Trump’s self image
-Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer quotes Trump: “I run the country and the
world” (https://theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/04/trump-second-term-
comback/682573
Trump’s enrichment
New York Time’s journalist Steve Rattner writes on April 27, 2025, how Trump is
the biggest beneficiary of his own chaotic economic policies
(https://stevenrattner.com/article/new-york-times-trumps-biggest-benefici...
himself). He’s worth citing at length.
“No presidential administration is completely free from questionable ethics
practices, but Donald Trump has pushed us to a new low. He has accomplished that
by breaking every norm of good government, often while enriching himself,
whether by pardoning a felon who, together with his wife, donated $1.8 million to
the Trump campaign; promoting Teslas on the White House driveway; or holding a
private dinner for speculators who purchase his new cryptocurrency.”
Rattner delves into Trump’s motivation.
“In his trampling of historically appropriate behavior, Mr. Trump appears to be
pursuing several agendas. Personal enrichment stands out: Imagine any other
president collecting a cut of sales from a cryptocurrency marketed with his
likeness. There is the way he is expanding his powers: He has ignored or
eliminated large swaths of rules that would have inhibited his freedom of action
and his ability to put trusted acolytes in key roles. And then there’s rewarding
donors, whether through pardons or favors for their clients.”
Some implications
“The corruption of Trump 2.0 has not gotten the attention it deserves amid the
barrage of news about Mr. Trump’s tariff wars, his attack on scientific research and
his senior appointees’ Signal text chains. But self-dealing is such a defining theme
of this administration that it needs to be called out. Like much that Mr. Trump has
done in other areas, it announces to the world that America’s leaders can no longer
be trusted to follow its laws and that influence is up for sale.”
Examples from Rattner of Trump’s self-dealings in the first 100 days.
#1 - He Eliminated Guardrails
“He turned a legitimate federal employee designation into a loophole. By giving
senior officials such as Elon Musk the title ‘special government employee,’ Mr.
Trump avoided requirements that they publicly disclose their financial holdings
and divest any that present conflicts before taking jobs in the administration.
“He ended bans that stopped executive branch employees from accepting gifts
from lobbyists or seeking lobbying jobs themselves for at least two years.
He loosened the enforcement of laws that curb foreign lobbying and bribery.
#2 - He Fired Potential Resisters
“He dismissed the head of the office that polices conflicts of interest among senior
officials….jettisoned the head of the office that, among other things, protects
whistle-blowers and ensures political neutrality in federal workplaces….[and]
purged nearly 20 nonpartisan inspectors general who were entrusted with rooting
out corruption within the government.”
#3 - He Rewarded His Wealthiest Donors
“Rewarding donors is part of any presidential administration. Every president in
my memory appointed supporters to ambassadorships. But again, Mr. Trump has
gone much further.
“Jared Isaacman, a billionaire with deep tentacles into SpaceX, gave $2 million to
the inaugural committee and was nominated to head NASA — SpaceX’s largest
customer.
“The convicted felon Trevor Milton and his wife donated $1.8 million to the
campaign and Mr. Milton received a pardon, which also spared him from paying
restitution.
“The lobbyist Brian Ballard raised over $50 million for Mr. Trump’s campaign,
and Mr. Trump handed major victories to two Ballard clients. He delayed a U.S.
ban on China-owned TikTok his first day in office and killed an effort to ban
menthol cigarettes, a major priority of tobacco company R.J. Reynolds, on his
second.
“Mr. Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX billionaire who spent $277 million to back Mr.
Trump and other Republican candidates, requires his own category.
“As a special government employee, Mr. Musk is supposed to perform limited
services to the government for no more than 130 days a year. By law, no
government official — even a special government employee — can participate in
any government matter that has a direct effect on his or her financial interests. That
criminal statute hasn’t stopped Mr. Musk and his so-called Department of
Government Efficiency from interacting with at least 10 of the agencies that
oversee his business interests.”
Rattner continues.
“As Mr. Musk’s political activities started to repel many potential customers of
Tesla, his electric vehicle company, Mr. Trump lined Tesla vehicles up on the
White House driveway and extolled their benefits. Then Commerce Secretary
Howard Lutnick urged Fox News viewers to buy Tesla shares.
“DOGE nearly halved the team at the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration that regulates autonomous vehicles. The agency has been
investigating whether Tesla’s self-driving technology played a role in the death of a
pedestrian in Arizona.”
#4 – Trump went All In on Cryptocurrency
“Critics of crypto argue that it has demonstrated little value beyond enabling
criminal activity. Despite this, Mr. Trump has wasted no time eliminating
regulatory oversight of the industry at the Securities and Exchange Commission
and the Justice Department, even as his family grows ever more invested in it.
“By enabling money to be delivered anonymously and without any bank
participation, crypto offers the possibility for any individual or foreign state to
funnel money to Mr. Trump and his family secretly. Moreover, Bloomberg News
recently estimated that the Trump family crypto fortune is nearing $1 billion.”
#5 - Money flowing into Trump’s political action committees
Mr. Trump is reportedly on his way to raising $500 million for his political action
committees — highly unusual for a president who cannot run for re-election.
#6 – Investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia
A new Trump Tower is underway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city,
with plans for two more projects for the kingdom announced after Mr. Trump’s
November election victory, all in partnership with a Saudi company with close ties
to the Saudi government.”
----------
Where Trump’s major campaign promises stand after 100 days
Brett Samuels considers this issue in an article published on April 28, 2025
( https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5267775-trumps-first-100-days ).
Immigration and the border
“Through 100 days, he has delivered on a host of actions intended to ramp up
deportations, clamp down on border crossings and close off pathways for refugees
and asylum-seekers to enter the country.
“On his first day in office, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern
border and began surging resources to the area, including from the Pentagon.
The White House shut down the CBP One app, which migrants could use to make
appointments at the border.
Trump signed an executive action aimed at ending birthright citizenship for
children born to people who do not have legal status in the U.S. The matter is set
to come before the Supreme Court in May, as critics have argued the move violates
the 14th Amendment. Trump paused refugee admissions and ended temporary protected status (TPS) for
certain groups.”
“The president in March signed a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act,
asserting that any members of Tren de Aragua older than 14 years residing in the
United States be ‘apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien
Enemies.’”
“While deportations have not quite reached the soaring levels Trump spoke about
on the campaign trail, a White House official predicted the U.S. would set a record
by the end of 2025 for deportations in a single year.”
Inflation and tariffs
Samuels writes: “Trump’s biggest problem on inflation and prices could come
from his own hand.
“The president would often muse on the campaign trail that ‘tariff’ was one of the
most beautiful words in the dictionary as he outlined his plans to aggressively
deploy tariffs to reshape global trade, and boost manufacturing.
Trump so far has made clear his tariff talk was no bluff.
The White House has imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China over the flow
of fentanyl into the United States.
The administration imposed a 10 percent tariff on all imports, as well as
higher “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries, including allies like Japan, India,
South Korea and members of the European Union. In the face of skittish financial
markets, Trump announced he would lower those ‘reciprocal’ tariffs to 10 percent
for all countries for 90 days, except in the case of China, where he has ratcheted up
duties on Chinese goods to a total of 145 percent.
“The president has imposed sector-specific tariffs on steel and aluminum imports
and automobile imports. He has laid the groundwork to impose additional tariffs on
pharmaceutical imports, critical mineral imports, semiconductor imports and
copper imports.”
The war in Ukraine: “Trump made grand promises while on the campaign trail about ending the war in
Ukraine, pledging at various points that he would be able to solve the conflict
within 24 hours of taking office and at one point asserting he could broker an end
to the war during the transition.” Yet to be achieved.
“Trump administration officials have met directly with counterparts from Russia
and Ukraine, and the president has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky and spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
“Trump has at times lashed out at Zelensky and at other times lashed out at Putin
and Russia, placing blame on both nations as an impediment to an agreement. He
has also in recent weeks sought to distance himself from the conflict, describing it
as ‘Biden’s war,’ a reference to the previous administration.
Transgender issues
“One of Trump’s most consistent applause lines on the campaign trail came when
he would tell supporters, typically at the end of rallies, that he would ‘keep men
out of women’s sports.’
“Trump made good on that campaign rhetoric just weeks after taking
office, signing an executive order to ban transgender women from competing in
girls and women’s sports. The White House invited hundreds of guests for the
signing, touting it as a major milestone early in the administration.”
“The Pentagon reinstated a ban on transgender troops serving in the military, a
move that has been caught up in the courts. On Trump’s first day in office,
he signed an executive order recognizing only two sexes, male and female, and
directing federal agencies to cease promotion of the concept of gender transition.
Pardons, DEI and more”
Pardons
“On his first day in office, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 people charged in
connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The move surprised even some of
his aides, who had suggested Trump’s pardons would be more targeted.”
“Another major culture war issue that Trump took on during the campaign was
ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the government. The Trump administration swiftly put federal employees in DEI roles on leave and
moved to shutter DEI-related offices. The president has also signed orders
directing the Pentagon and State Department to remove DEI initiatives.
Revenge
“The president has also followed through on what many of his critics feared, using
the levers of government to directly target his political opponents.
“While Trump said on the campaign trail that ‘success’ would be his revenge on
his opponents, he has cut off security details for former administration officials
who had been critical of him.
“Trump has directed the Justice Department to investigate two former
administration officials who crossed him. And he signed an executive
order targeting ActBlue, a major Democratic fundraising platform.”
-----------------
Trump is severing US from the world
Ben Rhodes reports that it only took a 100 days for Trump to sever America from
the world ( https://nytimes.com/2025/04/27/opinion/100-days-trump-world.html ).
Mr. Rhodes is a contributing Opinion writer and the author, most recently, of
“After the Fall: The Rise of Authoritarianism in the World We’ve Made.”
“Consider the breadth of this effort. Allies have been treated like adversaries. The
United States has withdrawn from international agreements on fundamental issues
like health and climate change. A “nation of immigrants” now deports people
without due process, bans refugees and is trying to end birthright citizenship. Mr.
Trump’s tariffs have upended the system of international trade, throwing up new
barriers to doing business with every country on Earth. Foreign assistance has
largely been terminated. So has support for democracy abroad. Research cuts have
rolled back global scientific research and cooperation. The State Department is
downsizing. Exchange programs are on the chopping block. Global research
institutions like the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Wilson Center have been
effectively shut down. And, of course, the United States is building a wall along its
southern border.”
The domestic economic impact
“If the current reduction in travel to the United States continues, it could cost up
to $90 billion this year alone, along with tens of thousands of jobs. Tariffs will
drive up prices and productivity will slow if mass deportations come for the farm
workers who pick our food, the construction workers who build our homes and the
care workers who look after children and the elderly. International students pay to
attend American universities; their demonization and dehumanization could
imperil the $44 billion they put into our economy each year and threaten a sector
with a greater trade surplus than our civilian aircraft sector.
The outlook gets worse with time. Why would other countries choose to invest in a
country where the president roils global markets through social media posts, profits
from crypto schemes that fleece ordinary people and undermines the rule of law
upon which commerce depends? It’s far more likely that nations will make trade
deals and forge supply chains without the United States while China and its
growing list of partners accelerate a movement away from the dollar as the world’s
reserve currency.”
“After 250 years of growing more diverse and more connected to the world, Mr.
Trump and his cohort are imposing the staid insularity of self-imposed decline. The
draining of democratic values from our national identity will leave America
defined by its size, power and quixotic lust for profit: a place, not an idea.
Roosevelt left us the inheritance of believing we were the good guys. Mr. Trump is
eviscerating that pretense as cuts to U.S.A.I.D. have almost certainly caused more
civilian deaths than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
--------------
Polls reflect Trump’s inept economic policies
John Nichols delves into how Trump’s poll numbers have collapsed, The Nation,
April 29, 2025 (https://thenation.com/article/politics/trump-polling-numbers-have-
collapsed). Here’s some of what he writes.
“After the first 100 days of his second term, Donald Trump occupies the national
stage as a historically unpopular president—a suddenly exposed and challenged
commander in chief whose combination of scorching ineptitude and creeping
authoritarianism has removed the veil of invincibility that Trump obtained in the
period leading up to and immediately following his inauguration on January 20.
“Trump’s personal approval ratings are collapsing. So are the polling numbers that
measure enthusiasm for his approach to issues that were once considered to be his
strong suit. And so, too, are the numbers for his congressional allies, who now face
the very real potential for defeats in the 2026 midterm elections that could leave
Trump’s administration without the ability to govern in the last two years of his
second term.”
“Media outlets released four major new polls today, all pegged to the 100-day mark
of Trump’s second term, all with similar findings,” observed Stelter.
“The headlines:
Washington Post/ABC News: “Trump approval sinks as Americans criticize his
major policies.”
CNN: “Trump’s approval at 100 days lower than any president in seven decades.”
NBC: “Americans vent disappointment with Trump ahead of his 100-day mark,
especially on tariffs.”
CBS: “Trump’s first 100 days seen as bringing big changes, but still too much
focus on tariffs.”
“
Trump’s actual poll numbers are worse than those headlines suggest,” Nichols
points out. He’s not just doing badly. He’s doing epically badly. Just 39 percent of
those surveyed for the latest ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll approve of
how Trump is serving as president. The ABC analysis of that figure explained,
“Donald Trump has the lowest 100-day job approval rating of any president in the
past 80 years, with public pushback on many of his policies and extensive
economic discontent, including broad fears of a recession.”
“Even supposedly conservative pollsters are suggesting that Trump’s in trouble,
with Rasmussen Reports finding that, by a 51–42 margin, Americans think the
country is headed in the wrong direction under Trump. The overall pattern, as
reflected in the Real Clear Politics survey of all recent polls, finds that voters
believe, by a 51–39 margin, that the country is off course.
“An even more serious concern for Trump and his allies is the collapse in faith in
the president’s ability to deal with what were considered to be his strongest issues.
“The new Associated Press/IPSOS poll finds that 53 percent of Americans now
disapprove of the president’s handling of immigration policy, while just 46 percent
approve. Independent voters, whose support is critical for Trump, disapprove of his
handling of migrant and refugee concerns by a staggering 61–37 margin. And the
trouble is not limited to that one issue. The new Fox News poll finds that just 38
percent approve of Trump’s approach to taxes and the overall economy, while an
even smaller cohort—a mere 33 percent— backs his handling of inflation.
“For congressional Republicans who have stuck with Trump, the poll numbers
have taken a major turn for the worse. The Fox News survey finds that, were the
mid-term elections held now, voters would back generic Democratic candidates
over Republicans by a 49–42 margin. That sort of split, were it to be reflected in
the November 2026 midterm election results, would obliterate Republican control
of the House.”
“Trump’s ability to intimidate and discourage those who disagree with him is
crumbling, as mass demonstrations against his policies erupt across the country
and critics are boldly speaking out in the bluntest of terms.”
Concluding thoughts
Trump is taking the economy on a precarious path that will likely isolate the
United States from the global economy, create shortages of goods and services
here, find ways to enrich himself and the rich, with attempts to make the U.S. an
authoritarian state, dismissing due process at a whim.