By Mary Jones & Tony Bruce | Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | 4 min read
When Donald Trump clawed his way back into the White House in 2024, his loyalists cheered. They thought they were electing a wrecking ball, a man who would smash the system and “save America.” Instead, they got a demolition derby without brakes — and America is the wreck.
Just 100 days in, Trump’s second term looks less like a comeback and more like a slow-motion collapse.
A Presidency in Flames
The numbers don’t just look bad. They look catastrophic. Trump’s approval rating, once a fragile 47% when he took office, has plunged to 41%. It’s the worst for any modern president at this stage — and that’s saying something.
The damage is everywhere:
The economy is tanking.
Trump’s sky-high tariffs — some topping 100% — were supposed to “bring back American jobs.” Instead, they’re squeezing businesses to death and gutting family budgets. In Ohio, a Republican business owner who once wore a MAGA hat proudly now spits the words: “I voted for change. I got financial ruin.” Even billionaire GOP backers like Ken Griffin are sounding alarms: America is “20% poorer than it was a month ago.”
Immigration? Another disaster.
Trump’s immigration crackdown, once a red-meat rallying cry, is now a political sinkhole. His numbers have dropped six points on the issue since March. Turns out it’s easy to chant “Build the Wall” — a lot harder to live with food shortages, labor gaps, and endless legal battles.
Foreign policy? A catastrophe.
Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine didn’t just enrage allies — it handed Vladimir Putin a victory on a silver platter. One veteran GOP senator put it bluntly: “If John McCain were alive, he’d be torching Trump right now.”
The GOP: Trapped in a Burning House
The Republican Party knows it’s in trouble — but they’re too scared to say it out loud.
Independents are bailing fast. In late 2024, Trump was underwater with them by nine points. Now? He’s at minus thirty. Thirty. That’s political Chernobyl.
“If House Republicans think they can dodge this, they’re delusional,” said CNN’s Harry Enten. And the polls back him up: Democrats are now leading the generic congressional ballot by four points — even seven in some polls like Fox News’.
If history is any guide, this is how political tsunamis start. Republicans could lose the House in 2026 — and maybe a lot more.
MAGA Country: Duped and Devastated
The cruelest twist? The people who believed in Trump the most are the ones getting crushed.
In Pennsylvania, a blue-collar voter who backed Trump twice didn’t hide his anger: “I didn’t vote to starve my family.”
Across rural America, workers are watching their paychecks shrink, their costs soar, and their dreams die — while Trump’s billionaire cronies cash in and Congress cowers.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders play dead, terrified of a Trump tweet or a Truth Social tirade. “The GOP isn’t a political party anymore,” a Democratic strategist sneered. “It’s a hostage crisis.”
And he’s not wrong.
Democrats: Opportunity or Trap?
Trump’s collapse is a golden opportunity — but Democrats can’t agree on what to do.
Some centrists want to play it safe. Preach stability. Be the calm after the storm. “People just want normal again,” one adviser said. “They want to buy eggs without taking out a loan.”
Progressives, on the other hand, smell blood. They want bold action. Systemic change. Real reform. “Band-aids won’t fix this mess,” a progressive organizer snapped.
The truth? Democrats better figure it out — and fast. Because chaos favors the loudest voice, and Trump’s voice, hoarse and desperate as it is, still commands a cult.
This Is No Joke Anymore
Trump used to joke about being a dictator. About locking people up. About smashing the system.
Nobody’s laughing now.
His threats are getting louder. His disregard for the law is getting bolder. And behind the scenes, even some Republicans are whispering what they dare not say aloud: “What if it’s not just talk?”
America’s Breaking Point
This isn’t just another bad presidency. This is something darker. More dangerous.
Real Americans are losing their jobs, their homes, their futures — because they trusted a man who treats the country like his own bankrupt casino.
And if the next 100 days look anything like the last 100, the damage won’t just be severe. It could be permanent.
As Harry Enten put it: “My goodness gracious, this is what dreams are made of if you’re a House Democrat.”
But for Trump, the nightmare has already begun.
And America?
America is still holding its breath — waiting to see how much more it can survive.
Copyright 2025 FN, NewsRoom.
