'Nothing will stop me': Trump celebrates 100 days in office as approval ratings plunge
Despite dropping poll numbers, the US leader claimed to have had the 'most successful' ever start to a presidency.
US President Donald Trump has marked the first 100 days of his second administration by attacking judges he says are standing in his way. During a 90-minute speech delivered in Michigan’s Macomb County, the 78-year-old, whose approval ratings have fallen significantly in recent weeks, focused heavily on immigration. The president, who promised his supporters that his administration had “just gotten started”, showed a video of men being deported from the US to a notorious prison in El Salvador, which drew roars of approval from the crowd. Trump accused the courts of giving his administration “a hard time”, after some judges questioned the legality of his use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. “We cannot allow a handful of communist, radical-left judges to obstruct the enforcement of our laws and assume the duties that belong solely to the president of the United States,” Trump claimed. “Nothing will stop me in the mission to keep America safe again,” he added. Trump’s celebration of his first 100 days back in office also included boasts about his administration’s slashing of federal agencies. While critics say that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, has cut federal roles and agencies indiscriminately and allegedly illegally, Trump sought to cast its work as beneficial for the country. “After a lifetime of unelected bureaucrats stealing your pay checks, attacking your values and trampling your freedoms, we are stopping their gravy train, ending their power trip and telling thousands of corrupt, incompetent and unnecessary deep state bureaucrats, 'You're fired!'” Trump said.Despite Trump’s claim to have had “the most successful 100 days of any administration in the history of our country”, polls suggest that only about 4 in 10 Americans or fewer approve of how he is handling the presidency. The US public also has concerns about Trump’s immigration policies, with roughly half of Americans saying he has “gone too far” over deportations. His ratings on economy and trade have also taken a hit since his "Liberation Day" tariff announcements sent stock markets tumbling. Protesters outside the venue where Trump was speaking on Tuesday held signs including “100 days of lies” and “Trump is destroying our democracy”. Meanwhile, Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said: “In 100 days, Donald Trump has achieved the unthinkable: he’s brought America to the brink of implosion.“On the world stage, he’s made us into a joke. On the home front, he’s made us weak. All of his promises are empty — and the American people know it.”