It seems like a lifetime ago, but it’s only been a month since Donald J Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
In that time, much has happened, and there has been much reaction. Love him or hate him, he has hit the ground.
Not all that noise and heat has come from the Oval Office either. Based slightly off-centre of campus, Elon Musk occupies the Eisenhower Executive Building from where his non-agency DOGE operates, and on the Hill various senators, congressmen and women have been throwing themselves into the chaos to curry favour with Trump and his MAGA followers ahead of elections in their districts.
We have seen some ridiculous proposals – to alter the Constitution to accommodate a third term but only for Donald Trump excluding Obama from throwing his hat back in the ring. There have been proposals to not only colonise Greenland but to rename it Red, White and Blue Land. And we have seen the preposterous – Google Maps and others renaming the body of water where I take my daily dips.
On a more serious note though just as equally outrageous, we now have the suggestion that Gaza could become a golf and beach resort for the wealthy, then the President ended the forced use of paper or recycled straws in government beverages, and installed himself as Chairman of the Kennedy Center Board to lavish praise and awards on MAGA supporters like Kid Rock, Sylvester Stallone, Jon Voight and Mel Gibson while announcing himself as chair of the taskforce to celebrate America’s 250th Birthday on July 4th 2026.
The rumours of Trump’s mug being etched onto Mount Rushmore aren’t going away either.
And the list of Executive orders goes on.
What is interesting to read in all of them is the opening paragraph.
It states – ‘By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered …’
It then proceeds to declare whatever scheme or latest idea comes next.
But there are serious questions being asked not just about the efficacy of the executive orders being announced on a near daily basis, but their constitutional standing.
The US has a three-tier system of government, designed to serve as a checks and balances on any extremism. The Legislature, The Executive and the Judicial are there to in turn create laws, implement and deliver them, and to interpret them.
This system it seems is now under threat. Do Executive Orders trump the constitutional process of legislation making?
Hidden amongst all the teeth-gnashing, arms-flailing and hair-ripping inducing chaos are some very deliberate moves from the President to promote the power of the Executive Branch – him – at the expense of legislators in congress and without recourse to the courts and judges.
On February 12th Trump issues the ‘One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations’ executive order – no prizes for guessing whose voice that will be.
Two days earlier he signed the executive order ‘Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to further American Economic and National Security’ which included the following clause – ‘including remedial measures with respect to inappropriate past FCPA investigations and enforcement actions, are warranted and shall take any such appropriate actions or, if Presidential action is required, recommend such actions to the President.’
Music to the ears of many incarcerated businessmen turned donors currently languishing in clink.
And the week before Trump signed off on an executive order ‘Protecting Second Amendment Rights’ – the constitutional decree which states that to create ‘a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed’.
In the space of a week proposals to single handedly decide foreign policy, determine the rule of law and to raise a private militia if things don’t quite work out. A pretty busy week for the Donald and the Project25 gurus surrounding him.
And where in all this is the opposition?
Strangely silent. The Democrats are currently leaderless. The obvious leading voice of dissent would be Kamala Harris as the defeated candidate, but such is her lowly standing in the public’s eyes she has perhaps wisely stepped back from the front line.
A few senior figures in the party including Democrat Governor of California Gavin Newsom have locked horns with the Trump presidency – arguing over who’s to blame for the recent spate of wildfires in and around LA.
Elizabeth Warren has reappeared on our screens and our social feeds eschewing the virtues of the Consumer Protection Agency to stop big banks from overcharging, and unscrupulous credit and money lenders from issuing toxic loans and mortgages, contesting Trump’s intention to shut it down.
And Pete Buttigieg has been active in drawing attention to the President’s actions and words in implying the horrific accident between a military helicopter and a commercial airline was the result of DEI hiring practices.
But there is little concerted effort.
But rather than being a problem, this may in fact prove to be a strategic master stroke.
While Trump acts like a king – born to rule – he is still subject to the whims of the electorate like anyone else. While his behaviour in the first month suggest an air of invincibility, the truth is he only won the popular vote in 2024’s election by 1.5% – hardly a landslide.
A few recent stumbles, missteps and pratfalls have also seen his popularity ratings tumble quickly, slumping from the high-fifties at the inauguration to the mid-thirties of those polled this week.
And pockets of resistance are popping up everywhere and for different causes.
The price of eggs has upset families and households. The mass firings and layoffs ordered by Trump in the name of efficiency have angered unions, white collar workers and middle managers. The arrival of ICE SWAT teams in hospitals and schools has agitated first, second and third generation immigrants and the rise of Elon Musk to a role of unelected Presidential surrogate has millions of working Americans worried about the ‘Silicon Valley and Wall Street Bro-Culture’ and ‘Millionaire Cabal’ seemingly in charge.
Many have already taken to the streets to protest. Not in an organised way, but a ‘look at me, I’m pissed off’ manner.
The Democrats made the ill-fated decision to fight the 2024 Election on the economy, hard in the face of working families telling them it didn’t feel good on Main Street no matter how ebullient Wall Street was.
The threat to democracy was at best a second act, but it is increasingly apparent this threat is one Americans of all political persuasions are agitated by.
America is the land of opportunity.
It is still widely believed that if you want it, you can get it. Anyone who is willing to work at it can succeed. While there are still significant challenges to realizing this American Dream for many, the ideal still holds firm.
The people were fed up with a political status quo which wasn’t perceived to be listening to, addressing or particularly interested in their concerns. They voted for change.
But in seeking change they don’t want revolution. They don’t want leaders to be self-serving, profiting directly from the spoils of their policies, they don’t want the pride they hold in their nation to be watered down on the global stage, and they definitely want their votes to count in future elections.
Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist James Carville noted this trend in an interview he gave last week. He called on the Democrats to adopt the ‘play possum’ strategy.
As the Ragin’ Cajun explained, the people are already angry, and it’s only been a month. They are already self-organizing in protest and the best thing the Democrats can do is lie still and be inconspicuous – possum adopt this as a defence strategy when threatened or intimidated.
He is right. The people may be re-evaluating their opinion of Trump and in some quarters already regretting their decisions, but they haven’t changed their opinion of the Democrats either – they still think they suck.
Years with odd numbers like 2025 typically are fallow for US election cycles, the next real test is 2026 mid term elections. But the peculiarities of the system mean there is one big campaign being fought in November this year – Governor of Virginia.
The state of Virginia is home to a large number of military families who may be upset to have an undecorated Fox News anchor as Secretary of Defense. There is an equally large number of federal employees or those supported by the government sector who are shaken by the mass firings and ‘anti-govt’ rhetoric of Musk. And Virginia has a sizeable suburban soccer-mom and BBQ-dad population who believe in fair play, value education and opportunity, all of which seem challenged by the new administration and its closed circle of influence.
The Democrats efforts are perhaps best spent finding a strong candidate for the gubernatorial race in Virginia and leave the anti-Trump protests to the people.
