Trump's first 100 days: Michigan residents weigh

Michiganders have many words when it comes to describing the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term in office. Here are a handful:

Alarming. Chaotic. Dynamic. Splendid. Unusual. Teuflisch.

At a rally at the Macomb Community College on April 29, Trump celebrated his 100-day mark and returned in a state in which he repeatedly campaigned as a victorious hero, and presented his previous second term as a clear success, a rash performance, a national repetition.

“After 100 days in the White House, America is once again a free, proud and sovereign nation, and our great fate is closer than ever,” he said. “Our golden age has just just started.”

And yes, the free press heard from many Michiganders in the past month. By Erica Rodriguez (45) from Midland, who said Trump was “with weapons” and Roxanne Jabaleee, 66, from St. Clair Shores, who called the president and his first 100 days “Brillant”.

But many other words and feelings were also used to describe Trump's bald -headed aggressive approach and historical attempt to re -describe the federal government and the global economic order in the few months since its inauguration on January 20. Many were not nearly as unanimous, so glowing, so friendly.

“Wake up, America, before he crashes everything,” said Jerry Catlin, 78, from Lapeer.

In the past few weeks, more than four dozen reporters from Detroit Free Press, Lansing State Journal and Center for Community Journalism – Michigan spoke with more than 100 people who represented a diverse selection of residents from every region, political tendency and background. The result is a number of short interviews that offer a sketch of how Trump's agenda and efforts have been received in an important swing state that contributed last year to choose him as president (and contribute to defeating him in the between).

The hope is that if it is considered a whole, it will be similar to an impressionist painting that represents something more nuanced and more complete than every single interview, and less reductive and reactionary than every single political rally when it comes to measuring the reaction to Trump's second first 100 days. The hope is also that it shows the scope of the big differences and that their concerns about the future and their appreciation or antipathy vary greatly for the administration, but there is also an ideological, philosophical or moral diversity that should be recognized.

For example, take Barbara Ritch, a 75-year-old who lives in Holly. She was concerned about the number of immigrants who are unlawful into the country, and cheered Trump's efforts to protect the border and deport illegal migrants. “He does what he said he would do it,” she said. “His promises are fulfilled.”

Or take Betty Romo, 40, from Lincoln Park, who moved to Michigan decades ago from Jalisco, Mexico. She did not choose, but sees what is happening in the government as deeply sad. “My heart hurts for my community, for the fear with which we live every day. The uncertainty about our future about whether we are or may remain safe makes me helpless,” she said.

Or take AJ Whitehead, a 21-year-old junior student at Michigan State University from Warren. As a black man who voted for the vice president of the democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, he is concerned about the cost of living, the opportunities and political division in an atmosphere in which the president removed the efforts to promote and protect diversity and equality. “The whole Trump administration doesn't make it look like I have a safe future in a way,” he said. “I don't really know what my future is doing.”

President Trump's first hundred days in one word

Reporters across the state ask Michigan's residents how they would describe the first one hundred days in the office of President Trump in one word.

And goes on it. From A Lifelong Republican Like 66-Year-Old Penny Swan in Hillsdale Who Voted Third-Party Last Year Because She Disagrees With What Considers A Cruel Immigration Policy That Threats To Sweep Up and Deport, to Amy Barbieri, A Small Business Owner in Warren Who considers Herself more of a democrat but voted for trump in the last two elections, and who Now Says Taiffs and Concerns Over the Future of Tiktok (which was used to make sales) ruined their business. “So, no, I'm no longer a Trump supporter,” she said.

Carol Kuhn, an 84-year-old retired car pork from Oxford, has been enthusiastic about the first few months of Trump's second term. “Every morning I get up, I thank God that President Trump is our president and we don't have what we had for four years,” she said, referring to the term of the former President Joe Biden.

In Hamtramck, 37-year-old Kate Mason, a Democrat who supported Harris, described the Trump government as a “dummy container fire”, which “has been dismantled democracy directly in front of us”.

“We have to make a settlement on the left and find out how we get back from it,” she said.

And that goes in a state and a country in which Trump's courageous approach to his second term of office was astonished, shocked, stunned and enthusiastic. Here is an opportunity to look at all of these interviews divided by the region with more than 100 Michiganders and what they had to say about the president's second term so far, how far it is gone and what they could think about where it could be led.

Read all 100 interviews by region:

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This Series was Reported by: Dana Afana, Lily Altavena, Sarah Atwood, Tresa Baldas, Duante Beddingfield, Dave Boucher, Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, Jackie Charniga, Natalie Davies, Paul Egan, Eric Guzmán, Christina Hall, Brad Heineman, Clara Hendrickson, Brendel Hightwower, Johnathan Hogan, Violet Icomomova, Cassidey Kavathas, Georgea Kovanis, Jamie L. Lareau, Eric D. Lawrence, Arpan Lobo, Keith Matheny, Sarah Moore, Darcie Moran, David Rodriguez Muñoz, Corey J. Murray, David Panian, Jenna Prestinzi, Nour Rahal, Nushrat Rahman, Liam Rappleye, Don Reid, JC Reindl, Adrienne Roberts, Andrea May Sahouri, Beki San Martin, Susan Selasky, Kristen Jordan Shamus, Scott Talley, Kristi Tanner, Connor Veenstra, Tess Ware, Niraj Warikoo, Jalen Williams, John Wisely, Suzann Nolan Wisler and Frank Witsil.

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