Trump marks first 100 days in office focused on grudges and grievances

President Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated the 100th day of his second term — yet spent much of his rally marking it in campaign mode, fixated on past grudges and grievances.

He repeatedly mocked his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, attacking his mental acuity and even how he appears in a bathing suit.

He again uttered the lie that he won the 2020 presidential election. And he attacked polling and news coverage not favourable to him.

And Mr Trump again and again returned to immigration, his signature issue, at the rally that marked his largest political event since returning to the White House — boasting about his administration’s “mass deportation” efforts that have sent arrests for illegal crossings along the US-Mexico border plummeting.

“Removing the invaders is not just a campaign pledge,” Mr Trump said in his 90-minute speech. “It’s my solemn duty as commander-in-chief. I have an obligation to save our country.”

He paused his remarks to play a video of migrants who Mr Trump asserts are gang members arriving at a notorious prison in El Salvador, with rally-goers cheering as images of deportees having their heads shaved were played.

And while Michigan has seen unemployment rise since Mr Trump reclaimed the White House, Mr Trump used his speech to defend his administration’s steep tariffs on cars and auto parts — hours after the White House announced it was softening those.

“We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country,” Mr Trump said, standing before large electronic screens reading “100 Day of Greatness.”

He later added: “We’ve just gotten started. You haven’t even seen anything yet.”

His Republican administration’s strict immigration policies have pushed the boundaries of the judiciary, and its protectionist import taxes imposed on America’s trade partners have also sought to reorder a global economy that the US built in the decades after the Second World War.

Mr Trump has also championed sweeping expansionism, refusing to rule out military intervention in Greenland and Panama, suggesting that American developers could help convert the war-torn Gaza Strip into a Riviera-like resort and even suggesting annexation of Canada.

Meanwhile, government-slashing efforts led by billionaire adviser Elon Musk have shaken Washington to its core.

Mr Trump said: “After a lifetime of un-elected bureaucrats stealing your paychecks, 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!’”

Yet only about four in 10 Americans approve of how Mr Trump is handling the presidency, and his ratings on the economy and trade are lower than that.

Additionally, 46% of US adults approve of Mr Trump’s immigration policies, with about half of Americans saying he has “gone too far” when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the country illegally.

Just 33% of Americans, meanwhile, have a favourable view of Mr Musk, the Tesla boss and the world’s richest person, and about half believe the administration has gone too far in working to pare back the government workforce.

“The bottom line for the first hundred days is, lots of damage being done to the fundamentals of our government,” said Max Stier, founding president and chief executive of the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit dedicated to better government.

Typically, presidents use the 100-day mark to launch multiple rallies. But Mr Trump is doing only the Michigan stop.

Administration officials say Mr Trump is at his most effective when staying at the White House, having meetings and speaking to reporters nearly every day.

Indeed, the speech in Macomb County was one of the few large political crowds he has addressed since Inauguration Day on January 20.

The exceptions have been flying most weekends to golf in Florida or attend sporting events, including the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500.

The limited travel to see supporters is a major departure from his first term, when Mr Trump held a series of rallies before celebrating 100 days in office with a Pennsylvania speech in 2017.

Michigan was one of the battleground states Mr Trump flipped in 2024 from the Democratic column. But it has also been deeply affected by his tariffs, including on new imported cars and auto parts.

Automaker Stellantis halted production at plants in Canada and Mexico after Mr Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, temporarily laying off 900 US employees.

Industry groups have separately urged the White House to scrap plans for tariffs on imported auto parts, warning that doing so would raise prices on cars and could trigger “layoffs and bankruptcy”.

That seemingly would make the state an odd choice for Mr Trump to hail his accomplishments.

Luis Guevara, of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, said outside Mr Trump’s rally that he is “cautiously optimistic” about Mr Trump’s first 100 days in office but noted that change can be hard.

“We don’t look at our 401(k) or our portfolio on a daily, weekly, monthly basis or even year to year. I think the market is very skittish,” Mr Guevara said.

“Now is certainly not the time to mimic the market and be skittish. I think we have to hold tight. It’s going to be a rough ride. Change is difficult for a lot of people.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump issued an executive order relaxing some of his tariffs on cars and auto parts.

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the goal remained enabling automakers to create more domestic manufacturing jobs, noting Mr Trump is concerned with “jobs of the future, not of the past”.