\n<\/p>\n
A common refrain in Trumpworld is \u201cpromises made, promises kept.\u201d And when it comes to a lot of Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s most unpopular ideas, we are in fact seeing promises kept\u2014and that\u2019s the problem!<\/p>\n We just crossed the 100-day mark<\/a> in Trump\u2019s second term, and there has understandably been a lot of despair witnessing some horrific things, like three children<\/a>, including a two-year-old and a four-year-old with cancer, being deported to Honduras. All three children are US citizens. In response to an emergency petition to stop the two-year-old from being sent abroad, a Trump-appointed judge said he had a \u201cstrong suspicion that the government just deported a US citizen with no meaningful process.\u201d (The Trump administration has claimed<\/a> the kids were put on the deportation flights at their mothers\u2019 request, which attorneys dispute.) Then there\u2019s the scary stuff happening in the federal government, from Trump disbanding committees focused on aviation security<\/a> and food safety<\/a>, to the overall havoc<\/a> caused by Elon Musk<\/strong> and the DOGE crew.<\/p>\n Autocrats want you to sink into despair and immobility, to see no light at the end of the tunnel. But we can already see some slivers of light and, yes, there is reason for optimism. That\u2019s not to say pushing back against Trump\u2019s extreme agenda is going to be easy\u2014and there\u2019s still quite a long way to midterms, never mind the 2028 election. But it\u2019s heartening to see that a majority of the American people reject what this administration is doing on a host of issues. Trump has squandered any of the postelection honeymoon that presidents typically enjoy. His approval rating, which peaked at 52% a week after inauguration, has dropped to an average of 44%, according to polling<\/a> compiled by The New York Times.<\/em> One poll<\/a> conducted this month found that Trump has the lowest 100-day approval rating of any president in the last 80 years.<\/p>\n Drilling down on issues, it looks even worse. A CNN poll found<\/a> that 59% of the public says that \u201cTrump\u2019s policies have worsened economic conditions in the country,\u201d with just \u201c12% saying his agenda has helped to bring prices down.\u201d Trump is now underwater on his handling of everything from immigration and border security (51% disapprove) to inflation and cost of living (60% disapprove), per an NBC News poll<\/a>; it\u2019s not pretty on foreign affairs (55% disapprove) or civil rights (53% disapprove), per a UMass poll.<\/a> According to a New York Times<\/em>\/Siena poll<\/a>, \u201ctwo-thirds of voters, including 75% of independent voters, said that \u2018chaotic\u2019 was a good description of the Trump term so far.\u201d<\/p>\n There is some good news in this flurry of polls for Democrats, or anyone who believes in norms and institutions and wants to see the president held accountable. \u201cHalf or more of all Americans in the poll say they feel Congress (56%) and courts and judges (50%) are doing too little to check Trump\u2019s power as president,\u201d notes<\/a> CNN. Speaking of promises made, one of Trump\u2019s most jarring as a presidential candidate was his vow to be a \u201cdictator\u201d<\/a> on day one. Well, a new PRRI survey<\/a> finds that 52% of Americans say Trump is a \u201cdangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear\u2014from polls and protests<\/a>\u2014that voters want Congress and courts to provide constitutional checks on Trump\u2019s power, rather than lawmakers passively acquiescing to market-rattling trade wars, unlawful deportations, and all the assorted chaos of these past 101 days.<\/p>\n As unpopular as Trump and his agenda are in recent polls, one \u201cspecial government employee\u201d apparently has him beat. Elon Musk has a 57% disapproval rating<\/a>, according to a Washington Post<\/em>-ABC News-Ipsos poll; his negative rating went up eight points since February as he really got underway in crushing and villainizing federal employees. But Musk has done a lot of stupid stuff, such as shooting off those \u201cfive things\u201d<\/a> emails to federal employees or dancing onstage with a chainsaw at CPAC<\/a>. And we\u2019ve learned even more about the world\u2019s richest man\u2014for example, as The Wall Street Journal<\/em> reported<\/a>, that he manages a \u201clegion\u201d of babies.<\/p>\n But ultimately, the biggest problem for Trump is the slow-motion car accident that is his tariff policy. Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro<\/strong> promised<\/a> on April 11 that \u201cwe\u2019re going to run 90 deals in 90 days. [It\u2019s] possible.\u201d The Trump administration has yet to formally announce a single deal (though it teased this week<\/a> that one is nearly finalized.) The downstream victims of the trade war are expected to be everyone from consumers to truckers<\/a>, while shipments from China to West Coast ports are expected to plummet next week, according to CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n And all that saber-rattling that Trump engaged in during the beginning of his administration, all the musing about making Canada the 51st state<\/a> may have had real consequences. Canada\u2019s Liberal Party won the federal election this week; during his victory speech<\/a>, party leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/strong> said, speaking French, \u201cWe will strengthen our relationship with reliable partners in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. And if the US doesn\u2019t want to play a pivotal role in the world economy, we will lead, not the Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Mexico seems to also be immune to Trump\u2019s charms. \u201cWe are going to change the law to prohibit foreign governments from carrying out political and ideological propaganda in our country,\u201d Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum<\/strong> said recently about the Trump administration\u2019s advertisements that have been airing on Mexican television<\/a>. Yet another American ally\u2014and North American neighbor\u2014alienated.\u00a0<\/p>\n