Trump’s First 100 Days of Authoritarianism — Crashing Polls and Stock Markets, Coming Empty Shelves, Job Losses, Court Challenges and the Rise of ‘Furious’ Americans

Well, we’re finally here. The first hundred days of Trump’s authoritarian regime. What do we have?

Amidst falling stock markets and his “Day of Liberation” of tariffs, Trump’s poll numbers on just about every issue are crashing. And crashing badly.

An average of different polls on his job approval rating at 100 days has Trump at the lowest level of any other president in 70 years. That average has him at a 43% approval rating with a 54% of disapproval. Some polls, like the recent Washington Post / ABC / Ipso poll, have him down to a 39% approval raring.

Economists are predicting empty shelves in markets across the country within a couple of weeks, especially if the tariff war with China continues; some are predicting a recession by summer. On trade and tariffs, the poll averages have 39% of Americans approving and 61% disapproving.

He’s under the water on every issue.

It’s no secret that the tariffs and trade policies have crashed the DOW and other markets, with up to losses of $6 Trillion. Thousands of Americans have been thrown out of their jobs by Doge and Musk.

There’s been 224 court cases challenging his policies, executive orders and firings — with the substantial number succeeding. He’s ordered the unprecedented dismantling of the federal government, dismissed scientists and researchers, is threatening Social Security and Medicare.

Judges have been arrested; US citizens have been deported; American troops are at the border with Mexico now with the authority to detain and search citizens.

International students have been arrested and deported for their political views. Law firms and universities have been intimidated and have bowed to Trump’s demands. The same with major media and press establishments. US Senators have been threatened by the White House if they depart from Trump’s tariff policies and powers. He’s alienated just about every country in the world, he’s dropped support for Ukraine, he’s deeply tarnished the relations with key allies, like Mexico and Canada.

Yet, on top of all this, the recent months and weeks have seen the rise of a pissed off citizenry, where Americans “furious” at Trump and Musk and the direction they’re taking the country, have risen up and non-violently demonstrated and protested again and again in massive numbers, and in every state and just about in every city and in many small towns.

Today, to mark his first hundred days, Trump is holding a rally in Macon County, Michigan. He doesn’t like those poll numbers and he’s engaging in a PR campaign to show his base that he’s on track to do what he said he’d do. (You know, bring down the price of eggs, end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, ‘make America affordable’…)

More and more Americans, however, are waking up. Only 42% vs 57% support his management of the Federal government. Only 41% believe Trump is looking out for the average citizen vs. 58%. Only 28% of those polled agree with how he’s attacked universities vs 70% who disapprove.

Only 30% approve of the freeze on foreign aid vs. 62%. Only 33% approve of the ending of the Department of Education versus 60%. Only 39% approve of the deportation of international students for their views on the Middle East compared to 59% in opposition. The lists go on.

So, what’s going to happen during the next hundred days? Some fear that things will get worse because Donald Trump wants to prove that he runs the country and the world. (He actually told a reporter from The Atlantic that “I run the country and the world.”) Looks like he will try to use the US military to search and arrest Americans and use them for “crowd control.”

It’s up to the rest of us to tell him and his sycophants that ‘No, you don’t. We don’t have kings in this country. 250 years ago, we got rid of one — and we can do it again, if we must.’

We just might have to.

MSNBC