Trump's Second First One Hundred Days

It's time to Break It Down!

 

Yesterday marked the 100^th day of Donald Trump’s second term in office. It was a day, like any other day since the onset of the first term. One which was highlighted by the stark contrast in the two sides of the political divide. Trump surrogates and supporters were flung across the span of the airways heaping abundant praise on Donald Trump. Conversely, those who view Trump’s policy prescriptions as onerous were pointing out the pain, fear, and straight up chaos raining down upon the American landscape, as a result of his always brash, often profane assertions.

 

Three weeks ago, speaking before a National Republican Congressional Committee dinner, Trump insisted, “I know what the hell I’m doing,” and further boasted that, world leaders are “kissing my ass” as they try to negotiate trade deals. On Monday in an interview with The Atlantic, he professed, speaking of his second term, “I run the country and the world.”  

 

Trump-o-philes like that. For them, he is the man of the hour. GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said, “President Trump understood the assignment from the first day in office. Many praised the pace at which he’s moving, and several included in their social media taglines, the phrase, “Promises made, promises kept.”

 

Indeed, he has done a lot. He’s signed 140 Executive Orders – the most by any President in his first 100 days. FDR, the previous record holder signed 99. He has, however fallen behind other presidents, in terms of passing legislation. He has only signed 5 bills into law. Even Sleepy Joe signed 11.

 

Despite his frenetic pace, a simple truism has been underscored; activity doesn’t always equal movement, especially positive movement. Polling, for whatever it’s worth, suggests there is a growing level of dissatisfaction with the Trump show. So, while his most enthusiastic supporters appear to like everything he does, no matter how gross, or how over dramatized, some of the support Trump attracted during the campaign is waning. 

 

In one Poll, 64% of Independents say Trump’s Tariff policies will hurt their finances. Meanwhile, his net favorable rating among nonwhite voters fell from -27 points to -39 points, as his net favorability among those under age 30 fell even more precipitously, from -12 points to -47 points. Also, back to Independents, his net favorability fell from -9 points to -30 points. In another poll, asking how have Trump’s policies affected U.S. Economic Conditions, 59% said they Worsened Conditions, 27% said they Improved Conditions, while 14% said they had No Effect. Another poll found Trump’s approval at 100 days was lower than any president in the last seven decades. One Poll from last week found 39% Approve of the President’s performance, while 59% Disapprove. Perhaps, the most interesting Poll was one from last week that found Trump’s Net Approval Rating on dealing with Ukraine was -13 points, and with Russia, -18 points. While the former Polls were conducted by an array of outlets Trump doesn’t like, the Ukraine, Russia polling was conducted by Fox News. 

 

Regardless of the source, Trump who crows about positive polls and fumes about the negative ones, characterized these polls with a predictable series of dismissiveness, using a bevy of terms, including, fake, corrupt, compromised, sad, negative, sick, investigations, criminals, and cheats. 

 

Trump detractors haven’t exactly been silent. They have noted, among other things, Trump:

 

Initiated a purge of diversity initiatives

 

Granted clemency to nearly 1,600 people who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021,

including those caught beating police officers on camera

 

Signed 140 executive orders (26 of them on his first day in office)

 

Fired independent regulators

 

Gutted entire agencies; laid off great swaths of the federal workforce; and invoked 18th-century wartime powers to use against a criminal gang from Venezuela

 

Declared, undeclared, revised, and redeclared tariffs like a DJ spinning knobs in the booth, upsetting the rhythms of global trade and inducing vertigo in the financial markets

 

Raged at the leader of Ukraine, a democratic ally repelling an imperialist invasion, for not being “thankful”

 

Praised the leader of the invading country, Russia, as “very smart,” reversing in an instant 80 years of U.S. foreign policy doctrine, and prompting the countries of NATO to prepare for their own defense, without the protective umbrella of American power, for the first time since 1945.

 

In reflecting upon the space we Americans collectively occupy, I am reminded of the immortal opening paragraph of Dickens’ A TaIe of Two Cities, in which he opined, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

 

These three months and ten days have been a metaphorical roller coaster, to be sure. But as I caution anyone who will listen; you ain’t seen nothing yet. “Trump’s Second First One Hundred Days!”

 

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime, by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2025/04/trumps-second-first-one-hundred-days.html

Pontiff Slips The Mortal Coil: A Timely Transition

It's time to Break It Down!

 

Jorge Mario Bergoglio died Monday. If that were the headline of almost any newspaper in the world, two dqys ago, very few people would have batted an eye. Instead, the headline worldwide was, Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio), born December 17,1936, died April 21, 2025. The Pope, as you know, is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, 

 

A papal conclave elected Bergoglio as the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned February 28, 2013. He became the 266^th Pope on March 13, 2013, and served for 12 years, until his death, Monday. From a long line of Popes, Pope Francis held several firsts. He was the first pope from the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), the first Latin American, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside of Europe since the 8^th century, when Pope Gregory III was from Syria. 

 

Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After recovering from a severe illness, while in his 20’s, he was inspired to join the Jesuits. He was ordained as a Catholic Priest in 1969. From 1973 to 1979, he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He was elevated to archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and became a cardinal in 2001.

 

Bergoglio chose Francis as his papal name, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. In the entirety of his public life Francis was noted for his humility, emphasis on God’s mercy, international visibility as pope, concern for the poor, and commitment to interreligious dialogue. 

 

He was known for having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors. For example, he chose to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae (House of St. Martha) guest house, rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes. Francis made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia. He asserted that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic toward LGBTQ people and stated that although blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, the LGBTQ individuals can be blessed, if blessings are not given in a liturgical context. Francis was a critic of trickle-down economics, consumerism, and overdevelopment. He made climate change action a major focus of his papacy, he viewed the death penalty as inadmissible in all cases and committed the Catholic Church to its worldwide abolition.

 

Pope Francis criticized right-wing populism, supported decriminalization of homosexuality, condemned Israel’s military action in Gaza, opposed anti-immigration politics, including those of Donald Trump. After making his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, he died on Easter Monday, following a stroke, and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. “Pontiff Slips The Mortal Coil: A Timely Transition!”

 

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime, by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2025/04/pontiff-slips-mortal-coil-timely.html

The Journey to American Dystopia

It's time to Break It Down!

 

There are numerous voices positing that America is set upon a course running full speed, and headlong into dystopia. A president who expressed aspirations of being a dictator, if only for a day, seems to have had a change of heart, as one day, became day one…and every day that followed.

 

The President, who alleged the previous administration used “law fare” to target him, has set out to take retribution on those who disagreed with him, which for all practical purposes aligns with his definition of targeting. He has interpreted the powers of the Executive Office to be absolute, and the members of his Party, with few exceptions have demonstrated almost Borg-like capitulation to that notion. Moreover, even the highest Court in the land has, best-case scenario, extended him a lengthy runway to execute that strategy, and worst-case scenario, shown that it has no appetite whatsoever, to reel him in.

 

As Trump winds his way through the first 100 days of his second term, he has been busy establishing himself as Culture Warrior-in-Chief. The irony here is, Republicans have long cast Democrats, liberals, and the left, writ large3 as the originators of culture war. That is projection at its finest, something the GOP has raised to an artform.

 

Trumpers have elevated two principal euphemisms in what they characterize as the War on Woke. They lead with DEI, which if you believe them, is the source of everything bad in America…except for those detestable immigrants, of course. But I’ll save discussion of that “evil” for another day. DEI is the scourge that they swear imperils Western Civilization.

 

So, there is really one, and only one thing you need to know about this irrefutable (according to them) truth. DEI, and Western Civilization are verbal evasions; place holders, if you will. In lowest common denominator terms, DEI equates to Black; Western Civilization translates to white. In essence, for them, it’s the classic struggle between good, the latter, and evil, the former. In other words, if we don’t shut down DEI, which they flatly argue is the infusion and elevation of all things (people really) Black, which they characterize as unworthy, unqualified, and unwanted, the entirety of Western Civilization, the white world broadly, but white America, especially, will succumb to the grossly incapable and unfit.

 

So, as the biggest bully, with the loudest megaphone, Trump, bolstered by his band of merry warriors is wreaking havoc on the financial markets, destroying social contracts, attacking the judicial system, disemboweling the federal government, blackmailing law firms, defunding educational and research institutions, and, installing his personal lackeys and sycophants, ostensibly, to usher in the New Trump Order. “The Journey to American Dystopia!”

 

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime, by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-journey-to-american-dystopia.html

Here's My Number; Use It...Or Else

It's time to Break It Down!

I decided to make this a succinct post about current events. Here it is.

Yesterday evening, Trump told a group of Republicans, hours before the tariffs were set to take effect, “These countries are calling us up. Kissing my ass. They are dying to make a deal.”

This not so humble brag epitomizes the brinksmanship the President of the United States is foisting upon the American public, our allies and trading partners, our competitors, and all other nations who would do business with the United States. Moreover, he framed it as if that were an offer no one could refuse. Basically, “Here’s My Number; Use It...Or Else!”

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/politics/trump-tariff-negotiations-foreign-leaders/index.html

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2025/04/heres-my-number-use-itor-else.html

Twenty-five Hours and Four Minutes

It's time to Break It Down!

On Thursday, August 29, 1957, at 9:12 p.m., SC Senator Strom Thurmond concluded a filibuster that he had begun at 8: 54 p.m., the previous day. Thurmond set a then record, in an effort to waylay the Civil Rights Act of 1957. He held the floor for twenty-four hours and eighteen minutes. Since that point, he has held the record for the longest single-person filibuster in United States Senate history. In fact, it was the longest single-person Senate speech…until yesterday.

On Monday evening, NJ Senator Cory Booker began speaking at 7:00 p.m. He did not relinquish the floor until 8:04 p.m. last night, setting a new record, twenty-five hours and four minutes. Technically, Booker’s oration was not a filibuster, since it was not designed to impede any specific piece of legislation, or nomination, but rather to issue a call to arms advising that the country is in crisis. He spoke out against an array of issues, including castigating Elon Musk’s efforts to overhaul the federal government, and Trump’s warning of potential cuts to key healthcare programs for millions of Americans.

Senator Booker said, “I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able. I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.”

He added, “In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the core foundations of our democracy. These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”

Booker, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team executed his speech at a time when voters have increasingly called for stouter opposition to Trump and his policies. All this while Trump and the GOP control the Executive Branch, the House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court is comprised of a two-thirds conservative majority.

Fundamentally excluded from the levers of power, and viewing the circumstances of their limited options, Senator’ Booker’s speech resonated as one of the most high-profile forms of protest by a Democratic Solon during Trump’s second term.

While no specific piece of legislation was defeated, the speech delayed most of Tuesday’s Senate business. In that regard, it principally amounted to a symbolic gesture. As he held the floor, Booker cited the spirit of the late Congressman John Lewis as his motivation. Lewis was a pivotal civil rights advocate. Thurmond, whose record Booker broke, set the record, attempting to defeat a civil rights bill, as he spoke against the 1957 Civil Rights Act. Senator Booker referenced a promise he had given Representative Lewis, vowing to make him proud. At 7:19 p.m., Senator Chuck Schumer interrupted Booker to advise him that he had broken the record.

Booker said, of Lewis, “He wouldn’t treat this moral moment like it was normal.” He then asked, “Where does the Constitution live? On paper or in our hearts?” 

TX Senator Ted Cruz, who held the floor for his own marathon speech in a 2013 filibuster against the Affordable Care Act, offered Booker this advice: “Wear comfortable shoes and don’t drink water.”

Though not a filibuster, the speech did keep the Senate floor open – and floor staff and US Capitol Police detailed to the chamber working – for as long as he continued speaking. Lawmakers had concluded voting on Monday before Booker began speaking. Democrats in the upper chamber widely praised Booker’s effort. CT Senator Chris Murphy appeared to smooth out the process by discussing the effort with Senators as they arrived on the floor and arranging speakers to ask Booker questions. Murphy spent the entire night in the Chamber. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Booker for his strength and conviction.

At the conclusion of Booker's time at the podium, House Democrats, standing in the back of the chamber, and Senate Democrats rose in a standing ovation. “Twenty-five Hours and Four Minutes!”

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/politics/booker-senate-floor-speech-trump-protest/index.html

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2025/04/twenty-five-hours-and-four-minutes.html