Trump boasts ‘fun’ 100 days

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — After 100 days of political chaos and economic shock that have sent his approval ratings tumbling, Donald Trump hopes to regain the unqualified adulation of his supporters Tuesday at one of his bread-and-butter events: a public rally.

To mark the symbolic milestone in his second term, the Republican US president is visiting the site of one of his last campaign events, in Michigan, a battleground state that swung his way in November’s election.

“The first time, I had two things to do — run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys,” he said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine, referring to advisors and cabinet members whom he considered incompetent or disloyal lieutenants in his first term.

“And the second time, I run the country and the world,” he crowed, adding “I’m having a lot of fun.”

Many of the former real estate tycoon’s voters remain behind Trump.

“He knows what he’s doing,” Karen Miner, a 57-year-old wine store owner in Reno, Nevada, told AFP.

‘No equal’

“So far, I’m very satisfied with the job he’s doing,” said Frank Tuoti, a 72-year-old retired machinist from New Hampshire.

But he concedes that the tariff instability has made him “a little concerned about the economy.”

Trump on Monday railed against predecessor Joe Biden’s economic policy, boasting on his Truth Social platform that he would reverse the country’s fortunes.

“The USA lost Billions of Dollars A DAY in International Trade under Sleepy Joe Biden. I have now stemmed that tide, and will be making a fortune, very soon,” the president wrote.