Trump’s Presidency at Risk of Historical Unpopularity, Warns Clinton Advisor

According to Doug Sosnik, who served as a senior advisor to former President Bill Clinton, Donald Trump appears to be misinterpreting the mandate given to him by voters and could be on track for an extraordinarily unpopular presidency. Sosnik suggests that Trump has fallen into the common trap of newly elected leaders who confuse the excitement of campaigning with the essential work of effective governance.

As Trump approaches the significant milestone of his first 100 days in office, he has focused intensely on issuing numerous executive orders in a bid to fulfill his campaign promises. However, in a recently published op-ed in the New York Times, Sosnik warns that having a dynamic start does not guarantee ongoing success. Trump’s approval ratings are already beginning to slip, and based on historical patterns, he might face increasing challenges as more Americans begin to experience the consequences of his policies, making his early days in office seem like a prelude to substantial unpopularity.

Sosnik outlines that during the first quarter of Trump's second term, his approval rating stood at 45 percent, which is significantly lower than the average first-quarter rating for U.S. presidents over the past several decades, which hovers around 60 percent. Noting that approval ratings typically stabilize by early September following the election win's honeymoon period, he reflects on the success of past presidents like Clinton and George W. Bush, both of whom experienced declines in their ratings at that same time.

The advisor argues that Trump might find his approval rating plummeting even further than his predecessors due to a mix of shared issues and factors unique to his administration. A central theme in Sosnik's analysis is Trump's "overreading" of his electoral mandate and his failure to plan and implement policies effectively. This has particularly been highlighted by the chaotic rollout of immigration and trade policies, which have led to uncertainty in global markets and hindered companies' investment decisions. The Independent has reached out to the White House for a response to these observations made by Sosnik.