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USA Today
11 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Democrats want new leaders, focus on pocketbook issues, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
James Oliphant and Jason Lange Reuters WASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) - Democrats want new leaders for their party, which many feel isn't focusing enough on economic issues and is over-emphasizing issues like transgender rights and electric vehicles, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The poll identified a deep disconnect between what Democrats say their priorities are and the issues they believe party leaders care about most ahead of next year's midterm elections, when they hope to crack Republican control of Congress. They see their elected officials as not focused on helping families make ends meet and reducing corporate influence. Democrat Kamala Harris' November loss to Republican Donald Trump has left the party rudderless and sparked a round of soul-searching about the path forward. The poll shows that party leaders have work to do in recruiting candidates for Congress in 2026 -- and for the White House in 2028. Some 62% of self-identified Democrats in the poll agreed with a statement that "the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people." Only 24% disagreed and the rest said they weren't sure or didn't answer. Just 30% of Republicans polled said they thought their party leadership should be replaced. Democrats' dissatisfaction is also playing out in leadership changes, including this week's resignation of Randi Weingarten, the influential president of the American Federation of Teachers, from the Democratic National Committee -- which followed the ouster of progressive activist David Hogg. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,258 people nationwide and online June 11 through 16, including 1,293 Democrats. It had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points for Democrats. It found that Democrats want the party to focus on their day-to-day needs and want wealthier Americans to pay more in taxes. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, agrees. "People don't trust us, they don't think we have their backs on issues that are core to them, which are these kitchen table issues," Newsom said on his podcast in April. DEMOCRATS 'IMPATIENT' Democratic strategists who reviewed the poll's findings said they send a clear message. "Voters are very impatient right now," said Mark Riddle, who heads Future Majority, a Democratic research firm. "They want elected officials at all levels to address the cost of living, kitchen-table issues and affordability." The poll found a gap between what voters say they care about and what they think the party's leaders prioritize. It was particularly wide on the issue of reducing corporate spending in political campaigns, where 73% of Democrats said they viewed putting limits on contributions to political groups like Super PACs a priority, but only 58% believed party leaders prioritize that. That issue matters to Sam Boland, 29, a Democrat in Minneapolis, who views Super PAC money as a way to 'legally bribe' candidates. 'Politicians want to keep their jobs and are afraid of the impact that publicly funded elections might have,' Boland said. Along that line, 86% of Democrats said changing the federal tax code so wealthy Americans and large corporations pay more in taxes should be a priority, more than the 72% of those surveyed think party leaders make it a top concern. The Republican-controlled Congress is currently pushing forward with Trump's sweeping tax-cut bill that would provide greater benefits to the wealthy than working-class Americans. Anthony Rentsch, 29, of Baltimore, said he believes Democratic leaders are afraid to embrace more progressive policies such as higher taxes on the wealthy. 'A lot of Trump's success has been with populist messages, and I think there's similar populist message Democrats can have,' Rentsch said. Democrats' own priorities appeared more in line with party leaders on abortion rights - which 77% cited as a priority. NEW BLOOD Dissatisfaction over the party's priorities on several economic policies was stronger among younger Democrats like Boland and Rentsch. For example, only 55% of Democrats aged 18-39 thought the party prioritized paid family leave that would allow workers to care for sick family members and bond with a new baby, but 73% said it was a priority for them. Among older Democrats, the same share - 68% - that said the issue was a priority for them said it was a priority for party leaders. Rentsch said that criticizing Trump over his conduct won't be enough to win over skeptical voters. 'That can't be it,' Rentsch said. 'It has to be owning those issues that have an impact on their economic well-being and their physical and mental well-being.' Democratic respondents said the party should be doing more to promote affordable childcare, reduce the price of prescription drugs, make health insurance more readily available and support mass transit. They view party leaders as less passionate about those issues than they are, the poll found. Even so, some Democrats argue the party also needs to stand toe-to-toe with Trump. 'They gotta get mean,' said Dave Silvester, 37, of Phoenix. Other Democrats said the party sometimes over-emphasizes issues that they view as less critical such as transgender rights. Just 17% of Democrats said allowing transgender people to compete in women and girls' sports should be a priority, but 28% of Democrats think party leaders see it as such. Benjamin Villagomez, 33, of Austin, Texas said that while trans rights are important, the issue too easily lends itself to Republican attacks. 'There are more important things to be moving the needle on,' said Villagomez, who is trans. 'There are more pressing issues, things that actually matter to people's livelihoods.' Democratic strategists say that if Trump's trade and tax policies lead to higher prices and an increased budget deficit, the party needs to be ready to take full advantage in next year's elections, which will decide control of Congress. 'This recent polling data indicates Democrats have room for improvement on criticizing Trump on the economy and making it clear to voters that Democrats are the ones standing up for working people,' said Ben Tulchin, who served as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' pollster for his two presidential campaigns. The party needs to get beyond portraying itself 'as the lesser of two evils," Boland, the Minneapolis Democrat, said. 'It needs to transform itself into a party that everyday people can get excited about,' he said. 'That requires a changing of the guard.' (Reporting by James Oliphant and Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump calls AI pope image a joke, but experts say it's no laughing matter
By James Oliphant and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed the backlash against an AI-generated image of him as the pope posted by the White House on social media, saying it was a harmless joke, but communications experts said they did not see the funny side. The weekend AI-generated posts of Trump dressed in white papal vestments and another of him wielding one of the red light sabers preferred by villains in the "Star Wars" movies appeared typical of the provocation the president employs to energize supporters and troll critics. Since returning to office on January 20, Trump has dominated news cycles. In an otherwise relatively quiet weekend, the two images ensured Trump stayed a major topic of conversation on social media and beyond. Throughout his political career, Trump has embraced bold visuals, from posing in a garbage truck to standing outside a church during protests against police brutality. But the experts told Reuters that unlike those rooted in reality, AI images blur fact and fiction in ways that can mislead. 'I think we are seeing a new phenomenon – the merging of social media and AI power, organized for political power and narrative dominance,' said John Wihbey, director of the AI-Media Strategies Lab at Northeastern University in Boston. 'He's exploiting this uncharted territory,' Wihbey said. 'I suspect politicians around the world will begin to use generative AI and social together in newfound ways.' Trump told reporters on Monday that the pope image was posted as a joke on his Truth Social account, which was then reposted by the White House across social media. 'I had nothing to do with it,' Trump said. 'It was just, somebody did it in fun. It's fine. Have to have a little fun don't you?' The White House did not respond to questions about who other than Trump posts to his Truth Social account and who created the two memes. For many Catholics in the United States, Italy and elsewhere, the image of Trump dressed as God's representative on Earth was offensive. Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on X: 'This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys being a clown." Democratic strategist Michael Ceraso viewed the White House's posting of the AI images as a deliberate attempt to generate buzz. "He's the first influencer president," Ceraso said of Trump, urging Democrats not to get caught up in whipped-up controversies. Trump, he said, takes his cues from professional wrestling: 'You can be the bad guy or the good guy as long as you are getting crowd reaction." Since becoming president, Trump has posted AI-generated images of a beachfront resort in war-ravaged Gaza and of himself as a king and as an Al Capone-type gangster. DANGER AHEAD Jennifer Mercieca, a presidential rhetoric scholar at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, argued Trump was seeking to project images of strength at a time when his presidential approval rating is dropping. 'Trump's policies are unpopular, and his presidency is unpopular," Mercieca said. 'Within this context, Trump has created a visual fantasy of himself as a hero, attempting to persuade the nation (and the world) that he is, in fact, a hero.' The most recent Reuters/Ipsos polling had Trump's approval rating at 42% with 53% of respondents disapproving of him and showed concerns mounting among Americans over his economic and immigration policies. He peaked at 47% in the first days of his presidency. Northeastern University's Wihbey said a greater test of AI's ability to warp political reality will come if Trump attempts to insert himself into more 'photo-realistic' images that suggest historical events and scenes that did not occur.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Factbox-Trump and his campaign promises: Mapping his first 100 days
By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) -One of the mantras within President Donald Trump's administration since he took office in January has been "promises made, promises kept" even as many of his campaign pledges remain unfulfilled. In the first 100 days of Trump's second term in the White House, federal courts have slowed or halted some of his most aggressive moves. He has been unable to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza, land trade deals or bend the Federal Reserve to his will. Here is where Trump stands on some of his main promises: THE ECONOMY AND INFLATION A Republican elected on a pledge to bring down consumer prices and boost the economy, Trump pointed to the first outright drop in monthly inflation in nearly five years in March as evidence that he was having an impact. But prices are expected to rise on many goods. Trump's worldwide tariffs have jolted the U.S. stock market and stoked fears of a recession. Businesses that rely on imports are nervous, and consumer confidence is dropping. Many economists expect that data to be published on Wednesday will confirm that economic output contracted in the first three months of the year because of a rush of imports to beat the tariffs. The White House has said it will strike trade deals with dozens of nations, including China, in the hope that brings some stability to the global marketplace. No deals have been secured so far, though Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Tuesday that one deal was awaiting approval by a foreign government. Trump has demanded the Federal Reserve cut interest rates in order to keep the economy humming, but it has delayed such a cut due to inflation concerns. Trump is pushing Congress for legislation to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and enact other cuts, such as exemptions for tips and overtime wages for service-industry workers. Fiscal conservatives and budget experts voice concern the cuts will add to an already massive federal budget deficit. IMMIGRATION Nowhere has Trump been more aggressive than with immigration policy. He rushed troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and expanded the universe of migrants who could be targeted for arrest. He has seen quick results. The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the southern border dropped in February to the lowest monthly level since tracking began 25 years ago and fell further in March. Arrests of migrants in the U.S. illegally through Trump's first three months have already surpassed last year's total. But Trump's biggest priority - deportations - have lagged behind Biden administration numbers last year, when high levels of illegal immigration meant more people could be quickly deported. Trump invoked a rarely used 1789 wartime statute known as the Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members but faces legal challenges. The administration's hostile tone with the judiciary has challenged traditional checks and balances between the coequal branches of government. The government has sought to deport students who protested over the U.S. role in the Gaza war despite their not having been charged with a crime. It revoked the legal status of thousands of foreign students before reversing that move last week. Trump tried to curtail birthright citizenship, a constitutional right that grants citizenship to everyone born in the U.S., but was blocked by federal judges. That issue may end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. ENDING WARS Trump vowed to resolve conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine swiftly, saying he could forge a peace deal in the latter war on "Day One" in office. But both wars continue to claim lives, while Trump has launched a large-scale campaign of airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump has tried to push Kyiv toward a pro-Russian position, such as ceding Crimea, while only in recent weeks increasing the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the fighting. In Gaza, the administration was able to negotiate a ceasefire, but that has crumbled and the U.S. remains a staunch supporter of Israel in its war with Palestinian Hamas militants. In the meantime, Trump has entered into negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program to try to forestall a U.S. military strike that could further destabilize the Middle East. ENERGY Trump came into office promising to lower U.S. energy costs. Gas prices are almost 15% cheaper compared to a year ago when President Joe Biden was in the White House, though they have remained largely steady since Trump took office, according to the travel group AAA. Trump's pledge to boost U.S. oil production is facing significant headwinds as his trade wars have sent global and domestic oil prices lower, causing producers to rethink their drilling strategy. The U.S. is producing unprecedented volumes of crude oil, hitting records around 13.4 million barrels per day last year before Trump took office. Trump allies predicted they could add another 3 million barrels per day, a figure most in the industry saw as impossible given lackluster growth in global demand. Trump has taken several steps to boost production, mainly on the regulatory front by making it easier to drill on federal land. But the industry relies on price to spur production, and prices are going the wrong way for producers. As promised, the president has rolled back the Biden mandates for electric vehicles and pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris climate accords for the second time. On his first day in office, Trump resumed liquefied natural gas export approvals - something Biden had paused - and several companies have announced investments in U.S. LNG in recent months. GOVERNMENT REFORM Trump's efforts to downsize the federal bureaucracy in the name of cost-cutting have been chaotic. Appointed by Trump, billionaire Elon Musk conducted mass firings through a newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. Musk's aides have gained access to huge troves of Americans' personal data, alarming privacy advocates. The cuts have triggered dozens of court cases. Some experts in such areas as food safety and nuclear weaponry were brought back after being mistakenly fired. Other workers have had success challenging their terminations in court. Thousands of workers sidelined at home are still receiving government paychecks. Agencies whose ranks have been diminished say they have seen efficiency decline, not improve, as they have dealt with a brain drain of key personnel resulting in internal bottlenecks, delayed decision-making and longer wait times for the public. Musk has backed away from his savings target. Where he once pledged to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget, he has since suggested that DOGE will get nowhere near that mark. A DOGE website that gives regular updates on what it claims it has saved U.S. taxpayers - $160 billion to date - has been riddled with errors and corrections. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PROGRAMS Several of Trump's early executive orders dealt with stripping diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the federal government. He has extended that push to the private sector, with companies such as Citigroup and PepsiCo agreeing to modify their approach to diverse hiring and training. He has also threatened colleges, universities and law firms with punitive action if they don't rid themselves of DEI practices. Trump has moved forward on efforts to shutter or severely diminish the Department of Education, blaming it for promoting a liberal agenda in the nation's schools. Efforts to require public schools to abandon DEI programs or risk losing funding have been blocked by courts. RETRIBUTION AGAINST POLITICAL ENEMIES Trump has made good on his longstanding threat to get back at those he believes have wronged him. He has taken away security clearances for 50 former national security officials and all three Democrats who ran against him in presidential contests. His Justice Department has fired or demoted dozens of officials, prosecutors and FBI agents, including rank-and-file employees who worked on investigations into Trump and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters. He has waged war against private law firms that played roles in the probe of alleged Russian ties to his 2016 election campaign or aided his Democratic opponents, pushing nine into settlement agreements in which they agreed to perform free legal work for the administration's priorities. Last week, the president directed the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue, the leading fundraising site for Democratic candidates, a move the organization called an attempt to stamp out opposition. TAKING ON BIG TECH During the campaign, Trump frequently pledged to rein in the power of large tech companies. There are signs his administration is doing just that. His administration has furthered longstanding efforts to break up titans Google and Meta. Amazon and Apple could soon face their own antitrust trials. But it remains unclear whether Trump's goal is ultimately to see those companies weakened, and he has been heavily lobbied by their CEOs. JANUARY 6 PROTESTERS Despite saying during the campaign that he may not free those convicted of violent offenses in the 2021 Capitol attack, Trump ended up granting clemency for all who were in jail or facing prosecution. They included such figures as Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, a mastermind of the uprising, and others who attacked police officers. In all, Trump granted relief to about 1,500 people. TRANSGENDER RIGHTS Trump has largely made good on promises to roll back protections for transgender Americans, banning trans people from serving in the military, restricting access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender people under 19 and targeting trans athletes who compete in collegiate sports. His administration has made it policy within the government that there are only two genders, while threatening to cut off federal funds to colleges and universities that promote "gender ideology."
Gulf Today
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Trump's actions show he wants to reorder society
James Oliphant and Jeff Mason, Reuters In just 10 weeks in office, Donald Trump has imposed his will on perceived adversaries in business, politics, the media and allied nations by leveraging power in ways no other modern US president has tried. His administration has sought the arrest and deportation of student protesters, withheld federal funds from colleges, ostracized law firms tied to his political opponents, threatened judges and tried to pressure journalists. At the same time Trump has downsized the federal government dramatically and purged it of workers who could stand in his way. Central to this effort has been Trump's use of policy-making executive orders to target opponents as never before. He has been unafraid to employ lawsuits, public threats and the power of the federal purse to bring institutions to heel. 'What unites all these efforts is Trump's desire to shut down every potential source of resistance to the MAGA agenda and to his personal power,' said Peter Shane, a law professor at New York University. Some targets have rushed to placate the president, a few have fought back and many are still trying to figure out how to respond. Many of Trump's actions are being challenged in courts, where some judges have tried to slow him down. The stunning speed and breadth of the Republican president's actions have caught Democrats, public-service unions, CEOs and the legal profession off guard. Trump's supporters say he is simply using the full reach of his presidency to achieve the goals he set as a candidate. 'He's laid out these broad battle lines, whether it's with people that he thinks have tried to ruin him personally, whether it's with people he thinks have tried to ruin Western civilization,' said Republican strategist Scott Jennings, a longtime adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell. 'Everything he said he was going to do on the campaign, he's doing.' Trump's aims are not just political. His actions show he wants to reorder American society with an all-powerful executive at the top, where financial, political and cultural institutions carry his stamp and where opposition is either co-opted or curtailed. With a compliant Congress controlled by his party and a US Supreme Court dominated by conservatives, Trump is operating with fewer checks on his power than any of his modern-day predecessors. Trump has attempted to subdue and cajole his adversaries on an almost-daily basis, backed by the fearsome might of the law enforcement and regulatory agencies at his command. He has often succeeded. He managed to wring concessions out of several of his targets, including storied Columbia University, powerful law firms and corporate titans such as Meta and Disney. All of them settled with the White House rather than endure the pressure, surrendering some independence and setting what some view as damaging precedents. Others are taking preemptive measures to avoid Trump's wrath. More than 20 of America's largest companies and financial firms, including Goldman Sachs, Google and PepsiCo, have rolled back diversity programs that had drawn Trump's ire. Three law firms cut deals with the administration rather than risk losing their lawyers' security clearances, access to government buildings and perhaps, as a result, clients, while three others targeted by Trump's executive orders sued in response. Trump's orders have also been his vehicle to remake the government, deport alleged Venezuelan gang members with little due process and levy tariffs against U.S. trading partners. He has sued US media corporations and silenced the Voice of America, taken control of the Kennedy Center, a leading arts facility, and sought to put curbs on the Smithsonian Institution, whose mission is to chronicle history. His administration has detained student protesters whose political views it says are a threat to the country. Trump has pushed a mineral-rights deal on Ukraine's leadership with the veiled threat of ending U.S. support for Kyiv in the Russian war in Ukraine. He has threatened NATO ally Denmark to try to wrest control of Greenland, spoken of annexing Canada and threatened to take the Panama Canal back from its home country. Mark Zaid, a Washington lawyer who represents whistleblowers against the federal government and who himself had his security clearance stripped away by Trump, said the president's conduct is like nothing he has seen in his 30-year career. 'Executive orders have never been designed to specifically target individuals nor non-government actors for purposes of retaliation or retribution,' Zaid said. The White House and Trump's allies deny the president is acting out of revenge. A White House spokesman said more traditional approaches have failed to bring meaningful change. 'Unconventional is precisely what the American people voted for when they elected President Trump,' White House spokesman Harrison Fields said. 'The president is committed to upending the entrenched bureaucracy.' In his first term from 2017-2021, Trump was hamstrung by a variety of factors: a federal probe into Russian interference, his aides' lack of experience and greater Democratic opposition in Congress. With those roadblocks gone, an emboldened Trump has demonstrated at the start of his second term that he has learned how to use the resources available to him more fully to get what he wants. 'He really does know how to pull the levers of power this time, more so than last time,' said Rina Shah, a Republican strategist. Claire Wofford, a political science professor at the College of Charleston, said Trump has used executive orders not only to push forward a policy agenda, but also to send messages to his political base, as in his attempt to scale back birthright citizenship, and to test the limits of his power, as with his invocation of an 18th-century law to designate some migrants as 'alien enemies.' 'What strikes me most at this point is how strategic Trump is — but in new ways,' Wofford said. In cases such as with Columbia University, Trump has used the federal purse as a cudgel, concluding his targets have financial interests that make them vulnerable to coercion. In other cases, he has used the courts, forcing companies such as Disney and Meta into favorable settlements after Trump filed lawsuits against them. CBS News, another Trump lawsuit target, is under pressure to settle its suit because its parent, Paramount, is eager to have its proposed merger with Skydance Media approved by Trump administration regulators. But not every institution has bent the knee. Many of Trump's actions, particularly those regarding his cuts in government, remain tied up in federal court. In the last two weeks alone, judges have ruled against Trump in matters challenging his deportation policies, attacks against law firms and plans to eliminate government agencies. In response, Trump and his allies have called for judges who rule against the administration to be impeached and drawn a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts. Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the libertarian CATO Institute, said Trump's attacks on law firms and judges are without precedent and are reminiscent of other nations with authoritarian regimes. 'Clipping the wings of law firms and the courts,' Olson said, 'is the behavior of an autocrat.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Analysis-Trump uses power against foes unlike any other modern US president
By James Oliphant and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) -In just 10 weeks in office, Donald Trump has imposed his will on perceived adversaries in business, politics, the media and allied nations by leveraging power in ways no other modern U.S. president has tried. His administration has sought the arrest and deportation of student protesters, withheld federal funds from colleges, ostracized law firms tied to his political opponents, threatened judges and tried to pressure journalists. At the same time Trump has downsized the federal government dramatically and purged it of workers who could stand in his way. Central to this effort has been Trump's use of policy-making executive orders to target opponents as never before. He has been unafraid to employ lawsuits, public threats and the power of the federal purse to bring institutions to heel. 'What unites all these efforts is Trump's desire to shut down every potential source of resistance to the MAGA agenda and to his personal power,' said Peter Shane, a law professor at New York University. Some targets have rushed to placate the president, a few have fought back and many are still trying to figure out how to respond. Many of Trump's actions are being challenged in courts, where some judges have tried to slow him down. The stunning speed and breadth of the Republican president's actions have caught Democrats, public-service unions, CEOs and the legal profession off guard. Trump's supporters say he is simply using the full reach of his presidency to achieve the goals he set as a candidate. "He's laid out these broad battle lines, whether it's with people that he thinks have tried to ruin him personally, whether it's with people he thinks have tried to ruin Western civilization," said Republican strategist Scott Jennings, a longtime adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell. "Everything he said he was going to do on the campaign, he's doing." Trump's aims are not just political. His actions show he wants to reorder American society with an all-powerful executive at the top, where financial, political and cultural institutions carry his stamp and where opposition is either co-opted or curtailed. With a compliant Congress controlled by his party and a U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservatives, Trump is operating with fewer checks on his power than any of his modern-day predecessors. Trump has attempted to subdue and cajole his adversaries on an almost-daily basis, backed by the fearsome might of the law enforcement and regulatory agencies at his command. He has often succeeded. He managed to wring concessions out of several of his targets, including storied Columbia University, powerful law firms and corporate titans such as Meta and Disney. All of them settled with the White House rather than endure the pressure, surrendering some independence and setting what some view as damaging precedents. Others are taking preemptive measures to avoid Trump's wrath. More than 20 of America's largest companies and financial firms, including Goldman Sachs, Google and PepsiCo, have rolled back diversity programs that had drawn Trump's ire. Three law firms cut deals with the administration rather than risk losing their lawyers' security clearances, access to government buildings and perhaps, as a result, clients, while three others targeted by Trump's executive orders sued in response. Trump's orders have also been his vehicle to remake the government, deport alleged Venezuelan gang members with little due process and levy tariffs against U.S. trading partners. He has sued U.S. media corporations and silenced the Voice of America, taken control of the Kennedy Center, a leading arts facility, and sought to put curbs on the Smithsonian Institution, whose mission is to chronicle history. His administration has detained student protesters whose political views it says are a threat to the country. Trump has pushed a mineral-rights deal on Ukraine's leadership with the veiled threat of ending U.S. support for Kyiv in the Russian war in Ukraine. He has threatened NATO ally Denmark to try to wrest control of Greenland, spoken of annexing Canada and threatened to take the Panama Canal back from its home country. TAILORED STRIKES Mark Zaid, a Washington lawyer who represents whistleblowers against the federal government and who himself had his security clearance stripped away by Trump, said the president's conduct is like nothing he has seen in his 30-year career. 'Executive orders have never been designed to specifically target individuals nor non-government actors for purposes of retaliation or retribution,' Zaid said. The White House and Trump's allies deny the president is acting out of revenge. A White House spokesman said more traditional approaches have failed to bring meaningful change. 'Unconventional is precisely what the American people voted for when they elected President Trump," White House spokesman Harrison Fields said. "The president is committed to upending the entrenched bureaucracy." In his first term from 2017-2021, Trump was hamstrung by a variety of factors: a federal probe into Russian interference, his aides' lack of experience and greater Democratic opposition in Congress. With those roadblocks gone, an emboldened Trump has demonstrated at the start of his second term that he has learned how to use the resources available to him more fully to get what he wants. "He really does know how to pull the levers of power this time, more so than last time," said Rina Shah, a Republican strategist. Claire Wofford, a political science professor at the College of Charleston, said Trump has used executive orders not only to push forward a policy agenda, but also to send messages to his political base, as in his attempt to scale back birthright citizenship, and to test the limits of his power, as with his invocation of an 18th-century law to designate some migrants as "alien enemies." 'What strikes me most at this point is how strategic Trump is - but in new ways,' Wofford said. FUNDING AND LITIGATION In cases such as with Columbia University, Trump has used the federal purse as a cudgel, concluding his targets have financial interests that make them vulnerable to coercion. In other cases, he has used the courts, forcing companies such as Disney and Meta into favorable settlements after Trump filed lawsuits against them. CBS News, another Trump lawsuit target, is under pressure to settle its suit because its parent, Paramount, is eager to have its proposed merger with Skydance Media approved by Trump administration regulators. But not every institution has bent the knee. Many of Trump's actions, particularly those regarding his cuts in government, remain tied up in federal court. In the last two weeks alone, judges have ruled against Trump in matters challenging his deportation policies, attacks against law firms and plans to eliminate government agencies. In response, Trump and his allies have called for judges who rule against the administration to be impeached and drawn a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts. Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the libertarian CATO Institute, said Trump's attacks on law firms and judges are without precedent and are reminiscent of other nations with authoritarian regimes. "Clipping the wings of law firms and the courts," Olson said, "is the behavior of an autocrat."
