Sadiq S BhatWashington, DC — It was sunny and bright in the US capital. The sky, a hard blue. A slight wind tugged at flags atop the Eisenhower building. The kind of day that looks cheerful, but also feels restless.
One hundred days into President Donald Trump's return to the White House, the weather didn't quite match the mood.
But in the think-tanks, embassies and cafes along K Street, a major thoroughfare in Washington, DC — there was a different kind of mood.
Conversations moved in low tones: What has he done? What will he undo? And how far will this go?
To some, Trump's second term feels like a continuation of his first — an administration driven by instinct, disruption and a contempt for consensus.
To others, it is something sharper this time. More strategic, more ideological.
David Schultz, professor at Hamline University, and author of more than 40 books, has been watching Trump closely.
"Trump's strategy has mostly isolated the US in terms of working relationships with other countries. His strategy seems to be to declare a problem or crisis and then claim he has solved it," he tells TRT World.
It is a familiar pattern, he says — first NAFTA, now tariffs and trade.
"US power rests on military, diplomatic, cultural and economic power. Trump seems to think only the economic matters and that he can just push the US weight around. Perhaps in a different era when the US GDP was so dominant in the world the US could do that."
But the world has changed.
Despite a blitz of executive orders and sweeping rhetoric, Trump’s early second-term agenda has produced little lasting policy, and even less alignment with voter’s top concerns.
Signs of national unease
Professor Paul M Collins, Jr, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, offers a measured take.
He acknowledges that Trump's economic intentions — particularly regarding jobs — have resonance.
"The Trump administration's tariff strategy is intended in part to bring certain jobs from overseas to America. This is an important goal, although it does not seem to be working the way Trump thought it would."
Collins points to volatility.
"You can see this in the uncertainty surrounding Trump's strategy of increasing and decreasing tariffs on a nearly daily basis. If this continues, it will likely motivate other nations to seek out more stable trading partners, potentially pushing the US towards economic isolation."
Trump, meanwhile, continues to hold sway over much of the Republican base —particularly on immigration — but there are signs of national unease.
Donald Trump announces huge new tariffs of 34 percent on imports from China, 20 percent on imports from EU — two of the main US trade partners — also including 24 percent on Japan and 26 percent on India.
David Levine, the honorable Raymond L Sullivan professor of law at UC Law San Francisco, is more direct.
"Whatever the goal, Mr Trump's pursuit of using tariffs as a very blunt presidential tool has cost US investors untold trillions of dollars in the value of holdings in the securities markets and has hurt many US-based industries such as farming, aircraft manufacturing and tourism."
Allies are rattled, he notes.
"European, Canadian, Australian and many other allies are reacting with alarm. The moves away from NATO and Ukraine in favour of closer ties with Russia seem to make no sense to many of our traditional allies."
But it's the domestic front — immigration, budget cuts, executive orders — where Levine believes damage is growing.
A structural overhaul
"The spending cuts have been done in very careless and indiscriminate ways, which will harm the country for many years to come. The demonstrations you see across the country and the very low poll numbers are strong evidence that the administration has overplayed its mandate very badly."
Still, the administration marches on.
Rachel Williams, a DC-based political expert, offers a contrasting portrait of government in motion to TRT World.
"During his first 100 days in office, President Trump placed a strong emphasis on enhancing border security and enforcing immigration laws. The administration reported a massive decrease in illegal border crossings."
She details a sweeping effort — both on immigration and on economic reform.
"Executive orders enabled federal agencies to tackle undocumented immigrants with criminal records ... President Trump's economic strategy has centred on revitalising domestic industry via deregulation and strategic investment promotion."
Trillions of dollars in private sector investment. Rollbacks on environmental regulations. A clear pivot to fossil fuels.
"The administration prioritised fossil fuel development, marked by the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the repeal of federal mandates promoting electric vehicles introduced under the previous administration," she says
She also points to a structural overhaul.
"To improve federal government operations, the Trump administration established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
And the pace? Relentless.
"President Trump signed 142 executive orders within his first 100 days — many aimed at reducing the scope of the federal government. The president was able to reverse policies on climate change and most diversity initiatives introduced during the Biden administration," Williams says.
A government reshaped. A country redefined. A leader unmoved by backlash.
A hundred days in, the scorecard is incomplete. But the tone is set.
This is an administration reimagining America's place in the world and reengineering the institutions at home.
Whether this is the dawn of something new in America or the unravelling of what was —depends on what comes next.
But for now, the verdict stands: "a mixed bag."
