Donald Trump: 100 Days Already, but How Many Years?
Published in Le Temps
(Switzerland) on 29 April 2025
by Simon Petite (link to original)
After a frenetic and destructive start to his term, the president's popularity is plummeting. But will the rules of political change still apply in the United States?
On Jan. 20, barely seated in the Oval Office, Donald Trump took out his big, black felt-tip pen and administered a radical therapy to the United States, the shock waves of which were felt around the world. During his first 100 days, he locked down his country's borders, unleashed Elon Musk on public administration, slashed international aid and contributions to multilateral organizations, and embarked on a crusade against diversity and inclusion, reaffirming a white, heterosexual America.
On the international stage, Trump launched peace processes in Ukraine, and with Iran, while encouraging Israel to crush Gaza. He threatened to annex Greenland, Panama and Canada. At the same time, he launched an indiscriminate trade war against the rest of the world, before redirecting it against China, thereby alienating his mistreated and disoriented allies.
The Republican billionaire, whose energy and mastery of modern communication contrast sharply with that of his predecessor, Joe Biden, continues to monopolize screens and minds. But the presidential reality show threatens to go off the rails because the commander in chief is inconsistent and the discipline that reigned among his staff during the first weeks of his term has dissipated.
While their president is in a hurry, Americans are growing impatient. They elected him, in particular, on the promise of lowering the cost of living. However, the man in the White House is doing the opposite. His ideological tariffs will fuel inflation and risk triggering a recession. The billionaire is calling on his compatriots to be patient. He claims his plan to reindustrialize America will bear fruit in the long run. This is ironic in the era of immediacy in which this politician has thrived.
Erosion of Freedoms
As we await the return to a fantasized and hypothetical golden age, discontent is mounting, and the president's unpopularity is reaching historic highs. The midterm elections in November 2026 are already looming, and Republican elected officials fear a "bloodbath." Traditionally, this election favors the opposition, especially if the president is an electoral burden. But Democrats are still completely disoriented. And at the frenetic pace that Trump imposes, will the United States still be a functioning democracy with traditional election cycles?
Because the erosion of freedoms, guarantees of fair competition in an already failing system, is increasingly frightening. One moment, children born in the United States who are full citizens are forcibly expelled. The next day, a judge accused of obstructing the mass deportation policy is handcuffed by the FBI and arrested. The White House has not yet dared to take the courts head-on, but guerrilla warfare rages. It threatens to spark a constitutional crisis, plunging the country into the unknown.
Other checks and balances are systematically attacked: the media, universities and law firms. Many Americans are now hesitant to speak out publicly for fear of retaliation, thus weakening political debate. Only the markets, shaken by the uncertain consequences of the trade war, have managed to force the president to back down.
Already, Trump and his followers are harping on the unconstitutional idea of a third term, as in democracies on the verge of collapse. The founder of the "Make America Great Again" movement, who will be 82 years old when he must leave the White House — something he would never do voluntarily — is once again testing resistance and breaking taboos. The national-populist wave he fueled will not disappear anytime soon, whatever his political future holds.
On Jan. 20, barely seated in the Oval Office, Donald Trump took out his big, black felt-tip pen and administered a radical therapy to the United States, the shock waves of which were felt around the world. During his first 100 days, he locked down his country's borders, unleashed Elon Musk on public administration, slashed international aid and contributions to multilateral organizations, and embarked on a crusade against diversity and inclusion, reaffirming a white, heterosexual America.
On the international stage, Trump launched peace processes in Ukraine, and with Iran, while encouraging Israel to crush Gaza. He threatened to annex Greenland, Panama and Canada. At the same time, he launched an indiscriminate trade war against the rest of the world, before redirecting it against China, thereby alienating his mistreated and disoriented allies.
The Republican billionaire, whose energy and mastery of modern communication contrast sharply with that of his predecessor, Joe Biden, continues to monopolize screens and minds. But the presidential reality show threatens to go off the rails because the commander in chief is inconsistent and the discipline that reigned among his staff during the first weeks of his term has dissipated.
While their president is in a hurry, Americans are growing impatient. They elected him, in particular, on the promise of lowering the cost of living. However, the man in the White House is doing the opposite. His ideological tariffs will fuel inflation and risk triggering a recession. The billionaire is calling on his compatriots to be patient. He claims his plan to reindustrialize America will bear fruit in the long run. This is ironic in the era of immediacy in which this politician has thrived.
Erosion of Freedoms
As we await the return to a fantasized and hypothetical golden age, discontent is mounting, and the president's unpopularity is reaching historic highs. The midterm elections in November 2026 are already looming, and Republican elected officials fear a "bloodbath." Traditionally, this election favors the opposition, especially if the president is an electoral burden. But Democrats are still completely disoriented. And at the frenetic pace that Trump imposes, will the United States still be a functioning democracy with traditional election cycles?
Because the erosion of freedoms, guarantees of fair competition in an already failing system, is increasingly frightening. One moment, children born in the United States who are full citizens are forcibly expelled. The next day, a judge accused of obstructing the mass deportation policy is handcuffed by the FBI and arrested. The White House has not yet dared to take the courts head-on, but guerrilla warfare rages. It threatens to spark a constitutional crisis, plunging the country into the unknown.
Other checks and balances are systematically attacked: the media, universities and law firms. Many Americans are now hesitant to speak out publicly for fear of retaliation, thus weakening political debate. Only the markets, shaken by the uncertain consequences of the trade war, have managed to force the president to back down.
Already, Trump and his followers are harping on the unconstitutional idea of a third term, as in democracies on the verge of collapse. The founder of the "Make America Great Again" movement, who will be 82 years old when he must leave the White House — something he would never do voluntarily — is once again testing resistance and breaking taboos. The national-populist wave he fueled will not disappear anytime soon, whatever his political future holds.
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