Publicly opposing the second-term actions and executive orders of President Donald Trump opens up politicians, leaders, and organizations to negative consequences under the Trump administration, according to Jonathan Hanson, a lecturer at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Hanson said governors are in a particular dilemma, because states often rely on federal government resources for items that are important to a state’s agenda.
“What they're finding is that if they don't line up behind what the president wants, they're being punished,” Hanson said. “It creates a particular dilemma for Democrats, who, in many respects, oppose what the president is doing but, if they are vocal about that, risk the withdrawal of federal funds or some other sort of unfavorable political initiative from the president.”
That creates difficulty for Democratic governors like Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer, who visited Trump in early April for what she believed was just a meeting but turned out to also be a televised press conference. During the meeting, Whitmer shielded her face from cameras with a blue folder.
Looking back at Trump’s second term so far, Hanson said, changes have been made quickly, and there’s potential for a constitutional crisis.
The second Trump administration has made government downsizing and budget cuts a focus. Thousands of federal employees have been placed on leave. Domestic and international markets have also been hit by the administration’s often-changing tariff policy.
Trump, who signed 26 executive orders on his first day in office, also reversed many policies put in place under the Biden administration. Many of the reversals related to healthcare, educational programs, and environmental regulations.
Hanson said Trump has been moving faster than prior presidents during the beginning of their terms, and more quickly compared to his first term.
“Let's start with the fact that Trump has issued executive orders at a pace that we've not seen from any prior administrations,” Hanson said.
Trump has issued 142 executive orders so far, according to The American Presidency Project. While the number of orders varies from presidency to presidency, a number of 142 orders within 100 days of presidency is comparatively high. Former President Joe Biden, for example, issued a total of 162 executive orders in his four years in office.
Hanson said many of these orders have been challenged in court, but the legal system is a slow process. He said the Trump administration has been showing signs of not wanting to adhere to some court decisions, prompting a potential clash between the putatively co-equal branches of government.
“In many cases, President Trump has issued orders that undo acts of Congress,” Hanson said. “That, on its face, does not seem to be within the president's powers.”
Hanson said Trump’s approval is very low for someone who has been in office for only 100 days. A NPR/PBS News/Marist poll conducted from April 21 to 23 found that Trump’s overall approval rating is 42%.
“And for someone in the first 100 days of their term in office, that's pretty much unprecedented in the history of political polling,” Hanson said.
The recent poll gives Trump the second-worst approval rating for any president at the 100-day mark. It only falls short of Trump’s first term, when his approval rating was 41% at this point in his term, according to Gallup data.
