Trump Says His First 100 Days 'Most Successful in Our Country's History'
President Donald Trump, who hosted a rally in Pennsylvania Saturday, skipping the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, said his first 100 days in the White House have been "just about the most successful in our country's history."
"From the first day of my administration, I have governed by a simple idea: My only allegiance is to you, our wonderful citizens," Trump said in his weekly address Saturday. "I truly believe that the first 100 days of my administration has been just about the most successful in our country's history. Most importantly, we're bringing back jobs. You asked the people of Michigan; you asked the people of Ohio; you can ask the people of Pennsylvania."
He continued, "See the car companies come roaring back in. They don't want to leave. They want to stay here. They want a piece of the action. Our country is going up and it's going up fast. Our companies are doing better. They just announced fantastic profits all because of what's happened in this rather short period of time, and that's just the beginning. We're putting in a massive tax cut for the middle class and for business. It's going to have an enormous effect."
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The president added, "Together we are seeing that great achievements are possible when we put American people first. That is why I withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That day was a turning point for our nation. It put the countries of this world on notice that the sellout of the American worker was over. In just 14 weeks, my administration has brought profound change to Washington."
The Bush and Obama administrations had said the 12-country regional free trade agreement was meant to help America compete with China.
Trump then said, "My administration is the first in modern political era to confirm a new Supreme Court justice in the first 100 days. The last time it happened was 136 years ago in 1881. Defending the rule of law is a priority not just in the courts, but also on the streets and on the border."
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was committed to the Constitution, died last year. Trump filled the vacancy with a federal judge in Colorado, Neil Gorsuch.
Trump's other achievements are reversing policies introduced by Obama, including the requirement that businesses competing for large federal contracts disclose and correct serious safety violations, requiring internet service providers to obtain permission from customers before sharing their personal data, keeping people with some mental illnesses from buying guns, and killing the Keystone XL pipeline.
Trump's biggest legislative agenda in his first 100 days, the repeal of Obamacare, was defeated as Republicans were unable to reach an agreement on a healthcare replacement in that time frame.
Washington Post columnist Jonathan Alter argued it was "ridiculous" for Trump to claim he had the most successful first 100 days ever because he had no major legislative accomplishments, unlike many previous presidents. Franklin D. Roosevelt signed 15 major bills, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and Barack Obama signed the Troubled Asset Relief Program, for instance.
In his weekly address, Trump said, "For too long, politicians cared more about special interests than they did about a very successful future for all Americans. They took our taxpayers' money and sent their jobs and wealth to other countries. Not anymore."
The rally in Harrisburg, Pa., took place Saturday around the same time as the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, which he didn't preside over. He tweeted, "Mainstream (FAKE) media refuses to state our long list of achievements, including 28 legislative signings, strong borders & great optimism!"
"I could not possibly be more thrilled than to be more than 100 miles way from Washington's swamp, spending my evening with all of you and with a much, much larger crowd and much better people, right?" Trump said at the rally, according to NBC.
