The Awakening of American Greatness
Trump's First 100 Days of Destruction & Distraction - and the Rise of the American Spirit
It took only 100 days for Donald Trump to demolish the American economy and our national stability. But even in the ongoing carnage, something deeper — something stronger — is beginning to stir.
One hundred days of corruption, recklessness, and staggering ineptitude have wiped trillions of dollars from the global economy, gutted Americans’ 401(k)s, and set fire to the very foundations of American strength.
This same week we marked Trump’s first 100 days, we learned the economy has shifted into reverse. No longer growing steadily as it had the last few years, the U.S. economy contracted in early 2025—raising fears that recession is imminent.
The collapse wasn’t accidental. It was the product of deliberate choices to burn the system down.
Trump’s reckless tariffs have crushed working Americans’ retirement security, hammered small businesses, and added gasoline to the embers of inflation that had nearly been extinguished — giving rise to skyrocketing prices, recession fears, and pain for Americans.
On top of economic collapse, the administration unleashed lawlessness from the top — pardoning January 6th insurrectionists, leaking classified military plans, openly defying court rulings, eliminating due process protections, and Trump staying in power for a constitutionally-barred third term.
Even the much-hyped and massively destructive DOGE — billed as a solution for government efficiency that promised trillions in savings — took a haphazard chainsaw to the basic functions of government that ordinary Americans depend on — like healthcare, cancer research, and public education. Stunning new estimates indicate DOGE might not even achieve any savings at all.
Meanwhile, as Americans struggled with higher costs, rising instability, and disruption to vital services - Trump’s attention wandered toward absurd distractions like the Gulf of America, the fantasy of buying Greenland, and making Canada the 51st American state.
At a time when America needs serious leadership, Trump gave us spectacle.
Campaigning vs. Governing
The spectacle of an endless campaign and non-stop complaints about what’s wrong with America might just help you win an election. But it doesn’t help you govern.
Governing is about solving problems. And you can tell a lot about an elected official and a political party based on what problems they prioritize.
Gulf of America.
Paper straws.
Hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center.
This is what Trump has prioritized while Americans struggle.
Instead of choosing to lead, Trump has chosen to perform. Ever the reality TV showman, he’s kept the country’s attention with a dizzying barrage of actions that generates headlines but weakens the nation with chaos meant to distract us from the problems that really matter to Americans.
To be sure, Trump has taken aggressive action on immigration and border security — but he’s denied U.S. persons due process and is deporting U.S. citizens - including American children with cancer. As they shred the Constitution, no American is safe.
America has serious problems to solve, but Trump has shown he’s not the least bit interested in solving them. He’s making them worse.
Americans Wanted Security
No one voted for destroying the global economy.
No one voted for higher inflation, recession, and joblessness.
No one voted for slashing Medicare, Medicaid, public education, and Social Security.
No one voted for tax breaks for billionaires, or establishing a crypto-currency to further enrich Trump and his family, or a Tesla sales pitch at the White House.
No one voted for chaos.
Americans who sought change in the last election did so because they wanted their lives made a little easier. They wanted some relief and a government that responded to their needs.
They were looking for Security.
Security is lower costs for groceries.
Security is affordable housing and childcare.
Security is reliable, accessible, and affordable healthcare.
Security is an income you can rely on when you retire or get sick.
Security is strong public education and a fair shot at the American Dream.
The thing you won’t find anywhere in Trump’s first 100 days of destruction and distraction is Security for the American people.
Making America Great Again, Just Not in the Way Trump Hoped
For years, cynicism and apathy have grown to define American politics. More and more people have come to believe that nothing they do matters — that elections change faces, but never outcomes. That no one in power is actually listening. That resistance is pointless.
That’s exactly what authoritarians like Trump hope will take root. They thrive on disengagement, on demoralization, on the belief that nothing can be done. But Trump miscalculated something fundamental about this country.
Resistance to authoritarians who threaten our security is literally part of America’s DNA.
And now, across red and blue states alike, Americans are rising up. Town halls are packed to capacity, with overflow in the surrounding streets as citizens demand accountability from elected officials and make their voices heard. Communities are organizing and protesting. People are showing up, speaking out, and pushing back — not because it’s easy, but because they know what’s at stake.
They know no one is coming to save them.
Not Chuck Schumer or Hakeem Jeffries. Not Congress or Governors. Not the courts. Not Barack Obama or Kamala Harris or Pete Buttigieg.
Americans across our nation know they have to save themselves — and each other.
Because America has never been about one person. It’s always been about We the People, working together in pursuit of that more perfect union.
Donald Trump, through his catastrophic failures, has done something he never intended: He has awakened American greatness.
Not by inspiring it. But by threatening it.
The Path Forward: Security for All
Trump’s first 100 days haven’t just revealed incompetence and a political movement bankrupt of solutions — they’ve laid bare a complete failure of leadership.
The American people are standing up not just to resist, but to demand something better. They’re not just rejecting Trump’s destruction — they’re ready to rebuild something stronger in its place.
And here’s the truth for Democrats: it’s not enough that Trump is failing — or that he and Republicans have failed America.
If Democrats want to earn the trust of the American people, they need a real vision for the future. Not just opposition. Not just outrage. But a plan for a government that actually delivers.
That starts with acknowledging the system is broken. Our government is not solving the problems that face everyday Americans - and Trump has only made it worse.
We need change - not just as a slogan to inspire.
But real change in leadership, actions, and policies that people can believe in.
A party of competence, not chaos. Of service, not spectacle. Of change, not corruption.
That’s what people were voting for when they called for change in November. Not for more chaos. Not rising prices and a recession. Not more tax breaks for billionaires. But a government that actually works and delivers a better life for everyday Americans.
In the coming weeks, I’ll continue to lay out a vision rooted in this belief: that the job of government is to deliver Security for All.
In his first 100 days, Trump tried to burn it all down. And in doing so, he awakened something powerful.
Not fear.
But a revival of what has always made this country great: Ordinary Americans standing up, solving problems, and securing a better future — together.
Security for All isn’t just a goal, it’s the fight ahead.
And it’s already begun.
If you believe America deserves real security, real opportunity, and real leadership — subscribe and share to join me as we chart the path forward.
Right on, Matt! Keep it going...
Matt, please run for office.