Ep 1: Trump 2.0 - 100 Days In

A review of the first 100 days of the Trump's actions in his second administration. 

Transcript

Raheel Khan: 0:02

Hello, and welcome to the first episode of Khannecting the Dots, where I tackle the complex, sometimes overwhelming issues shaping the US and the world, and try to make it more understandable. So we can all connect the dots together. I'm your host, Raheel Khan. Before we get started though, let's talk for a minute about why I'm starting a podcast. There's a lot of chaos in the world right now, and it can really get confusing trying to get through all the noise and figure out what's really going on. Like so many of you, I'm trying to make sense of it. I don't have all the answers, but I'm searching and I hope that by sharing my journey to understand the world, I can help you make sense of it too. So for this first episode, we're gonna talk about a man who's never out of the headlines. Donald Trump. Specifically, let's focus on his first 100 days of his second term. It's been a wild ride. Executive orders, social media tirades, and a whole lot of norm breaking. So let's dive in. Let's start from the beginning, the 2024 election. Trump is now only the second US president to win two non-consecutive terms. After Grover Cleveland did the same back in the late 18 hundreds. This time, he defeated Kamala Harris by over 2 million votes and swept all seven swing states. Trump and his team called it a mandate. But was it really? that's up for debate. At his inauguration, his approval rating hovered between 47 and 52%. That's higher than during his first term for sure, but as we all know, a lot can change in a hundred days and boy has it ever. Even before he was sworn in. Trump reminded us that for him, Power and money are inseparable. Just days before taking office, Trump launched his own meme coin, a cryptocurrency that exploded in value up 300% overnight. At its peak, his holdings were valued at$63.5 billion. Briefly making him one of the world's richest people. Not to be outdone. His wife released her own coin a few days later, which also skyrocketed in value. Here's the catch. Since then, both coins have crashed. Trump's is down over 80%. Melania is over 95%. So you may be thinking, why am I talking about this? What's the deal They didn't make any money out of it. It was just another failed attempt, but that might not be true. Reporting suggest they actually may have made about$350 million from all the transaction fees. And of course, that's not the end of the story. Now, the top 220 coin holders get a private gala dinner, and the top 25 will get exclusive perks, including a sit down with the president and maybe a tour of the White House. So what's going on here? Was this whole thing just to bring attention to crypto, or is it a pump and dump scheme design to fleece the supporters and make him more money? Did foreign governments invest in his meme coin and now they have some influence over him? Is this upcoming dinner, just creative fundraising or is it pay to play? Influence pedaling, dressed up in crypto? Ethically, it's a mess and it's raising serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the blurred lines between public office and private gain. Once he was sworn in, Trump wasted no time getting orders out. On his first day. 26 executive orders. More than any president in modern day history. On day 30 73 by day one hundred, one hundred and forty two executive orders, plus dozens of memoranda and proclamations. To put that in perspective, that is triple what Biden did in his first 100 days. He also declared eight national emergencies, again, more than any president in modern times. The irony of it is that when Biden and Obama issued executive orders, the Republicans were constantly criticizing them, calling executive overreach that they're playing King. But now that Trump is doing it, they're either silent about it or cheering him on. And these orders, they touch on everything. Immigration, the environment, foreign policy, energy, even culture. So let's break down what it all means. Immigration has been a key Trump issue since 2015, when he came down that golden escalator. His message illegal immigrants are destroying this country and they need to be kicked out. His goal deport 1 million undocumented people by the end of the year. So far, 139,000 have been deported. How did he do it? Well, he declared a national emergency at the border, deployed over 1500 troops and expanded expedited removal to apply anywhere in the country. And even former protected areas like hospitals, schools, and churches are no longer safe. What is expedited removal? 1996 Law. That allowed immigrants caught within a hundred miles of the border and who couldn't prove that they were in this country for at least two years to be deported without due process. It already was controversial, but now it's. Way more so. ICE raids, sometimes televised are occurring all over the country while at the same time immigrants are being picked up at routine check-ins. Some of them after years of faithfully checking in. While Trump promised to focus on violent criminals, many deported had no criminal record. Or if they do, they're from minor offenses, at most. He's designated gangs like MS 13 and Tren de Aragua terrorist organizations. Then invoked the Aliens Enemy Act of 1798 to send people to CECOT prison in El Salvador, a place known for exceptional harsh treatment. Of the 298 men sent, 75% of them had no criminal record, and of 25% that did it was from minor offenses. And far from being recalcitrant about his mistakes, Trump and his administration have doubled down now they're floating the idea of sending citizens just the really bad ones, of course, there as well. He's reinstated the Remain in Mexico policy. Forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their hearings, and is pushing an end to birthright citizenship. Border crossings are down for sure, but at what cost? Families are being separated. Communities are living in fear, and the legal battles are just beginning. Let's move on to energy and the environment. Another day one action. Trump declared a national energy emergency. coal is now reclassified as a mineral, making it easier to mine. Drilling projects on public lands are being fast tracked. Offshore drilling is expanding. Environmental protections like clean water and air regulations are being rolled back. Trump says we need more energy to power AI data centers, but he pulled back on funding for already approved offshore wind projects, saying that the project was approved too quickly. Even though it took two and a half years. He withdrew again from the Paris Climate Accord calling climate change a hoax and promising to put America first when it comes to energy. Not content with gutting federal environmental laws. Now he's going after state laws as well, attacking cap and trade programs at various states. His message, fossil fuels first, environmental protections last. But scientists warn this could have devastating impacts on both the US and the world at large. On the foreign policy front, it's America first. All over again. He ordered the State Department to put US interests above traditional alliances. While openly attacks NATO calls, European allies freeloaders and says that the EU was created to skew over the us. He's praised Vladimir Putin, publicly berated zelensky at the White House, and blamed Ukraine for its own invasion. He even froze the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Allowing US companies to bribe foreign officials, something that's been illegal for decades. And if that weren't enough, his administration has halted foreign aid to dozens of countries. He's proposed buying, even invading, Greenland. Taking over the Panama Canal and annexing Canada as the 51st state. He also renamed the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America, even though it's an international body of water and he doesn't have authority to do so. With Israel, he's backed military actions that violated a ceasefire, his own team helped to negotiate. He's proposed occupying Gaza and relocating Palestinians, even creating a bizarre social media video showing Gaza as a Riviera of the Middle East. A move critics called the A blueprint for ethnic cleansing. All of his actions have left America's allies confused and his adversaries, emboldened. On trade, Trump is all about tariffs. His new tariff plan is as aggressive as ever. Liberation Day was supposed to be a grand day for the us, but instead it led to mass confusion, panic, and sent the stock market in a tailspin. His plan, every country with a trade surplus against the US gets hit with tariffs equal to half the value of their surplus. Minimum 10%. The markets went crazy. S and p 500 dropped 10% in just three days. The NASDAQ 20% overall. He paused the plan for 90 days after a lot of backlash, but still tariffs remain; 10% universal, 25% on Canada and Mexico, on goods not covered by the U-S-M-C-A, 145% on China. Sure the stock market's recovered, but prices are going up on everything from electronics to groceries. And Trump's Response. Maybe the children will have 2 dolls instead of 30. Maybe the 2 dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally. That's a tough pill to swallow for Americans already feeling squeezed by high,costs for everything. On healthcare-ideas once fringe are now center stage, Robert F. Kennedy junior, a known vaccine skeptic is now leading health and human services. Despite the worst measles outbreak in 25 years, vaccine skepticism is spreading. RFK Junior isn't helping as he promotes unproven side effects to the vaccine and untested treatments for the disease. If that wasn't enough, Trump's pulled the US outta the World Health Organization and ordered all global public health collaboration to stop. The consequence? US health officials are now less aware of worldwide diseases that could pose a risk to America. He's slashing the NIH budget, defunding research, cutting, or at least delaying drug price controls, and is going after the Affordable Care Act again. On abortion, he reinstated the global gag rule, which restricts funding for any organization that provides or even discusses abortion anywhere in the world. He's banned gender affirming care for minors, and while he called himself the father of IVF, he also eliminated the CDC team that tracks IVF safety. By sidelining scientists and healthcare professionals, the administration isn't just ignoring expertise, it's risking lives and dragging down America's standing in global health. On the technology front, the federal government is all about ai. Every federal agency now has a Chief AI Officer. Trump says AI must be free of bias, but critics warn that ignoring real world inequalities can make things worse. He ordered the government to stop interfering with social media moderation and ordered an investigation in the Biden era efforts to combat misinformation. Trump's war with the deep state gained full steam in the last 100 days. He's weaponized the government against dissent, reinstating Schedule F, making it easier to fire federal workers who were supposed to be protected against these type of political firings. He got Rid Of multiple inspectors general, despite being required to go through Congress for this. He signed another order giving the White House unprecedented control over independent agencies, something that blurs the line between oversight and outright control. He also ordered agencies to scrap 10 rules for every new one, including essential memos and guidance, which cripples their ability to communicate policy and protect the public effectively. While Trump has been working to bend the government to his will, Elon Musk has been taking his chainsaw to government in the form of Doge. They've gutted numerous agencies and cut at least 120,000 jobs already, and up to 280,000 are at risk. The result, a government that's less stable and less accountable serving the president, not the people. In education. Linda McMahon, a former WWE executive, now leads the Department of Education, and her goal is to dismantle it. Trump reinstated patriotic education, targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and its pushing for school privatization Discipline policies are also being rolled back to favor old school approaches. Even though data clearly shows that black and brown students are punished more harshly than white students for the exact same infractions. Colleges and universities are not being spared. They're basically under surveillance now, ostensibly, to ensure there's no foreign influence. What it is, is intimidation in the guise of transparency. International students are at risk for deportation over what they say online or at protests, or even minor encounters with law enforcement such as traffic violations. Combating antisemitism is being used as a means to roundup Students who don't agree with Trump and Republicans about Israel. The arts and humanities have not been spared either. He slashed funding for libraries, museums, and the arts in general. He disbanded the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and installed himself as a chair of the Kennedy Center, purging its board and realign its programming, all because he thought it was too woke. Let's not forget his crusade against DEI. It's everywhere from schools to corporations to government agencies. Nobody has been spared the anti DEI crusade. Finally, let's talk about his pardons and retribution tour. Trump has already pardoned January 6th rioters, political allies, anti-abortion activists and white collar criminals. he's even proposed reparations for the Jan Sixers. He's used the DOJ as his personal attack squad and a speech he gave to the DOJ. He declared himself the chief law enforcement officer and attacked prosecutors as deranged, judges as corrupt and opponents as scum. He singled out names and media outlets and called for investigations against them. This was decried as an open assault on law. Trump is also targeting law firms who've opposed him or helped his opponents, and two ex officials who didn't back his 2020 claims about fraudulent elections. This isn't accountability, it's retaliation, and the message is clear. Loyalty to Trump is rewarded, dissent is punished. So where do things stand now? Where do we go from here? After 100 days, Trump's approval rating has dropped to 42%. 55% of Americans disapprove of his performance even on his form of strong issues like immigration and the economy. Over 220 lawsuits have been filed against his administration, and the federal courts are already blocking key parts of his agenda. And the people They're speaking out. Protests have been occurring in cities across the country. Constituents are showing up to Republican town halls and voicing their frustration. Democratic leaders like Cory Booker, Chris Murphy, Tim Waltz, AOC, and Bernie Sanders are speaking up and mobilizing nationwide. Despite the concerns and criticism, Trump is just doubling down. He tweets things like he who saves his country does not violate any law. Or post pictures of himself wearing a crown and calling himself king. He's been blatantly defying court orders, even from the Supreme Court, and recently responded with an, I don't know, when asked if it's his job to uphold the constitution. These are not normal times. If there's one lesson from these first 100 days, it's this. Democracy is not a spectator sport. As the founders said, an informed citizenry is crucial for a healthy democracy. That's what this podcast is all about, to help you connect the dots, to help you stay informed, to help us all push for a better future. Thanks for listening to the very first episode of Khannecting the Dots. If you found the episode helpful, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with a friend. And until next time, stay curious, stay critical, and stay connected.