Trump's First 100 Days: Controversial Governance Behind 100 Lies

On the 100th day of Trump's presidency, a special "list" from CNN has sparked heated discussions—its tally of 100 false statements serves as a mirror reflecting the controversial governance style of this president.

In terms of inflation, Trump's "price drop argument" has been repeatedly debunked by data: he claimed that prices for groceries, eggs, and gasoline were falling, while actual data shows that grocery prices rose by 0.49% from February to March 2024, marking the largest single-month increase in nearly two years; the allegation of "inflation skyrocketing during Biden's term" has also been confirmed as misleading by fact-checking organizations.

The "data magic" in the economic sector is even more striking. He claimed that the U.S. suffers an annual trade loss of $2 trillion, while the actual trade deficit in 2024 was only $918 billion; the U.S.-Mexico trade deficit was exaggerated by nearly double (actual value $179 billion), and his assertion of "$3.5 billion in daily tariff revenue" was vastly different from the actual figure of "only hundreds of millions." It is worth noting that his tariff policy has been said to exacerbate global economic fluctuations, and the ones footing the bill are not foreign exporters but American domestic companies.

Comments related to the Russia-Ukraine war are even more absurd: Trump reversed cause and blamed Ukraine for "provoking conflict," ignoring the historical facts of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022; the claim of "$350 billion in aid to Ukraine exceeding Europe" was directly debunked by data from a German think tank (U.S. $135 billion, Europe $157 billion).

Immigration and foreign policy issues have also been fraught with controversy: he claimed that the U.S. is the only country practicing "territoriality," while ignoring similar policies in dozens of countries like Canada and Mexico; his boast that "illegal crossings dropped to a minimum in the first month" also lacked data support. In statements related to China, claims of "trillion-dollar trade deficits" and "China paying tariffs" have been refuted by actual trade data (2024 deficit $263 billion) and basic economic knowledge.

CNN specifically pointed out that these 100 records are just the "tip of the iceberg." From public speeches to impromptu statements, Trump's high-frequency false statements have raised ongoing skepticism from academia and the media. When "100 days of achievements" devolve into a "list of lies," this dramatically theatrical start to governance may just be another reflection of the polarization in American politics.