President Trump took to Twitter on Friday morning to rip the “ridiculous standard” of the first 100 days in office, writing, “media will kill” despite his accomplishments.
While 100 days is a small portion of a four-year term, many historians, cable news programs, political watchdogs — and Trump himself as a candidate — cite the first 100 days of a presidency as a significant benchmark.
Fox News even airs a temporary program titled, “The First 100 Days” following the beginning of the Trump presidency.
No matter how much I accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, & it has been a lot (including S.C.), media will kill!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2017
As Trump’s first 100 days wind down, he’s presumably countering the dozens of stories that will be written to analyze his progress. Earlier this week, the Washington Post offered an unflattering look at his first 90 days in office — based on goals that he had stated for that period in an interview with the paper last fall.
Trump did come through with at least one campaign promise: the appointment of conservative judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court (presumably the “S.C.” in his tweet). In addition, he has signed multiple executive orders intended to roll back policies of the Obama administration.
But his ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries is caught in legal limbo and legislative attempts to repeal Obama’s Affordable Care Act or initiate tax reform have floundered.
Trump regularly attacks the media, often referring to the New York Times as “failing,” CNN as “fake news” and the entire industry as the “opposition party.” However, saying the “media will kill” appears to be a new piece of rhetoric for the president.