A president's first 100 days in office are often a marker for the success of his administration, and often considered the best time to push his agenda forward. Because of the special attention given to this period, many may be wondering when President Donald Trump's 100th day in office is and what he is doing to mark the occasion.
Trump's 100th day in office as president of the United States is on April 29, the same date he has planned a "big rally in Pennsylvania," according to a tweet he posted. Interestingly, Trump's 100th day in office falls on the same day as the White House Correspondents' Dinner, an event typically attended by sitting presidents, though Trump has declined to attend.
Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly emphasized that he believed he would have a vastly successful first few months in office. He, in fact, often touted at rallies the many campaign promises he planned to fulfill in his first 100 days. During his campaign, he provided voters with a 100-day plan that delineated what he would accomplish in this time period. These actions included enacting an "End Illegal Immigration Act," providing tax relief for the middle class, and repealing and replacing Obamacare.
However, Trump recently appeared to reverse course on the importance of this time period. Late last week, he tweeted that measuring success in the first 100 days of his presidency constituted "a ridiculous standard," and that "no matter how much [he] accomplished ... the media will kill it." Indeed, Salon characterized Trump's 100-days stance as a "flip flop," a reversal which may be attributed to the fact that Trump has not been close to achieving what he set out to do in his 100-day plan.
While Trump seems to be deemphasizing the first 100 days as a marker of his success, media outlets as well as the general public have quite a bit of commentary on the issue. According to an NBC News survey, 45 percent of its respondents believed that Trump was off to a "poor start" in his first 100 days in office. Moreover, NPR characterized Trump's first 100 days as an "entry-level" presidency and the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out Trump's "record low" approval rating during his first 100 days.
Whether or not he chooses to acknowledge the significance of the first 100 days, it is clear that April 29 holds substantial importance for many Americans. The first 100 days of the Trump administration are likely a fairly strong indicator for how the next 1,361 days of Trump's presidency will proceed—something which is certainly worth noting.
