May 24, 2025 3 min read

By his own admission in the May 18 commentary, “Trump’s first 100 days in office,” Gary Stout has been in a “nightmare” since Jan. 20.

He contends that President Donald Trump’s use of the National Emergency Act of 1976 is the work of an “out-of-control ruler,” and he laments, without examples, that “much damage has already been done.” His nightmare includes a Trump termination of American arts and humanities and, even more heinous, NPR and PBS may be kicked off the public dole. Without substantiation he predicts most Americans will be “adversely impacted” by the president’s actions by year’s end.

Trump’s use of the 1976 Act is unprecedented, unorthodox, aggressive, and legal. He is using it to get his agenda moving on the things he promised during the campaign – such things as shutting down the U.S. border; ordering expedited, deregulated drilling; withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord; recognizing that there are two genders; and requiring federal workers to report to work.

Mr. Stout correctly points out the three ways Congress can rein in the emergency declarations if it chooses to do so, and he also recognizes that judges may forestall the president’s use of the Emergency Act. The bottom line, though, is that neither Mr. Stout nor Trump supporters know how the national emergency tactic will work. One hundred days is not enough time to draw conclusions or make objective assessments of success or failure. Until we see some quantifiable successes or failures by this administration, Mr. Stout’s dire predictions merely are what he hopes will occur.

Until such time as we can honestly assess how the current administration is doing, I suggest Mr. Stout consider a detour from the “Trump Road” and provide readers with commentary on such things as:

· Who made presidential decisions for our cognitively impaired president during the last four years?

· Why congressional Democrats would vote against a bill to extend the Trump tax cuts?

· Why congressional Democrats are protesting deportation of illegal immigrant gang-bangers, wife beaters, and human traffickers?

· Why congressional Democrats oppose the deportation of foreign visa-holding students who are aggressive on-campus supporters of Hamas terrorists?

· Why congressional Democrats would vote against a bill barring men from participating in women’s sports?

I’m sorry the nightmares of the last 100-plus days have been troublesome. But, political nightmares fade away – as those of us who survived the four years of Biden-Harris can attest.

Steve Johnson

Washington