Donald Trump will soon mark 100 days in power – where does his opposition stand?
Donald Trump has not been president for a hundred days – he will pass that marker at the end of April. Already the assessments are in: this is the most disruptive and transformative start ever to a presidential term.
The United States government is being turned inside out by Elon Musk.
The New York Times reports that Trump’s “expansive interpretation of presidential power” is an attempt “to consolidate power over courts, congress and more”.
In other words, to defang the legislature and the judiciary, the two other, supposedly independent, branches of government established to act as checks and balances to presidential autarchy.
On the international stage, the White House has, in practice, given the green light to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to up their assaults on Ukraine and Gaza, while cold shouldering NATO allies.
These are big and controversial changes for which Trump claims a mandate after winning both the electoral college and the popular vote in last year’s election.
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Tesla vandals are ‘terrorists’
His dramatic moves might be expected to stimulate as much passion among politicians as they are in the general public.
Yet – perhaps because Trump is judged to be so powerful at this stage – his elected opponents at home and abroad are struggling to organise effectively against him.
A two-party fight
American politics is strictly a two-party fight. There are no significant third forces.
Politicians are either Republican or Democrat.
Outside election years when both parties have presidential nominees, there is no equivalent to a British leader of the opposition, fighting the president blow by blow.
What opposition there is to an incumbent president is led from the US Congress.
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Mr Trump signs order to dismantle education department
Currently the Democrats are in an exceptionally weak position because they are in the minority in both the US Senate and the House of Representatives.
They are routinely outvoted by the Republicans.
This month, to the disgust of many Democrats, their party leadership in the Senate passed up on a rare chance to oppose the Trump administration.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, and eight other Democratic senators sided with the Republicans to allow Trump’s Budget Resolution to pass.
Democrats, including Schumer, denounced the resolution because it contained massive cuts to government programmes such as housing, social security and healthcare.
But Schumer justified his last-minute change of heart because the federal government would have shut down unless the bill passed.
“A shutdown would shut down all government agencies, and it would solely be up to Trump and DOGE (department of government efficiency) and Musk what to open again, because they could determine what was essential,” he explained.
“So their goal of decimating the whole federal government, of cutting agency after agency after agency, would occur under a shutdown.”
Democrats in both Houses were furious. Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crocket said Schumer is “absolutely wrong”.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut argued that the Democrats had aided Trump and Musk’s plan to destroy government so they can hand control over to their “billionaire friends”.
Jon Stewart, the star host of the Daily Show, said simply of Schumer “you are a disgrace”.
Read more:
Trump signs order to dismantle US department of education
How has Trump – the ‘dealmaker’ – done on foreign policy?
TV comedians like Stewart and his former partners Stephen Colbert and John Oliver have become some of the most outspoken public critics of Trump.
They viciously mock the Democratic establishment, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, for repeatedly insisting that the MAGA “fever will break”.
Meanwhile, Schumer protests that it will not be possible to do sensible deals in Congress until Trump’s popularity rating drops to 40%.
It could be a long wait. At the moment the president stands at around 48% approval while the Democrats are at a pitiful 27%.
This is not a basis from which they can confidently expect to harvest in 2026, the backlash against the president’s party which often occurs in mid-term elections.
There is little coherence as senior Democrats mount their own freelance campaigns.
Two prominent radicals from blue states, Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are outspoken about the violations of the Constitution which they believe the administration is perpetrating.
Together they are embarking on a nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. They are joined in anger by the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, who denounces “villainous cruelty by a handful of idiots”.
Sanders, 83, ran for the Democrat nomination in the past.
Both Ocasio-Cortez and Pritzker have been talked about as possible future runners.
Other Democrats worry that their values are too leftish and woke to win back the extra votes their party needs.
This seems to be the view shared by other potential candidates for the 2028 nomination.
Some are keeping a low profile. Pete Buttigieg has declined to run for the Senate and Kamala Harris says she will not announce any plans until the autumn.
Two governors are emerging as early hopefuls: Gavin Newsom in California and Harris’ former running mate, Tim Walz, in Minnesota.
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Newsom spotted Trump’s dominance on social media and in the manosphere of podcasting.
Newsom has adopted an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” strategy and set up his own podcast series.
His guest list is raising eyebrows for including Trump’s outrider Steve Bannon and other prominent MAGA figures.
When he finally got his invitation, centrist dad Walz wanted to know why Newsom is promoting “bad guys”.
So the Democrats in the US are arguing with each other and still looking for a way to take on Trump beyond hoping that his popularity will drop before he has terminally destroyed the democratic system.
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Trump 100: What song would represent the last week in US politics?
Political leaders across the spectrum in Europe are privately aghast at what looks like the end of international politics as they have known it.
But they do not want to provoke Trump’s vindictive wrath by pointing out publicly that he is destroying America’s role as the lynchpin of the Western alliance.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Chancellor in waiting, Friedrich Merz, have one key asset: Trump is overwhelmingly unpopular in their countries.
This allows them to adopt a two-faced strategy – smilingly trying to salvage whatever they can from their existing links, while preparing to defend their countries with America as an unreliable ally and seemingly as an economic foe.
No one has a plan to take on Trump directly.
The best they have come up with is to hope he goes too far and destroys himself.
In so many ways that is not a safe bet. Trump’s first hundred days may yet be the least extraordinary of his term.
US
JD Vance hits out at Denmark during Greenland visit after Donald Trump says US ‘needs’ the island
JD Vance has told Denmark it has “not done a good job” with Greenland during a visit to the territory – as President Donald Trump repeated his call for the US to take over the island.
Vice President Vance, his wife Usha and other senior US officials arrived at an American military base in Greenland, the semi-autonomous territory that has been a part of Denmark for more than 600 years.
Follow latest: Key takeaways from Vance’s speech in Greenland
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Mr Vance said.
“You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people.
“We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic.”
Shortly before Mr Vance spoke from Greenland on Friday, Mr Trump continued his threats of taking over the territory, saying: “We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security.
“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of you think we can do without it – we can’t.”
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‘We need Greenland’ says Trump
The one-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik – located on the northwest coast of the territory – has avoided violating potential diplomatic taboos of a state sending a delegation to another country, without an invitation.
The trip had been scaled back after locals were angered that the original itinerary was made without consulting them – particularly in light of Mr Trump’s repeated claims that the US should control Greenland.
Speaking to soldiers at the US base, Mr Vance claimed Denmark – and Europe by extension – has failed to protect the region.
JD Vance tours the US military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Pic: Reuters
He said: “This place, this base, this surrounding area, is less secure than it was 30-40 years ago, as some of our allies have not kept up…
“Europe (has) not kept pace… with military spending, and Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of aggressive incursions from Russia, China, and other nations.”
Mr Vance said Mr Trump was “a president of peace”, adding: “We respect the self-determination of Greenlanders, we believe in the self-determination of the population of Greenland.”
Asked if plans have been drafted to use military force to take over Greenland, he indicated the White House planned to wait for the people of the territory to vote for self-determination before acting.
“What the president has said… is that we need to have more of a position in Greenland,” he added.
Read more:
Why does Trump want to take over Greenland?
Russia and America’s Arctic plans another challenge for Europe
JD Vance and his wife have lunch with soldiers at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Pic: AP
Greenland is the world’s largest island, with a population of 57,000, and is also a founding member of NATO.
Straddling the Arctic circle between the US, Russia and Europe, the island offers a unique geopolitical advantage that America has eyed for more than 150 years.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was not surprised the US wants control of Greenland given its long-time interest in the mineral-rich territory.
“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration,” Mr Putin said.
Two events this week will give Greenland and friends in Europe a juddering sense of alarm.
From the West, the US vice president JD Vance has landed for a controversial visit, despatched by a president openly talking of annexation.
From the East a speech from a Russian leader hinting at carving up the Arctic and its vast mineral wealth with Moscow’s new friends in Washington.
The US vice president and his wife arrive at the US military base in Greenland. Pic: Reuters
In a closely watched speech, Vladimir Putin seemed to give Donald Trump’s plans to seize Greenland the green light.
They were “serious”, he said, and “have deep historical roots”.
Kremlin officials went further saying Russia was open to cooperating with America to exploit the Arctic with “joint investment”.
The Arctic is a huge prize. Its vast mineral wealth is increasingly accessible thanks to climate change.
Russia is well placed to exploit it with bases and ports ringing the Arctic Circle.
Mr Putin though warned that “NATO countries in general are increasingly designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts”.
A map of what surrounds the Arctic Circle
This would appear to be a warning to European nations to back off.
Yet another challenge for Europe
The threat of Russia and America jointly exploiting the Arctic in a great power carve-up is yet another challenge for Europe in this new Trumpian world order. And Greenland is caught in the middle.
Mr Trump has said he thinks the American annexation of Greenland “will happen”.
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What do Greenlanders make of Trump?
He said so with breezy nonchalance in front of NATO’s secretary general in the White House as if taking another alliance member’s territory was entirely normal.
Astonishingly NATO secretary general Mark Rutte did not push back at the idea.
Read more:
Why does Trump want to take over Greenland?
Donald Trump says he thinks US will annex Greenland
Both President Trump and his vice president say America needs Greenland for security.
This seems disingenuous. There are no hostile fleets circling the Arctic territory whatever they claim.
Besides, America already has a military base there and could ask to build more.
Mr Vance also says Denmark has neglected Greenland. Denmark actually subsidises the territory to the tune of £480m a year.
In reality, what the Trump administration seeks in Greenland is what it seems to seek in Ukraine. Mineral wealth.
When we visited this month, Greenlanders told Sky News Mr Trump’s threats are little more than a gangster shakedown.
A menacing threat designed to extract material gain.
There is no appetite for an American takeover among Greenlanders. And no enthusiasm for the vice president and his wife.
US officials were reportedly going door to door this week asking if anyone would like to meet America’s second lady. None said yes.
The Vances have had to downscale their visit, and have only gone to the US base at Pittufik.
But it seems the Trump administration is determined one way or another to acquire more territory and Greenland seems top of the list.
And its president may have been persuaded by Mr Putin it is in his best interests to share the world with Russia, whatever that means for America’s allies.
That is a challenge they will need to meet.
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US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene hit the headlines this week when she told Sky’s US correspondent Martha Kelner to “go back to your own country”.
It was the latest controversy in a political career for the Republican firebrand – a staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
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Sky reporter told ‘go back to your own country’
But who is she and how influential has she become?
Host Jonathan Samuels speaks to Tia Mitchell, Washington bureau chief for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who has been covering Ms Taylor Greene since she first entered politics five years ago.
She tells us what she’s like in person, how she emerged and her most controversial moments.
Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse
Editor: Paul Stanworth & Philly Beaumont
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