Not only will the 45th president of the United States be indelibly recorded as the oldest elected leader since Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump’s 100-day tenure in the White House could also be imprinted as the most contentious, with a record number of national protest rallies in cities throughout the nation and particularly in the nation’s capital.
Underscored by international demonstrations following the announcement of Trump’s election last year — when large protests broke out across the United States in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Philippines, Australia, Israel and a long list of other countries — and continuing for several days around the occasion of the 100th day of his presidency, on April 29 another massive, national protest march is scheduled to add to the myriad held to denounce him.
The milestone marker was first initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt who was elected in 1933 at age 51 and established his own target time of 100 days to launch his “New Deal” initiative — which proposed a plan using 15 bills to boost the depressed economy.
Since that time, every President has been judged on the success of their first 100 days.
Trump’s predecessor, President Barack Obama aced the limited timeframe to successfully pass the $787 billion economic stimulus package and to expand children’s health insurance coverage despite a united Republican pledge to derail his progress and ensure him a one-term rule.
In his bid to “Make America Great Again,” this Republican, Twitter-friendly president seems to have widened the divide that separates Republicans from Democrats – conservatives from progressives — and even alienated some of his staunchest supporters by reneging on some of his promises and failing to keep boastful pledges he made while on the campaign trail.
Four months into his administration, his approval rating has plummet to the 35 percent range and calls to “Impeach 45” seem to be resonating with much more fervor than when it was echoed by mostly partisan Democrats who attended the first protest march on the eve of his inauguration when Rev. Al Sharpton mobilized busloads to Washington D.C.
By the time, Trump swore to an oath of office on Jan. 20, a predominant female assembly showed resistance to his election shouting Trump is “Not My President.”
In virtually every major city, the massive counter-inaugural rallies, and super-staged, celebrity star-studded, national women’s movement engaged thousands identified as Independents, progressives, former Trump advocates, Democrats, immigrants, millennials, LGBTQ advocates, workers and a full spectrum of politicized Americans.
Simultaneous protests of his proposal to keep-out Mexicans triggered responses to his executive orders declaring “No Ban No Wall.”
“A Day Without A Woman,” encouraged women to refrain from school and work by dramatizing the power and presence of the female gender. Thousands complied with absence and marches.
“Day Without Immigrants,” “Resist!” and rallies at airports following a decision to exclude Muslim immigrants from seven countries also gained traction with irate Americans as well as sympathizers in foreign countries marching in solidarity.
The Tax Day March and Trump’s Tax Day was held in more than 100 cities on April 15, to pressure Trump to release his tax returns.
Some Americans have stated that they will not pay their federal income taxes in protest of Trump’s administration
Shouting, “Impeach 45” thousands rallied from New York to Washington DC where California Congresswoman Maxine Walters led the chant.
Described as the “political Beyonce,” Cong. Walters joined taxpayers who held signs reading “Show us your tax return…what are you afraid of?” and “You’re Fired” a reference to Trump’s end-line decision to lose a contestant on his “Apprentice” TV show.
This week the “March For Science” demonstration is planned to occur on Earth Day, April 22.
The protest will be based upon support for and the funding of science, diversity, and governmental policies based upon science.
The Trump administration has taken a position of denial of climate change.
Unable to fulfill a mandate he proposed before taking office, the boastful candidate vowed to accomplish a myriad of pressing issues during his first 100 days in office.
He labeled it “Donald Trump’s Contract With The American Voter.”
• 1st – I will announce my intention to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205
• 2nd – I will announce our withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership
• 3rd – I will direct my Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator
• 4th –I will direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately
• 5th – I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars’ worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal.
• 6th – lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks and allow vital energy infrastructure projects, like the Keystone Pipeline, to move forward
• 7th – cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America’s water and environmental infrastructure
Additionally, on the first day, I will take the following five actions to restore security and the constitutional rule of law:
• 1st – Cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama
• 2nd – Begin the process of selecting a replacement for Justice Scalia from one of the 20 judges on my list, who will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States
• 3rd – Cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities
• 4th – Begin removing the more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants from the country and cancel visas to foreign countries that won’t take them back
• 5th – Suspend immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur. All vetting of people coming into our country will be considered extreme vetting.
Next, I will work with Congress to introduce broader legislative measures and fight for their passage within the first 100 days of my administration:
One of the recurring promises throughout Trump’s campaign focused on Mexico and his commitment to building a wall to end illegal immigration.
He vowed to procure funds “for the construction of a wall on our southern border with the full understanding that the country Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such wall.”
Along the same lines he promised during the same timeframe to “establish a 2-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for those illegally re-entering the U.S. after a previous deportation, and a 5-year mandatory minimum for illegally re-entering for those with felony convictions, multiple misdemeanor convictions or two or more prior deportations; also reforms visa rules to enhance penalties for overstaying and to ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.”
Gaffes by press secretary Sean Spicer has not enhanced Trump’s 100 days in office. From his first briefing to White House correspondents’ when he admonished them for underestimating the crowds that attended Trump’s inauguration to recently when he minimized the wickedness of Adolf Hitler’s holocaust perpetrated against Jews by shamefully referencing the pogrom during a discussion about Syria on a significant date marking a Jewish holiday.
Two weeks later, on May 6, an Immigrants March is slated to converge on Washington D.C.
Probably prompted by Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to “pursue harsher charges against undocumented immigrants who commit crimes or repeatedly cross into the U.S. illegally,” next month’s protest will highlight the fact Sessions has directed federal prosecutors to ramp up the vetting process.
Sessions said he would add 125 immigration judges in the next two years to address a backlog of cases.
To his credit, Trump has removed chief strategist, Steve Bannon from the National Security Council.
In addition he acted swiftly by responding to the use of barrel bombs by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
He bombed a Syrian airbase, reversing a position he maintained when President Obama threatened the tyrant.
Trump warned the Democratic leader not to interfere in Syria’s civil war.
April 7, without consent from Congress Trump ordered a strike on Syria.
On April 13, days later Trump ordered that “the mother of all bombs” should hit ISIS targets in Afghanistan. It did.
It was the first time the most powerful, non-nuclear arsenal in US possession had ever been used.
Both strikes have earned kudos on social media and even bi-partisan support.
“I got it done in the first 100 days….You think that’s easy?” Trump said about the Neil Gorsuch confirmation to the Supreme Court, a statement he probably attributes to the many successes he might be claiming early into his administration.
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