What will 1,000 days of a Donald Trump administration look like?
Opinion What will 1,000 days of a Donald Trump administration look like? | Opinion
Sipa USA
With the storm of '100 days' stories nearly matching the furious pace at which Donald Trump has issued executive orders during those 2,400 eventful hours — you know, the ones that featured an arrested judge, deported citizens, global tariffs, a velvet-glove approach to Russia, defiance of the Supreme Court and a stalled Republican Congress, whew, and I almost forgot DOGE, Elon Musk and the firing and unfirings of thousands of specialized workers across the federal government — I think it might be useful to look into the future they portend.
First, consider a future based on the hopes of Trump's millions of loyal voters, and then one based on the fears of his quickly growing army of detractors.
Let's look back on Trump's second term from day 1,000: Oct 15, 2027.
Option one: Hope for the nation
As Trump prepares to address the nation, the economy is looking bright. Oh, the critics were right, at least partly, there was a Trump recession, but it lasted a brief nine months. As the number of trade deals piled up and gigantic foreign investments in U.S. manufacturing driven by Trump's dealmaking ways, low energy prices and even lower taxes gained momentum, confidence returned to the markets and to small and big businesses alike in the first quarter of 2026.
Trump's, shall we say uniquely inexperienced Cabinet overcame an initial wave of mistakes to gain tighter control of their agencies with increasingly experienced leadership and a series of successes.
In 2026, the Department of Homeland Security hit its mark of 1 million deportations while Congress and the White House negotiated an immigration deal that used the tight border and declining number of undocumented immigrants as an opportunity to increase student visas, temporary work programs and high-tech and investor immigration. Immigrants could help make America great again.
DOGE passed the chaos stage and began making more strategic cuts across the federal government that saved less than Trump hoped, but much more than critics said was possible. Congress passed a budget that extended the giant Trump tax breaks at great expense, hoping to fill in the hole with DOGE's work, their own cuts and increased economic growth. The cuts included Medicaid, but were sweetened with smart deregulation of the broader welfare state that allowed those in poverty more freedom to save, get educated and get better jobs without immediately losing benefits.
Trump's attacks on the federal bureaucracy, higher education and the legal profession, while initially sparking rage and a bevy of court cases, settled down into something more of a constructive dialogue. Reforms are under way that make government workers, lawyers and professors increasingly reflect something closer to the values of broader America, returning trust to institutions necessary for the country to thrive.
Overseas, there is a wary peace in both Gaza and the Ukraine. Trump forced humiliating concessions on Ukraine, but gained them an opportunity to rebuild while saving another generation of young people from a meat grinder. European peacekeepers are backed by German, French, Italian and British rearmament at levels not see since the height of the Cold War. There is hope that Europe can be a partner to the United States in keeping world peace instead of a dependent.
The improved outlook didn't save Republicans from losing control of the House of Representatives to Speaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in the 2026 elections, but the GOP retained control of the Senate. Hopes are that active oversight from Democratic House committees will shave some of the sharper edges off Trump's reforms and compromise between the opposing parties in the House and Senate will lead to more commonsense compromise reforms across government.
In an era of good feelings, Trump is riding a wave of popularity with a surging economy growing at more than 3% with low inflation and a stock market up over 20% so far in 2027. Tonight, he will announce an effort to amend the Constitution to allow him to serve a third term, an embarrassing prospect for those who argued his administration would be a disaster.
Option two: Fear of the future
As Trump prepares to address the nation, the economy is looking worse than the 2007 Great Recession. Trump fired Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell amid a global trade war that sparked a deep downturn. Inflation has surpassed Joe Biden levels and started to trend into Jimmy Carter territory. Unemployment hit 7%, but it would be higher if hundreds of thousands of workers in trade-impacted industries hadn't given up looking for work at all.
Trump's celebrity Cabinet has done great on TV, but less so in dealing with problems on America's streets. A mismanaged Department of Homeland Security has failed to reach Trump's deportation benchmarks, some months falling below the number of deportations achieved by Biden. The immigration bright spot is the self-deportations of many thousands of Central and South American immigrants looking for work. Dozens of judges, mayors and police chiefs have been arrested and charged with dubious crimes for failing to back Trump's tough on immigration policies.
Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, crime in the recession-wracked nation has risen steadily. Trump has threatened to put the military on American streets to keep order..
Democrats in liberal Washington state and famously independent Maine are circulating petitions calling for their states to join Canada.
After defying the conservative Supreme Court in several high profile cases, Trump's lawlessness became a primary issue in the 2026 elections, second, of course, to the dire economic situation — made worse by the collapse of the dollar after the Republicans' budget and tax mismanagement pushed the annual deficit past $3 trillion dollars.
When Democrats overwhelmingly won governorships across the nation, a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a significant majority in the House, while Trump and Attorney General Bondi alleged that there were election irregularities. Some newly-elected members of Congress and the Senate have still not been able to take their seats as Republicans cling to power.
Tonight's speech is to announce arrest warrants for those accused of election-related wrongdoing amid speculation that the administration will be reopening Guantanamo Bay for those found guilty.
Overseas, Europe is an armed camp with tensions rising and Russian troops on the Polish border after the collapse of Ukrainian resistance. Germany has announced an emergency nuclear weapons program, and both Britain and France have announced the expansion of their arsenals as all members of the EU have increased defense spending. China, reeling after separation from U.S. markets, has invaded Taiwan to distract from deepening economic problems. The United States and its former allies stood aside.
As primaries for the 2028 presidential election draw, near no Republicans have announced for the presidency as Trump continues to claim he can run for a third term.
Back to reality
Which fanciful vision of the future is more plausible? I expect something leaning toward fear. But I sure hope to feel like a fool on that bright, shiny October 2027 day when we all celebrate Trump's second presidency.
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 8:06 AM.
David Mastio
Opinion Contributor,
The Kansas City Star Go to X Go to Facebook Email this person
David Mastio has worked for newspaper opinion sections since starting as letters editor of USA Today in 1995. Since then he has been the most conservative member of the liberal editorial board at both USA Today and The Virginian-Pilot, the most liberal member of the conservative editorial board at the Washington Times and founding editorial page editor at the conservative Washington Examiner. As an editorial writer, he has covered the environment, tech, science, local business and national economic policy and politics. Outside of the opinion pages, he has been a Washington correspondent for The Detroit News where he covered the intersection of the environment, regulatory policy and the car industry, California editor of the Center Square and a speech writer on trade and economics for the George W. Bush administration. He also founded his own web company called BlogNetNews, which aggregated and reported on the blog conversations across the political aisle focused on local news and politics in all 50 states.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
16 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Dozens of LA-area mayors demand the Trump administration stop intensified immigration raids
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S. But there were no signs President Donald Trump would heed their pleas. About 500 of the National Guard troops deployed to the Los Angeles protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations , the commander in charge said Wednesday. And while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said it's too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down. 'We are expecting a ramp-up,' said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, noting that protests across the nation were being discussed. 'I'm focused right here in LA, what's going on right here. But you know, I think we're, we're very concerned.' Hours later, a demonstration in Los Angeles' civic center just before start of the second night of the city's downtown curfew briefly turned chaotic when police in riot gear — many on horseback — charged at a group, striking them with wooden rods and later fired crowd control projectiles, including one that struck a woman who writhed in pain on the ground. After the curfew went into effect, a handful of arrests were made before the area cleared out and the evening quieted down. The LA-area mayors and city council members urged Trump to stop using armed military troops alongside immigration agents. 'I'm asking you, please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents,' said Brenda Olmos, vice mayor of Paramount, who said she was hit by rubber bullets over the weekend. 'You need to stop these raids.' Speaking alongside the other mayors at a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the raids spread fear at the behest of the White House. The city's nightly curfew will remain in effect as long as necessary. It covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section of downtown where the protests have been concentrated in the city that encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). 'If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,' Bass said. Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court. The administration has cited the protests in its decision to deploy the military. Governor asks court to step in California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has asked a federal court to put an emergency stop to the military helping immigration agents in the nation's second-largest city. This week, guardsmen began standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday. The Trump administration called the lawsuit a 'crass political stunt endangering American lives' in its official response on Wednesday. The military is now closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised in his crackdown . The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests must be made by law enforcement. The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city 'would be burning to the ground' if he had not sent in the military. Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in Los Angeles and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more along with about 700 Marines, Sherman said. Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press and ABC, Sherman initially said National Guard troops had already temporarily detained civilians in the Los Angeles protests over immigration raids. He later said he based his comments on photos and footage he had seen that turned out not to be a representation of Guard members in Los Angeles. Curfew continues in downtown LA Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of the curfew and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters. But officers were more aggressive in controlling demonstrators Wednesday evening and as the curfew took effect, police were beginning to make arrests. Los Angeles police have made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department. There have been a handful of more serious charges, including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine police officers have been hurt, mostly with minor injures. Some were transported to a hospital and released. Protests have spread nationwide Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made. In New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the majority of demonstrators were peaceful. A 66-year-old woman in Chicago was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening, police said. Video showed a car speeding down a street where people were protesting. In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office said Texas National Guard troops were 'on standby' in areas where demonstrations are planned. Guard members were sent to San Antonio, but Police Chief William McManus said he had not been told how many troops were deployed or their role ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety said the Texas National Guard was present at a protest downtown. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. ___ Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego, Jesse Bedayn in Denver, and Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Washington Post
17 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Cheers and boos as Trump takes seat at the Kennedy Center
Politics Cheers and boos as Trump takes seat at the Kennedy Center June 12, 2025 | 5:12 AM GMT As President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump took their seats at the Kennedy Center Opera House on June 11 for opening night of 'Les Misérables,' a mix of cheers and boos erupted from the crowd.
News24
19 minutes ago
- News24
Marines to patrol LA streets as some residents say: ‘Our city is not at all on fire'
US Marines will be on the streets of Los Angeles within days to help control protests. Democrats have condemned the Trump administration's action as authoritarian. Some in the city say the scale of the protests is exaggerated. US Marines will join National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles within two days, officials said on Wednesday, and would be authorised to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids or protesters who confront federal agents. US President Donald Trump ordered the deployments over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom, sparking a national debate about the use of the military on US soil and animating protests that have spread from Los Angeles to other major cities, including New York, Atlanta and Chicago. Los Angeles on Wednesday endured a sixth day of protests that have been largely peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence, mostly contained to a few blocks of the city's downtown area. The protests broke out last Friday in response to a series of immigration raids. Trump in turn called in the National Guard on Saturday, then summoned the Marines on Monday. 'If I didn't act quickly on that, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground right now,' said Trump at an event at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. READ | 'The president wants a big show': Trump sends in Marines as night curfew imposed on Los Angeles State and local leaders dispute that, saying Trump has only escalated tensions with an unnecessary and illegal deployment of federal troops, while Democrats nationally have condemned his action as authoritarian. AFP reported that six days after unrest began - prompting the US president to send soldiers into the streets, over the furious protests of local officials - life in the City of Angels was going on largely as normal. 'Everything is hunky dory right here at Ground Zero,' Lynn Sturgis, a retired teacher who was protesting outside the federal complex that has been at the heart of the demonstrations in Downtown Los Angeles, told AFP. Our city is not at all on fire, it's not burning down, as our terrible leader is trying to tell you. Lynn Sturgis 'Not at all... this is very calm,' protester Ellen Carpenter, a retired federal worker who was demonstrating alongside Sturgis, told AFP. 'I lived in Washington, DC for a long time, so I was part of very large protests there, you know, millions and millions of people. This is a little wimpy by comparison.' 'This whole thing has been manufactured by the current administration,' Sturgis said. According to Reuters, Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice. 'President Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history and left-wing riots will not deter him in that effort,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt US military said on Wednesday that a battalion of 700 Marines had concluded training specific to the Los Angeles mission, including de-escalation and crowd control. They would join National Guard under the authority of a federal law known as Title 10 within 48 hours, not to conduct civilian policing but to protect federal officers and property, the military said. 'Title 10 forces may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances such as to stop an assault, to prevent harm to others, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties,' the Northern Command said. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: 'If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest.'US Army Major General Scott Sherman, who commands the task force of Marines and Guardsmen, told reporters the Marines will not carry live ammunition in their rifles, but they will carry live rounds. Newsom and the state of California have sued Trump and the Defence Department to stop the deployment, maintaining that none of the Title 10 conditions were met to justify military deployment - such as a when the US is under threat from a foreign invasion or rebellion. California is also seeking a temporary restraining order to immediately stop the National Guard and Marines from participating in civilian law enforcement. A hearing on that restraining order is scheduled for Thursday in San Francisco federal court. The Trump administration argued in a court filing ahead of the hearing that the president has the discretion to determine whether a 'rebellion or danger of a rebellion' requires a military downtown LA, shortly before the second night of a curfew over a 2.5km2 area, relative calm was broken. Police said demonstrators at one location threw commercial grade fireworks and rocks at officers. Another group of nearly 1 000 demonstrators were peacefully marching through downtown when police suddenly opened fired with less lethal munitions in front of City Hall. Marlene Lopez, 39, a Los Angeles native, was demonstrating as flash bangs exploded just a few metres away. 'I am out here because of the fact that our human rights are being violated every day. If we give up, it's over. We have to stand our ground here in LA so that the nation will follow us,' Lopez said. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Other protests have also taken place in Santa Ana, a largely Mexican-American city about 50km to the south, as well as major cities such as Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and Washington and San Antonio, Texas. New York police said an unknown number of people had been taken into custody on Wednesday. On Tuesday New York police said they took 86 people into custody, of which 34 were arrested and charged, while the others received a criminal court summons. The protests are set to expand on Saturday, when several activist groups have planned more than 1 800 anti-Trump demonstrations across the country. That day, tanks and other armoured vehicles will rumble down the streets of Washington, DC, in a military parade marking the US Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with Trump's 79th birthday.
