Trump's first 100 days are over, but how far will the resistance go in the coming months? The answer is not reassuring.

By Gary Abernathy

The anti-Trump forces will grow even more desperate

News media outlets are clamoring to outdo each other this week in covering the completion of President Trump’s first 100 days in office. The far-left (formerly mainstream) media has largely decided that Trump has been a complete disaster, as detailed in stories that could have been (and many probably were) written before he even took office back in January.

A president’s first 100 days is a false measuring stick that has its roots in the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who made a big deal over what had been accomplished in the early stages of his first administration — although he was apparently commenting more on the 100-day mark of the new Congress rather than his presidency. But it’s been a thing ever since.

Here’s what matters about Trump’s first 100 days, far above anything else: He secured the southern border and quickly reversed the disastrous mandates of the radical left’s climate change cult. If he did absolutely nothing else over the next three-and-a-half years, his presidency would still be a resounding success.

If you haven’t watched Trump’s interview this week with ABC’s Terry Moran, it’s must-see TV. Why Trump-hating journalists from Trump-hating outlets ever seek to interview Trump — especially in a live setting — is beyond me. Their biases and inadequacies as journalists are usually laid bare. When you have time, watch it, just for a master class in dismantling a liberal reporter. Click the image above and enjoy.

Regarding Trump’s agenda beyond securing the border and fighting the climate hoax:

• Trump’s scattershot approach to tariffs is unsettling for the economy and for other countries, but I’m guessing he’ll find a sweet spot that serves his goal of making trade more fair for the United States.

• Trump’s poll numbers — reportedly low right now — are pretty irrelevant at this stage. What matters more is where they’re at in the summer and fall of 2026, when the midterm elections roll around, and where they’re at when the 2028 presidential election arrives, for determining the success or failure of the GOP nominee.

• If Republicans in Congress manage to pass the “one big beautiful” budget bill, including no taxes on tips or Social Security, it will go a long way toward improving Trump’s standing with key swing voters. Democrats and the media know this, so they’ll attack it with everything they have.

As others have noted, Trump seems much more comfortable and confident during this second term. He has surrounded himself with the team of his choice, rather than insiders recommended by others, and he has a clear vision of what he wants to accomplish. He doesn’t overreact to every criticism or slight. He’s as focused as his volatile personality will ever allow him to be.

A politically savvy friend — who’s not always all-in on Trump — remarked recently that Trump is not merely a reformer, he’s actually a revolutionary. I found it interesting that a few days later, New York Times columnist David Brooks came up with the same conclusion (albeit in a more negative way, since Brooks is an anti-Trump establishment type).

I think that’s as good a description of Trump as anything. He’s a revolutionary, leading a revolution. Revolutions are often chaotic and messy, and their leaders are often undisciplined and unpredictable. But many of us believe that this lost and misguided nation — hurtling down a disastrous path thanks to radical far-left policies that have infected our society (including our courts) — is in need of a revolution.

Hopefully it’s a peaceful revolution. But that will be decided by the nature of the resistance, led by an entrenched bureaucracy comprised of Democrats, the far-left (formerly mainstream) media, and disaffected establishment Republicans. Will they be satisfied to fight back through traditional political and legal means? Or, if they don’t succeed that way, will they pursue other, more aggressive means of protecting their turf? How far will they go?

Turning again to David Brooks, who, in a previous column, urged the formation of a “mass movement” against Trump. Brooks wrote the following:

It’s time for a comprehensive national civic uprising. It’s time for Americans in universities, law, business, nonprofits and the scientific community, and civil servants and beyond to form one coordinated mass movement. Trump is about power. The only way he’s going to be stopped is if he’s confronted by some movement that possesses rival power.

Brooks walks a fine line. He doesn’t outright call for violence, but, in discussing what he considers successful “movements” through the years, he seems to call for provoking the Trump administration into violence.

Brooks writes:

Sometimes they used nonviolent means to provoke the regime into taking violent action, which shocks the nation, undercuts the regime’s authority and further strengthens the movement. (Think of the civil rights movement at Selma.)

That’s the level of despair and panic happening right now among the members of the status quo. “Let’s try to provoke a violent reaction from the Trump administration to strengthen our anti-Trump movement.”

Change is coming, and change will be resisted the most by those with the most to lose. The first 100 days have come and gone. It’s the next few months that will matter more.

We are right to be worried about activist judges

While perusing the Washington Post on my phone last week I was struck by three headlines stacked up in a row (the ones in bold):

Activist judges are laying the groundwork for a constitutional crisis.

On top of judges who are attempting to usurp the role of the presidency comes the case of a judge who allegedly actively helped an illegal immigrant evade capture by ICE.

As the Associated Press reported, “Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of escorting the man and his lawyer out of her courtroom through the jury door last week after learning that immigration authorities were seeking his arrest.”

The man was soon apprehended anyway, and it was heartening when, a few days later, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan.

It’s beyond worrisome when even judges put their political leanings over the law, even outside of their rulings. A judge facilitating the escape of an illegal immigrant from immigration enforcement authorities is shocking.

That’s on top of another judge being accused of aiding an illegal immigrant and alleged member of Tren de Aragua.

As described on April 25 by CNN:

A former magistrate judge in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and his wife are accused of tampering with evidence linked to the arrest of an undocumented migrant suspected of being a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according to two criminal complaints filed Friday.

Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose Luis Cano, also known as Joel Cano, is facing a federal charge of tampering with evidence, and his wife, Nancy Cano, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence, court records show. CNN has reached out to their attorney for comment.

The migrant, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, is a Venezuelan who was charged earlier this year for unlawful possession of a firearm or ammunition, court documents show.

Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation into Ortega-Lopez in January after receiving an anonymous tip accusing him of living with other undocumented migrants at a home owned by Nancy and Jose Cano in Las Cruces and carrying firearms, the complaints state.

Additionally, the AP reported, “Cano resigned last month after the state Judicial Standards Commission sought to suspend him, saying he was accused of letting three members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua live on his property in Las Cruces and have access to firearms.”

Please spare us the claim that Trump and others are unfairly criticizing our judicial system. Clearly, as demonstrated through both activist rulings and personal behavior, something has broken down along the way in how the judicial branch sees itself.

During his contentious interview with President Trump this week, Terry Moran at one point rebuked Trump by claiming, “The Supreme Court says what the law is.”

That’s so wrong. The Supreme Court and other courts make rulings interpreting the law. But the Constitution “says what the law is.” Congress “says what the law is” by making or repealing new laws all the time. The president can essentially reinterpret laws — “say what the law is” — by executive orders. Claiming that only the courts “say what the law is” is a gross misrepresentation of how laws are made and how government works.

Rather than being a neutral arbiter calling balls and strikes, as U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts once said, too many judges today see themselves as umpire, pitcher, batter and scorekeeper.

Roberts and the Supreme Court need to do something to rein in the judiciary so the country is not at the whim of capricious rulings and nefarious acts of defiance of the separate but equal branches of government.

‘Drill, baby, drill’ must partner with ‘build, baby, build’

President Trump’s devotion to maximizing the United States’ energy resources is effectively and succinctly summarized by his mantra of “drill, baby, drill.”

But as I point out in my new column for The Empowerment Alliance, the U.S. is in desperate need of infrastructure upgrades in order to guarantee the timely delivery of energy and to ensure America’s energy security.

I write:

A key objective of the Trump administration’s energy philosophy is to make the U.S. less reliant on foreign sources of oil and gas, a smart strategy designed to control our own destiny and keep us from being at the mercy of foreign actors who, at any time, could hold the U.S. hostage in regard to our energy supply.

But just as important as increasing production of domestic energy is the ability of the U.S. to permit, site, process, and distribute that energy to households, businesses, and industries from coast to coast. By that measure, the U.S. faces substantial challenges. The full payoff for “drill, baby, drill” cannot be realized without following up with “build, baby, build” – ensuring we have the infrastructure necessary for a strong and reliable energy grid.

Independent analysts – even including groups associated with “renewables” – agree that the United States’ energy infrastructure is woefully lacking. A primary reason that crucial upgrades have been too long delayed was the Biden administration’s insistence that “low carbon” alternative energy sources be integrated into the electricity infrastructure.

I add that the first steps are underway:

A good set of objectives for future upgrades has already been spelled out in model legislation, the Affordable, Reliable and Clean (ARC) Energy Security Act, which mandates capacity factors, grid stability requirements, 24/7 dispatchable electricity output, the ability to ramp up electricity generation within one hour, and the ability to backup renewable energy sources during periods of low availability – a realistic acknowledgement of the obvious vulnerabilities of so-called “renewables.”

You can check it out here.

Random thoughts on this and that …

The New York Times insisted with a straight face that a satirical column by Larry David about a dinner with Adolf Hitler — lampooning Bill Maher’s dinner with President Trump — was not intended to compare Trump with Hitler. Seriously? …

… The executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Bill Owens, resigned last week, saying that his journalistic independence was being encroached upon by higher-ups. In other words, he was asked to tone down his Trump Derangement Syndrome. …

… I couldn’t help but chuckle at Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s (TX) observation on X about the picture (below) of Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen meeting with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia in El Salvador: “Find someone who looks at you the way Democrat senators look at illegal alien MS-13 gang members.” …

… The massive power outage in Spain, Portugal and parts of France this week will almost certainly be determined to be due to an overreliance on wind and solar — even though most media right now is saying “no one knows” what happened. To its credit, Reuters is reporting that “Spain is one of Europe's biggest producers of renewable energy, and the blackout sparked debate about whether the volatility of supply from solar or wind made its power systems more vulnerable. Redeia, which owns Red Electrica, warned in February in its annual report that it faced a risk of ‘disconnections due to the high penetration of renewables without the technical capacities necessary for an adequate response in the face of disturbances’.” No doubt.

MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal’ — for yourself or for that friend or loved one confused about America today

“MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal — And Other Shocking Notions” is a great addition to the library of MAGA Trump supporters, or the perfect gift for non-MAGA friends and loved ones to help them make sense of the 2024 election results. It’s available on Amazon. Buy it here.

The book (actually much thicker than the illustrations above indicate — the hardcover and paperback are each 453 pages) is a compilation of many of the nearly 200 columns I wrote for the Washington Post from 2017 to 2023 (and a handful of columns I wrote about Trump for The (Hillsboro) Times-Gazette from 2015 to 2017). The columns cover a variety of topics, but they particularly focus on Trump’s rise to political prominence and help explain his appeal.

Here’s a link to a website dedicated to the book.

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