With President Donald Trump having been back in the White House for 100 days, many right-wing media outlets are praising his "record of accomplishment" and echoing his "promises made, promises kept" slogan. But outside the MAGA bubble, much of the analysis of Trump's second presidency is overwhelmingly negative.

In a scathing article published on April 29, The Guardian's David Smith describes Trump's second presidency as a combination of "ineptitude" and "authoritarianism."

"Trump is seeking to remake the U.S. in his image at frightening speed," Smith warns. "The shock and awe of his second term has challenged many Americans' understanding of who they are. In three months, Trump has shoved the world's oldest continuous democracy towards authoritarianism at a pace that tyrants overseas would envy. He has used executive power to take aim at Congress, the law, the media, culture and public health."

Smith continues, "Still aggrieved by his 2020 election defeat and 2024 criminal conviction, his regime of retribution has targeted perceived enemies and proved that no grudge is too small. Historically, such strongmen have offered the populace a grand bargain: if they will surrender some liberties, he will make the trains run on time. But Trump's delusions of monarchy have been coupled with a fundamental ineptitude.