A Hundred Days of Decay

Donald Trump’s return to power is less a presidency than a dismantling — of law, of order, and of consequence.

Hey Small Biters,

​In April 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first 100 days revolutionized the American presidency. In April 2025, Donald Trump’s second 100 days have revealed something just as historic — a presidency that governs almost entirely by grievance, not policy.

It is a presidency hollowed out from the inside. Trump promised an “extraordinary” 100 days. And in one sense, he delivered: no major legislation, no economic coherence — just a stunning reengineering of federal power into a machine for vengeance and vanity.

Where Roosevelt built programs and hope, Trump has replaced structure with chaos, expertise with ideology, and cooperation with a climate of fear. These aren’t just bad policies. They’re the signs of a presidency that isn’t meant to last — but to loot.

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In a different world, Trump’s second term might’ve focused on manufacturing, infrastructure, or stabilizing inflation. His early polling surge opened a lane for bipartisan cooperation. Even Gretchen Whitmer extended an olive branch.

Instead, Trump rejected the idea of consensus and confirmed what many feared: he’s here not to lead, but to punish.

Trump's address to Congress said it all: “I could find a cure for the most devastating disease... and they would still be unhappy.” That wasn’t frustration. That was projection. Because for Trump, if Democrats propose something — even if it aligns with his stated goals — he will oppose it reflexively. Bipartisanship is betrayal in his worldview.

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So instead of legislation, we got elimination.