It has become routine to pronounce Donald Trump one of the ‘most consequential’ US presidents. But that understates his impact: no president has conducted a first 100 days in office like this. At home, he has defied constitutional limits on executive power, using executive orders not legislation to enact policy (seeking to end birthright citizenship in one). Trump has also mounted an assault on institutions of ‘elite’ culture, education and science while cultivating fear among those who oppose him. In foreign policy, he has ripped up global trade arrangements, taken the US out of climate accords, and cast doubt on Washington’s commitment to NATO. Indeed, he has threatened to take over allies by force, whether by making Canada the 51st state or by seizing Greenland. With such actions he has withdrawn the US from much of its accustomed role in the world – and may well have surrendered his country’s prime advantages to China.
Trump’s 100 days have been like no other | Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank
