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How President Trump's First 100 Days Compare Historically

Some presidents — including Trump, Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy — have dismissed the 100-day expectation as arbitrary. But historians Ed Ayers (@edward_l_ayers) and Brian Balogh (@historyfellow) say the timeline can be a good indication of a president's priorities and relationship with Congress.

Brian Balogh

Last time a US president faced such resistance in his first 100 days, civil war broke out

"It's [the protests] in the first 100 days that I think distinguishes Donald Trump," Brian Balogh, associate professor of history at the University of Virginia and cohost of the popular U.S. history podcast Backstory, said in an interview.

Brian Balogh

Last time a US president faced such resistance in his first 100 days, civil war broke out

In addition to such significant crowds, Trump is also historically unpopular in the polls. "Trump is now at 40% at the hundred-day mark," Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, said. "That is 15 points below the closest lowest approval rating, and that is Bill Clinton."

Barbara Perry

Donald Trump 100 day report card

Donald Trump 100 day report card. Why Trump has scored so low @pastpunditry tells @bevvo14

Nicole Hemmer

5 great presidential starts — and 5 historically bad ones

When Donald Trump called the 100 days mark for judging a presidency a “ridiculous standard,” he was echoing what historians have said for years. If anything, he could have gone further. The habit of weighing a president’s success 100 days in is a blight on the modern presidency, as pointless as it is impossible to uproot.

Nicole Hemmer

What the Press Still Doesn’t Get About Trump

Many journalists covering the White House have lapsed into a practice of “Trump exceptionalism,” a tendency to assume each move the administration makes is new and nefarious. This assumption comes from a well-meaning place—a worry that they will be complicit in normalizing dangerous behavior in an American leader. But there are real risks, too.

Nicole Hemmer