The first 100 days of a presidency is a conventional yardstick of how effectively the Commander in Chief will lead. Republican frontrunner Donald Trump may secure the delegates needed to become the party’s nominee. If elected in November, his first 100 days in the Oval Office would be definitely measured.
Though not a precise determinant, according to an article by US News and World Report’s Ken Walsh:
The underlying truth is that presidents tend to be most effective when they first take office, when their leadership style seems fresh and new, when the aura of victory is still powerful, and when their impact on Congress is usually at its height. There is nothing magic about the number, and many presidential aides over the years have complained that it is an artificial yardstick. But it has been used by the public, the media, and scholars as a gauge of presidential success and activism since Franklin D. Roosevelt pioneered the 100-day concept when he took office in 1933.
According to Cambridge historian Anthony Badger’s book FDR: The First One Hundred Days, “The first hundred days of the New Deal have served as a model for future presidents of bold leadership and executive-legislative harmony.”
A Trump presidency would be anything but harmonious. I posted on Facebook and Twitter: “Imagine the first 100 days of a Trump presidency. What would happen? Ready…GO!”
Here are some of the responses (one of the bullet points was privately messaged to me via Facebook):
- Nothing that he promised would…Build a wall, repeal Obamacare, bring companies back to the U.S., tear up the nuclear deal with Iran, end China’s currency manipulation, make deals with Congress “in 10 minutes,” “bomb the s— out of ISIS,” restore America’s relationship with Russia, the list goes on and on…
- A nation divided/total chaos
- Excuses would be made to lock up or silence journalists that disagreed with him
- bipartisan impeachment for first amendment violations and evading checks and balances
- There’d be the herds of locusts
- After the great liberal migration to Canada it was amazing how fast America became great again
- “Mass hysteria” (Ghostbusters reference)
The first two bullet points would likely happen. Locking up and silencing journalists goes against the First Amendment. The last point might be an exaggeration. Regardless, this sketch from Saturday Night Live last November would unlikely become reality: “prosperity is at an all time high” with ISIS obliterated and Russia withdrawing from Ukraine after Trump calls President Vladimir Putin a loser and crying, according to a report by Secretary of State Omarosa.
In all seriousness, it is improbable any policy would be accomplished over the first 100 days of a Trump presidency. The Washington Post’s Ed Rogers summarizes it best:
Constitutional fights with Congress, demonstrations that could quickly escalate to riots, allies who would be embarrassed to be seen with an American president, a U.S. military that has its doubts and could need to take some actions on its own to prevent the worst from happening, and enemies abroad who will aggressively try to take advantage of a narrow-minded, ignorant egomaniac — it all seems plausible. It sounds harsh, but it is not an extreme hypothetical of what the Trump presidency could bring.
If elected, the first 100 days of the reality TV star in the White House would be highly episodic politically.
AAN Staff
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