Trump marks first 100 days of second term

As he marks 100 days in office, much ink will be spilled on Donald Trump's divisive transformation of the US government, but Democrats are themselves under scrutiny over missteps in opposing his blitz of reforms.

In AFP interviews, multiple political analysts said Democrats have become a rudderless, divided party struggling to decide what it stands for. "If I were giving them a letter grade, it would be a C-, below average.

They don't understand yet why they lost to Donald Trump," said veteran political strategist Matt Klink.

"The party continues to focus on issues that are unpopular with the American public -- men playing in women's sports, support for illegal immigration and fighting cuts, any cuts, to the federal bureaucracy." What's more, "most voters (are) not listening or caring" to Democrats' allegations that Trump is a dictator or authoritarian, Klink said.

Booted out of the White House and reduced to a minority in Congress, Democrats' opportunities to make their mark in Trump's Washington are threadbare.

But most analysts interviewed by AFP said the party could have better articulated a coherent message, unified around priorities and tactics, and figured out how and when to oppose Trump.

"Broadly speaking, I think most Americans would regard congressional Democrats as failing to meet the moment," said Flavio Hickel, a politics professor at Washington College.

Central to the frustration is the disconnect between their dire warnings of the threat Trump poses to democracy and their enthusiasm for being seen cooperating with his administration.

In a whirlwind first three months in office, Trump has unleashed a trade war, stoked allies' fears that America has switched sides in the Russia-Ukraine war, and unleashed tech billionaire Elon Musk to dismantle much of the federal bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, Democratic senators have voted to confirm Trump cabinet appointees, doing little to slow down his breakneck agenda and even voting with Republicans to pass immigration legislation.

- Resistance - "We're not going to go after every single issue," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the New York Times in February.

"We are picking the most important fights and lying down on the train tracks on those fights." But Schumer -- and potential 2028 presidential contenders like governors Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer -- have infuriated grassroots activists over various efforts to cooperate with the White House or build bridges with Trump's "MAGA" movement.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have been mocked on social media for ineffective gestures such as silently waving paddles bearing protest slogans during Trump's speech to Congress.

Rare glimpses of a fightback have included victory in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and a hugely popular "Fighting Oligarchy" tour by progressive lawmakers Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Popular New Jersey senator Cory Booker provided a possible roadmap for eye-catching opposition, say analysts, with a blockbuster 25-hour Senate speech that made headlines for days. But Madeline Summerville, a former communications advisor and speechwriter for Democratic state senators, said Booker's actual message had been lost in the noise.

"The Dems struggle with messaging. They don't understand that you need a rallying cry -- a slogan -- to motivate the masses. And that slogan needs to be clear, concise, and inspiring," she said. "They're calling on people to 'fight oligarchy' but they're not telling us how -- nor is that a very catchy slogan."

Andrew Koneschusky, a former communications aide to Schumer, said that he would give Democrats in Congress a D grade, noting that while individual lawmakers were making a splash, "no one seems to be conducting the orchestra."

But he was more optimistic about grassroots opposition, which he awarded a B grade, pointing to lawsuits that have had some success in reining Trump in.

"After a deafening silence, we're also seeing more visible signs of resistance such as the recent marches in Washington, DC and across the country that drew hundreds of thousands of people," he said. "It feels like Democrats are finally emerging from their post-election funk."

Donald Trump's first 100 days back in the US presidency have showcased his unique ability to shock -- and sometimes entertain -- with outrageous remarks that pull no punches.

From stroking his ego to berating American allies, here are some of Trump's most memorable quotes since he returned to the White House: -- "I was saved by God to make America great again" Trump cast himself as a messianic-like figure on his first day back in office, as he recounted to US lawmakers how he survived an assassination attempt at a campaign event in Pennsylvania last year. -- "A Dictator without Elections" The president's extraordinary verdict on Volodymyr Zelensky marked a major shift in previously friendly US relations toward the Ukrainian leader, who accused Trump of succumbing to Russian "disinformation."

Trump later walked back the comment made in February on his Truth Social platform, asking a journalist, "Did I say that?" -- "These countries are calling us up, kissing my ass" This mocking remark about world leaders made at a Republican conference in April came as countries desperately sought to temper Trump's sweeping tariffs, which upended global markets before he announced a 90-day pause.

-- "The Riviera of the Middle East" Trump's startling vision for a US-led takeover and transformation of war-torn Gaza into a luxury resort drew audible gasps at a February news conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. -- "Canada should become our Cherished 51st State."

America's northern neighbor was furious about this Truth Social post by Trump in February, which sparked real concerns among some Canadians of a looming US annexation attempt.

-- "The European Union was formed to screw the United States" Trump set the tone for hostile trade relations with the EU at his first cabinet meeting in February, reversing course on a decades-long record of US backing for the 27-nation economic and political bloc. -- "This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges' I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED" Trump, the first convicted felon to be elected president, drew a rare public rebuke from the Supreme Court chief justice after he called for the impeachment of Judge James Boasberg in a Truth Social post in March. Boasberg was one of several judges to curtail Trump's executive power -- in this case over migrant deportation flights -- due to concerns about the legality of his administration's actions.

Donald Trump promised to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia within "24 hours" of returning to the White House. Three months in and despite a brief Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the war is still raging, with the prospect of a ceasefire more uncertain than ever.

The US president has failed to extract any major concessions from Moscow, despite repeated talks between his administration and Russian officials, and publicly accused Ukraine's wartime leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, of being a "dictator".

He has meanwhile embarked on a quest to warm ties with Putin that has alienated Kyiv and driven a wedge between Washington and Europe. Many in Russia are jubilant at the prospect of closer ties with the White House.

While in Ukraine, the idea of long-term peace has faded. "Nothing is happening. In real terms, people hear sirens every day, see bombs, and people get killed," the head of the Kyiv School of Economics, Tymofiy Mylovanov, told AFP.

"Putin is taking everyone for a ride," he said. Since Trump's inauguration in January, US officials have held several rounds of talks with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in an attempt to reach a truce. In the meantime, Russia has kept up strikes on Ukraine unabated, killing dozens of people in ballistic missile attacks in the past two weeks alone.

Ukraine's army has also lost its grip on territory in Russia's western Kursk region, its only notable bargaining chip. "So far, there have been no changes, actually, in our city, it has only gotten worse," Anna Klyshkina, a 29-year-old photographer from Ukraine's Sumy, said of Trump.

On Sunday, two Russian ballistic missiles slammed into her city, killing 35 people and wounding more than 100 others in one of the deadliest attacks in months.

- 'He's a showman' - There has been little tangible progress on a ceasefire despite Trump's push.

Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire put to him in March. Both sides agreed to halt strikes on energy targets, though no formal agreement was ever put in place; both accused the other of violating it, and Russia said Friday that the order had "expired".

Moscow's army has continued its grinding advance across the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, albeit at a slower pace than at the end of last year.

It has also pushed Kyiv's troops almost completely out of the Kursk region and advanced into the frontier areas of Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region.

Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr said he always had a "negative" opinion of Trump. "And it remains so," the 22-year-old told AFP, sitting on a bench in Sumy on his break. "He's not a politician, he's a showman," he said.

The Trump administration briefly cut military aid to Ukraine in March, dealing a major blow to Kyiv. The decision was a stunning reversal of Joe Biden's policy of doing "whatever it takes, as long as it takes" to support Ukraine.

Trump has also repeatedly echoed Russian talking points, calling at one point for new elections to replace Zelensky, whom he falsely claimed had a "four percent approval rating".

Tensions between the two came to a head in February, when Trump berated Zelensky in a televised meeting at the Oval Office and told him he was being "disrespectful", shocking Washington's allies. Days after Russia's deadly attack on Sumy, Trump renewed his criticism of Zelensky and Ukraine. "You don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size," he said, referring to Zelensky. Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022.

- 'What is missing is peace' - Trump has also lashed out at Russia, ordering it to "get moving" on securing a deal and telling NBC News last month that he was "pissed off" with Putin. But the tone remains more conciliatory than before.

The Kremlin said in March that Trump's dramatic shift in foreign policy largely aligned with its vision, after Washington sided with Moscow twice at the United Nations.