Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in the White House showed real promise for conservative Americans.
But some powerful forces inside his administration are working against him.
And Donald Trump just got blindsided by these dangerous White House advisors and it could cost him big time.
Trump’s White House civil war is turning into a political disaster
President Donald Trump is approaching his 100th day in office after an administration start that began with incredible promise.
The early days of Trump’s return to the White House were marked by rapid-fire policy moves, including sweeping executive actions targeting illegal immigration, government waste, and burdensome regulations.
But that positive momentum has stalled as a major power struggle has erupted inside the Trump administration – and the President is losing control of his message just as voters are taking notice.
Wall Street Journal opinion columnist Kimberley Strassel highlighted the problem in her latest piece, describing how Trump’s administration has shifted “on the back foot.”
“The opening two months of this administration were mold-breaking, the policy equivalent of shock and awe,” Strassel wrote. “Day after relentless day, his team flooded the zone with new policy directives and reforms—cutting waste, killing regulations, imposing accountability.”
However, in recent weeks, Trump’s message has been drowned out by self-inflicted controversies like the Pete Hegseth Defense Department fiasco and market-rattling tariff announcements.
Defense Secretary Hegseth faces growing backlash over Pentagon purge
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host turned Cabinet official, has become a focal point in the administration’s struggles after a chaotic Pentagon leadership shakeup.
Hegseth has tried to blame “the hoax press” and the “Deep State” for his troubles, but as Strassel points out, “it was his handpicked loyalists at the center of this storm.”
The controversy stemmed from Hegseth’s personnel decisions and his leaked Signal text messages, which gave the media the opening they had been desperately seeking.
“As Trump first-termer Scott Pruitt (of the Environmental Protection Agency) learned the hard way, give the assassins an inch and they’ll take your political life,” Strassel noted.
Trump’s tariff threats spook markets and worry voters
The President’s tariff plans have triggered daily market volatility that’s overshadowing his significant economic achievements.
Rather than focusing on his deregulatory successes, his tax cuts, or his promising plans to make America the world’s energy powerhouse, headlines have centered on market swings and warnings of economic turmoil.
Strassel blasted Trump for making tariffs the center of his economic message instead of keeping them as a bargaining chip.
Markets have been on a roller coaster ever since, and rumors are flying about Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s job security.
Meanwhile, everyday Americans are getting nervous about what all this means for their wallets.
A recent CAPS/Harris poll revealed that while Americans strongly approve of Trump’s border security and government reform agenda, they have “grave doubts over tariffs and inflation.”
Trump’s little-noticed policy wins get buried
Meanwhile, significant policy victories are flying under the radar.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon recently issued a major reform to hold student borrowers accountable for their debt.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping and overdue restructuring of the State Department.
Trump himself made news by publicly rejecting the “millionaire’s tax” proposal, warning it would be “very disruptive” and cause job creators to “leave the country.”
The administration also issued orders cracking down on disparate-impact liability in government, updating federal workforce programs, and revitalizing the American fishing industry.
But these accomplishments have been drowned out by controversy and market instability.
The power struggle inside Trump’s White House
At the heart of Trump’s messaging problem is an ideological battle within his administration.
Strassel identifies a conflict between Trump’s successful first-term policy agenda – deregulation, tax cuts, and peace through strength – and the influence of “uber-populists” who have gained positions throughout his government.
Strassel nailed it when she wrote that “A team of rivals sounds great, but absent Abe Lincoln, it usually produces a mess.”
The truth is many of these so-called advisors care more about their own political futures than helping Trump succeed.
They’re busy pushing pet projects and building their brands while Trump’s agenda suffers.
Trump’s comments rejecting the “millionaire’s tax” revealed these advisors “aren’t in alignment with the president’s natural inclinations.”
Trump can still right the ship
According to Strassel, Trump can use the 100-day mark as an opportunity to reset his administration and regain control of the narrative.
The President already seems to recognize the need for course correction, with recent efforts to tone down tariff threats and end speculation about Powell’s future at the Federal Reserve.
Strassel suggests Trump should double down on the free-market policies that made his first term successful and surround himself with advisors who share that vision.
“This reset is more a question of putting those policies front and center, brushing back those advisers needling him to go a different way,” she wrote. “Use the 100-day mark to double-down on Trump 1.0—and never look back.”
The President’s natural political instincts have served him well in the past. Now he needs to decide which of his advisors are truly there to help him succeed and which ones are pursuing their own agendas at his expense.
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