100 DAYS: How Donald Trump Will Destroy America

DAY ONE

"You're not going to be a dictator, are you?"

"No, no, no, other than day one."

SEAN HANNITY SPEAKING TO TRUMP AT AN IOWA TOWN HALL, DECEMBER 5th 2023

Tuesday, January 21st 2025

There is outrage across the morning shows on MSNBC and CNN regarding Trump's announcement of an investigation into President Biden. But given the failure of the nine resolutions to impeach Biden – most submitted by Marjorie Taylor Greene – and the impeachment enquiry in 2023 launched by then House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (which was wound down in March 2024 because of lack of evidence), Democrats are confident that similar, politically motivated and revenge-fuelled attempts will similarly founder. However, there is a sense among some that the Democrats in the House and in Congress speaking on the matter are a little too blasé, too confident, too dismissive of the investigation. Biden remains silent on the matter. Since the inauguration he hasn't been seen and is believed to be at his house in Greenville, Delaware.

Trump, as was his practice during his first term, spends the morning in the residence watching TV. Unusually, his Truth Social account is quiet, apart from one message at 11, urging his followers to keep an eye on the news for "BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS" (his caps) coming throughout the day.

Trump has an intelligence briefing at midday from the relevant members of his new cabinet, namely, Stephen Miller, Secretary of Homeland Security; Tim Scott, Director of National Intelligence; and Tom Cotton, the acting Secretary of Defense. Trump's first pick for Defense was Robert O'Brien, whose confirmation was rejected by the Senate by a coalition of Democrats and MAGA Republicans who regarded him a traitor for acknowledging President Biden's election victory. Though, some suspect that O'Brien was put forward in the knowledge he wouldn't pass confirmation, allowing Trump to install Cotton in an acting capacity. Indeed, this appears to be a strategy for Trump's cabinet picks. As of inauguration day more than half are operating as supposed interim appointees: Ric Grenell at Transportation; Doug Burgum at Energy; Ron DeSantis at Health and Human Services; and Peter Navarro as Director of the NSA; to name a few.

There is talk of the Democrats boycotting the remaining votes on Trump's nominees. Subsequently, an argument breaks out inside the Democratic Party regarding boycotts v. action. And though it hasn't yet happened, many expect Trump's nominations to be returned to the office of the president using Senate standing rule XXXI, paragraph 6 – whether he re-nominates the same candidates and risks them being rejected multiple times remains to be seen.

To avoid Senate scrutiny some of Trump's closest confidantes have been named as Counsellors or Special Advisors to the President. During his first term these included Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Stephen Miller. This time they include: his campaign manager Susie Wiles, founder of the Center for Renewing America Russ Vought, senior policy advisor and speechwriter Vince Haley, senior political advisor Chris LaCivita, and senior advisor Jason Miller.

One of the new advisors is Elon Musk; an appointment Trump floated in May 2024 in the New York Times. Though his role is unspecified it's believed Musk's primary focus will be on Space Force and NASA as well as an audit of voting in U.S. Elections. According to some Musk has been working on a data-driven project on vote counting with fellow billionaire and father-in-law of Brooklyn Beckham Nelson Peltz.

Trump now settles behind the Resolute Desk and begins to take phone calls from world leaders. Later in the afternoon new press secretary Jessica Anderson – latterly of the Heritage Foundation – briefs the press on those phone calls.

The first phone call Trump took from a foreign leader was from Vladimir Putin. Anderson insists the president, in doing so, was hoping to bring a swift resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. Alarm bells sounded across Europe at the news, particularly as many of its leaders have failed to speak to Trump by the time of the briefing.