The first 100 days of the 47th U.S. president’s term shocked not only America but virtually the entire world, with evaluations of Trump’s policies varying widely.

On one hand, he has faced harsh criticism and accusations of causing immense damage. On the other, he has received glowing praise, with claims that “Trump saved America.”

Supporters of the Democratic Party have yet to fully recover from their electoral defeat and have failed to propose any constructive alternative agenda. Instead, their attacks have boiled down to accusing Republicans of acting against America’s interests. A prime example of this approach is a May 1 editorial in The New York Times, which argued that Trump’s early actions “have done more damage to American democracy than anything since the collapse of Reconstruction” (following the mid-19th century Civil War) and that his presidency “has the potential to inflict far greater harm in the time remaining.”

The ‘Dangerous Dictatorship’ of the Washington Administration

These assessments somewhat align with a May 7 analysis by Egypt’s Al-Ahram: The U.S. economy is stagnating, trade markets are closing, investments are freezing, jobs are disappearing, and prices are soaring. Trump has the lowest approval rating of any president in his first 100 days, and over half of Americans describe his administration as a “dangerous dictatorship.”

The public has been alarmed not only by reckless and illegal budget cuts in the Department of Government Efficiency, overseen by billionaire businessman Elon Musk, but also by attacks on education, law firms, political opponents’ businesses, media, and cultural institutions. The impact on the global stage has been equally traumatic. Trump aggressively dismantled the very world order Washington had built to minimize great-power conflict and profit from global economic integration. He weakened America’s “soft power,” diminished its diplomatic influence, scrapped long-standing trade deals, and distanced the U.S. from numerous treaty obligations. He made absurd claims against Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Gaza, imposed sweeping tariffs across the board, and offended both allies and adversaries.

Is the United West No More?

London’s Sharq al-Awsat claimed on January 10 that both Trump and Musk possess colossal egos, with the media portraying Trump as a pathological liar and immoral figure while depicting Musk as an unpredictable personality suffering from drug abuse. Western European elites remain stunned by the U.S. administration’s shift in policy toward Russia and the Ukraine conflict. They acknowledge a rift in the Euro-Atlantic community, with some concluding that the “united West” no longer exists.

Many analysts blame Trump for effectively starting trade wars. The Economist emphasized on May 1 that protectionism and market closures have never led to positive outcomes. It cited the example of China’s Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), where emperors prioritized the rule of law, predictable governance, and meritocratic bureaucracy. Agricultural output nearly doubled, the population of Kaifeng in 1100 was 65 times larger than London’s, and trade flourished - until the Mongols invaded and China turned inward.

Americans often compare themselves to Ancient Rome, which grew stronger through alliances, granting citizenship to conquered peoples, and learning from them (Greek slaves taught Roman children logic, philosophy, and drama). At its peak, Rome governed a vast empire under a unified legal code, maintained relatively free markets, and built 250,000 miles of roads to transport goods. Emperor Augustus introduced fixed per-capita taxes, making Rome as wealthy as Britain and France would be 1,500 years later. (These examples come from Swedish historian Johan Norberg’s book Progress, published before Trump’s re-election.)

Growing Positive Assessments of Trump

Arab News argued on May 11 that the Trump administration may have saved the U.S. - and thus the entire Western world - from collapse by making radical course corrections to stabilize America’s future trajectory. Previous U.S. administrations had willingly enacted policies contrary to America’s core interests, partly due to incompetence but mostly due to the rise of far-left globalist agendas hostile to their own nation’s “history, behavior, and identity.”  The article describes a politics of universal discontent, a total war on family values, faith, and common sense - a radical postmodernism best termed the “post-common-sense era.”

Trump wants immediate, tangible change rather than decades of incremental steps that often lead nowhere. Many in America and beyond credit him with a “common-sense revolution,” rejecting transgender ideology, same-sex marriage, and similar trends. France’s Le Figaro reported in early May on a book that became a turning point in the culture war over family values, echoing Trump’s stance that there are only two sexes (male and female) and framing the debate as a “clash with obscurantism.” The book’s authors were condemned by the far left as “Trumpists” and “Putinists.”

Vice President J.D. Vance has praised Trump’s achievements as a historic return to normalcy.  During a May 13 speech in Saudi Arabia, Trump outlined his vision for global order, directly criticizing the “interventionist class” - including in his own country - for imposing destructive policies: “So-called nation-builders have destroyed far more nations than they’ve built, and interventionists have meddled in complex societies they didn’t even understand.” He noted that neoconservatives and liberal NGOs wasted trillions of dollars failing to develop Baghdad, Kabul, and other cities. The modern Middle East, Trump stressed, emerged through the efforts of its own people, who built sovereign nations according to their unique visions.

This message somewhat echoes the early Soviet government’s call for developing nations to build societies in their own image.  Trump’s undeniable achievement is his push to normalize relations with Russia and seek a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict. It is clear that Trump’s rise marked a new era in global politics. Not all his accomplishments are positive, but one conclusion is undeniable: He has changed international affairs forever, securing his place in history.

Veniamin Popov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Ph.D. in History. Courtesy

https://journal-neo.su/2025/05/20/divergent-assessments-of-trump/