back to.”
Can things continue at this pace until 2028?
Trump, 78, has spoken frequently about his physical and mental abilities (all positive, of course) and it’s certainly hard to dismiss his energy and enthusiasm for his job – even if it can leave everyone in total disarray trying to keep up with every comment, every tweet, every attack, every top-of-the-head idea he tosses to the media.
But with well over three years left of his presidency, can he keep this momentum going? Jon is already feeling the burn.
“It is exhausting because it is relentless – there are about a million different stories every day,” he says.
“He is relentless, and he's spitting out stuff, even if he knows nothing about it, it will give you a headline on any number of different topics all the time.
“That relentlessness, I think, will continue. I don't think there's ever going to be a day where Donald Trump is happy to be out of the headlines for a few days. He'll play some golf – and still create headlines.”
But while it might seem like a scattergun tactic with no real strategy behind it, Emily says that’s exactly what he’s aiming for.
“Trump is trying to make you look in every direction all at once, so it's much harder to tell an opposing story against him,” she says.
“On the first day that he came into power, his inauguration day, he signed lots of executive orders, but before anyone could look too closely at what he was signing into them, he freed the convicts from jail that were convicted after January 6.
“He keeps on giving you a new headline, and nobody goes back to research what has happened to any of the other things he’s done.”