100 Days of Trump: Economic Torment, Civil Crackdowns, and a Nation on Edge
According to new findings from Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF), Trump's aggressive tariffs have already siphoned $14 billion from U.S. households.
WASHINGTON — One hundred days into Donald Trump’s return to power, the United States feels less like a democracy in motion and more like a country in freefall. From punishing economic policies to brazen assaults on civil liberties, the reopening act of Trump’s presidency has ignited widespread outrage, economic suffering, and fear of a deeper authoritarian turn.
According to new findings from Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF), Trump's aggressive tariffs have already siphoned $14 billion from U.S. households. Basic necessities now come with inflated price tags, thanks to what critics call a “taxation without representation” scheme targeting the working class to bankroll billionaire kickbacks. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports a staggering $96.3 billion in import taxes collected in the first quarter of 2025—a 17 percent spike from a year ago. Economists say this is only the beginning.
“These tariffs are a brutal backdoor tax on everyday Americans, engineered by a president more interested in pleasing his elite donors than protecting families,” said David Kass, executive director of ATF. The report shows that those earning the least—60 percent of U.S. households—will shoulder nearly a third of the tariff burden. Meanwhile, the wealthiest 1 percent will barely feel the impact, even as they rake in over 20 percent of the nation’s income.
The Yale Budget Lab warns that unless policy is reversed, Trump’s trade agenda will push effective tariff rates to 18 percent by the end of the year—levels not seen since the Great Depression. If consumer behavior doesn’t change, the rate could balloon to 28 percent, rivaling the protectionist chaos of 1901.
Beyond economic turmoil, Trump’s first 100 days have been marked by scenes eerily reminiscent of authoritarian regimes. More than 200 protestors filled the streets of Washington this week to denounce what they call "100 Days of Disaster." Traffic was paralyzed, arrests were made, and the city braced itself for more unrest.
“For 100 days, this administration has ruled by fear,” said Ella Weber, one of the protest organizers. “They are rounding up immigrants, silencing dissent, and erasing identities. This is not governance. This is a hostile takeover of American life.”
CODEPINK’s Olivia DiNucci was even more direct: “They’ve gutted health care, defunded housing programs, and funneled billions to the war machine. Families are being strangled by policies written for oligarchs.”
Rev. Al Sharpton framed Trump’s actions as the execution of Project 2025—a far-right blueprint for dismantling decades of civil rights progress. Trump has signed executive orders eliminating diversity and equity initiatives, rolling back police oversight, and targeting LGBTQ+ protections.
“Trump has the courts, the Congress, and the cops,” Sharpton said. “But he does not have our spirit. He does not have our dollars. He cannot erase our fight.”
Meanwhile, the Not Above the Law coalition accuses the administration of using the Justice Department as a personal hit squad, ignoring judicial rulings, and awarding federal contracts to loyalists. Pardons are being handed out like party favors. Allies are being protected. Enemies are being punished.
For many Americans, the past 100 days haven’t just been chaotic—they’ve been traumatic. Fear, frustration, and fatigue are gripping communities as Trump’s second term hurtles forward, unbound by precedent and unchecked by restraint.
The sequel is here—and for millions, it's playing out like a horror film they can’t escape.
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