Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
Pundits are confused about what to make of the first 100 days of the second Trump administration.
Supporters talk of “flooding the zone,” believing Trump is making so many changes so quickly that his opposition is reduced to deer-in-the-headlights infancy.
They must be right when the nation suffers daily Democratic pottymouth videos, vandalism of Teslas, infantile meltdowns at congressional witnesses, rioting against federal agents to protect illegal alien felons, protesting on behalf of women beaters, M-13 gangbangers, human traffickers, and assaulters, and visa-holding violent students praising Hamas terrorists.
In contrast, opponents either claim that Trump’s first three months are either directionless chaos or a Hitlerian nightmare or both.
But what is really happening?
One, Trump is finally addressing the problems that proverbially “cannot go on forever, and so they won’t go on.”
When, if ever, would the left have closed the southern border? After 10, 30, 50 million illegal aliens?
How many more criminal illegal entrants was the Biden administration willing to allow into American neighborhoods—500,000? 1 million? 3 million?
How long was the world simply going to ignore the human destruction on the doorstep of Europe?
Would Biden or Harris have sought a ceasefire? Or would it have taken another 1.5, 3, or even 5 million more dead, wounded, and missing Ukrainians and Russians?
Nor did past administrations ever seek a solution to the massive national debt, much less the uncontrollable budget and trade deficits.
All prior presidents passed the day of judgment on to some vague future presidency, assured that their money printing would at least not blow up on their watch.
All moaned that China was piling up huge trade surpluses while denying its own population the usual modern safety net. They knew Beijing’s aim was to use the trillions of dollars in trade surpluses to build a new massive military, a greater arsenal of nuclear bombs, and a new imperial Belt and Road overseas empire.
Yet no administration did anything but greenlight American outsourcing and offshoring while ignoring Chinese trade cheating and technology theft.
Indeed, prior presidencies appeased and enriched China on the foolish belief that such indulgence would lead to Chinese prosperity, and with such Western-style affluence, soon a globalized, democratic, and supposedly friendly China.
In sum, we just witnessed all at once a 100-day, 360-degree effort to address all the existential challenges that we knew were unsustainable but were either afraid or incompetent to address.
Second, the administration apparently wants to confront the source of these crises and believes it is the progressive project.
The left maintains real political power not by grass-roots popularity, but rather by unelected institutional clout. The party of democracy uses anti-democratic means to achieve its ends of perpetual control.
It wages lawfare through the weaponization of the state, local, and federal courts.
It exercises executive power through cherry-picked federal district and circuit judges and their state and local counterparts.
The permanent bureaucracies and huge federal workforce are mostly left-wing, unionized, and weaponized by a progressive apparat. Their supreme directive is to amalgamate legislative, judicial, and executive power into the hands of the unelected Anthony Faucis, Jim Comeys, and Lois Lerners of the world—and thus to override or ignore both popular plebiscites and the work of the elected Congress.
Over ninety percent of the media—legacy, network, social, and state—are left-wing. Their mission is not objectivity but, admittedly, indoctrination.
Academia is the font of the progressive project. Ninety percent of the professoriate are left-wing and activist—explaining why campuses believe they are above the rules and laws of the Constitution, the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Congress.
Add into the mix the blue-chip Accela corridor law firms and the globalized corporate and revolving-door political elite.
The net result is clear: almost everything the vast majority of Americans and their elected representatives did not want—far-left higher education, a Pravda media, biological men destroying women’s sports, an open border, 30 million illegal aliens, massive debt, a weaponized legal system, and a politicized Pentagon—became the new culture of America.
So, Trump is not just confronting unaddressed existential crises but also the root causes of why, when, and how they become inevitable and nearly unsolvable.
His answer is a messy, knock-down-drag-out counterrevolution to reboot the country back to the middle where it once was and where the Founders believed it should remain.
His right and left opponents call such pushback chaotic, disruptive, and out of control.
But the counterrevolution appears disorderly and upsetting, mostly to those who originally birthed the chaos; it certainly does not to the majority of Americans who finally wanted an end to the madness.
In her Republican response to President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it plainly:
“The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal and crazy.”
She accused the Biden administration of being hijacked by the radical Left and obsessed with woke fantasies instead of addressing real-world problems. Americans want common sense, she argued—but in Washington, they’re “doubling down on crazy.”
Naturally, the Left objected to this framing—because it’s true. It cuts straight through their abstractions and exposes what they’ve become: unserious, unhinged, and utterly divorced from reality.
Agree with Jim Reynolds. We need simple responses to ridiculous positions by leftists, where we highlight important issues, such as doge vs. out-of-control spending, open borders vs. sovereignty & rule of law, assimilation vs. unreasonable minority demands, non-intervention vs. warmongering, etc.
There’s no dialogue with these people; they seem to relish conflict and can’t support their positions, so just state one’s position and move on. Life’s too short to waste time with them, so miserable & enervating by nature. We can’t live this way.
There’s got to be a better way there’s got to be a better way
The price is just too I high to pay there’s got to be a better way
A young man only 21 loves the land where he was born a call goes out to make a stand he gives his life for the motherland
There’s got to be a better way
A young man on the other side there’s nowhere left to hide his mother cries now that he’s gone was he right or was he wrong
There’s got to be a better way the price is just too high to pay there’s got to be a better way. lB Scott
Victor has been spared death multiple times so he could be the prophet he is in these dangerous times. May he live many more years!
I am not into revenge politics but I think there are a lot of actions taken by the previous administration that need investigation and, where appropriate, accountability. As part of getting to the causes of the problems we’re facing, making those that deliberately caused those problems take responsibility should absolutely be part of the program.
We are in a counter-revolution of sorts. But will all be to no avail if senators like Schumer can stand outside the US Supreme Court and utter words like “…you released the whirlwind…”, well, you all know the words he uttered. Did Schumer pay the price for his words? No! Did a couple of Supreme Court judges get doxed? Yes! Did anyone go to jail for such actions? No!
Until I see these lawbreakers get perp-walked to jail, then trial, I stand firm on the notion that nothing will be done. Why? Because politicians do not ‘eat’ their own. Two wings but only one bird. I think both sides are corrupt, and all we’re seeing is those two wings battling it out for control of our country. The outcome? In the end, probably not much.
Trump’s ‘counter-revolution’ is an attempt by the right ‘wing’ of the bird to gain control. In the end it’ll be just like Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Color me negative if you wish, but in my 77 years on God’s Green Earth I’ve yet to see substantial changes, changes that are for the good of all.
I hope I’m wrong about Trump and his counter-revolution.
Incidents such as Pam ‘Sessions’ and her dog and pony show with the Epstein files make me think this was but a head-fake, something that might help this go away. It made some ‘new media’ sources rather embarrassed, but there was nothing new in that release, and Bondi knew it!
So now the FBI is supposedly working day and night on the release of the files. I’m betting the real info will be redacted.
Fifty or so years ago, most of the youth opined after LBJ and his mad views, thus: ‘Get the old farts out of the way, put in some smart savvy, younger people, balance with some who cross party lines, get some women in there ‘… things like that…. Now we finally have someone who isn’t a career hack pol, understands where we came from, sees where we need to go and has built a dream team cabinet to do just that…. Trump may just be the most effective pres of my lifetime. All this may just be the best gift the demo-publicans ever got.
“After what I’ve seen?”….Ernest Borgnine in ‘Red’. Never thought I’d live this long. Never thought I’d be a prepper at age 78. Still rockin’ , still stockin’. Keep on keepin’ on.
As Dr. Larry Arnn said on Mark Levin’s show just after the inauguration….What we are witnessing is the battle of whether the “Government controls the People”….Or “If the People will control the Government”…..It will compare and be as historic The American Revolution….The Civil War….Of which were the most highly contentious eras in our great country’s history….Be safe and God Bless you President Trump…Your courage and conviction for this fight is beyond historic….!!
It is well past the time for a change of course. It makes me think of The Fourth Turning (Strauss and Howe) and are we at the crisis stage? That means contemporary upset but a settling peacefulness afterwards. Trump is the only person who has the moxie to take it on and he knows what to do to get it rolling again. Most commonsense Americans are breathing a sigh of relief as others wring their hands and use expletives to express their frustration with the undoing of their handiwork. I am so very relieved to see these changes and I hope they will be effective for the foreseeable future.
Thank you, Victor, for the overview.
I enjoy your vocabulary! What s joy to see English used in its most revealing attire. Thank you for caring enough to so carefully observe and relate what is happening with the second Trump administration. I prayed so often that God would use this man to lead America back to a God honoring government both here and abroad. Thank you for your willingness to bear witness to it.
Powerful synopsis as per usual Dr Hanson!!
Thank you
How absolutely as usual you are correct about the incredible turn around Trump has of solving government instituted “Trump is finally addressing the past presidential created problems that proverbially “cannot go on forever, and so they won’t go on.” He also has confronted the fact that Congress has not been doing it’s duty to over see the judiciary and bureaucratic deep state both of whom have taken over legislating but law making. Like you taking a big picture perspective, applying common sense the government problems become crystal clear. Trump, a very common sense and practical successful business executive trained at the Wharton College of Business is a very successful entrepreneur businessman having had decades of experience being successful in spite of dysfunctional bureaucracies. He knows all the government caused barriers. He also like any successful businessman (like Elon Musk) knows how to trim overhead to make a business profitable. His first term taught him also how corrupt politicians and especially advisors are and who makes a good honest advisor. We should be thankful to Providence for this unique Abraham Lincolnesque man. Trump certainly reminds me of St. Peter disciple of Christ or St. Augustian as a very lustful, joy de Vive randy man in his younger years but just look at how he has matured. Only successful business men who have shown moral fortitude and ability in their private business should become Presidents rather than career Politicians.
Victor: I just watched your commencement speech at Hillsdale College! All I can say is a paragon of excellence that will have a profound effect on the graduating class! You are a “Diamond Among the Rock Pile!” and I pray that POTUS listens and takes your advice to heart! Counterrevolution is an understatement I feel. He needs congress to get on board with his agenda or I fear everything he is trying to accomplish is for naught.
The first 100 days was a shock and awe effort to claw back some semblance of common sense and rationality. If Trumps strategy is successful, the mid term elections may lead to comfortable majorities in both houses, allowing the President to proceed with his polices (provided the Republicans can unite).
Democrat’s on the other hand desperately cling to lost power, failed ideology, and violently oppose any change to policies they instituted. I suspect the more Trump succeeds, the more violent the left will become. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride!
I guess we can’t respond to individual comments anymore.
RAM, I totally agree with you.
Without punishment there is no deterrence. We will repeat the sequence on steroids if bad actors are not incarcerated, fined or banished proportionately.
If people broke the law — especially in RICO-sized mashups — they need to go to jail. There appears to have been a lot of this coordinated activity going on behind the scenes. That is illegal.
The crooks need to go to jail. No evidence of that happening, yet.
Pam, Kash and Dan need to get busy.
Trump is attempting the nearly impossible task of turning the Titanic away from the ice berg. God bless that man… I hope he shakes things up just as much in his second 100 days!
Framing what we are experiencing daily as a counterrevolution is correct.
We need to arm ourselves with sharp quips, quick on-the-money responses, devastating rational thinking — all wrapped up in appropriate historical context.
Thought precedes action. Influence precedes thought. Creativity precedes influence. These columns are at the front end of these necessary processes. That’s why the writings are so valuable.
It is not just entertainment.
Our battlefield here is verbal and virtual — and filled with land mines planted by crazy-eyed liberals that think they are still the majority. To counter the onslaught of off kilter and mentally disturbed progressives, we need to focus, target, maintain our cool, and aggressively dismantle every lie and harmful policy the Left has promoted in the past few decades. Currently, they are disorganized, disheartened, and fitfully flailing against everything that the rest of America regards as common sense. I don’t need to list the multiple absurdities that they support. It gets stranger every day.
Keep up the great work!
Somewhere along the line, past crimes by government officials need to be addressed in the courts. Even if their malign actions are being undone, they’re free as a bird.
Accela corridor law firms =an excellent information packed description.
Got that right. Back to basics & meritocracy.