In first 100 days, turmoil eclipses accomplishments

One month after President Trump’s inauguration, we decided that too much had happened to wait for the traditional 100-day milestone to assess the performance of a new president. In a few short weeks, Trump had made a series of false or bizarre assertions, botched his appointment of a national security adviser, offended key allies and pushed a counterproductive travel ban.

Having weighed in then, we were tempted to let the 100-day marker go without further comment. But that is not possible, as Trump’s next 70 days have been at least as noteworthy and eventful as his first month.

As with most job evaluations, we'll start with the positives.

Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, had stellar credentials. Trump ditched the wholly unsuitable Michael Flynn and upgraded his national security team. The U.S. missile attack on Syria was an appropriate, measured response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons. The Keystone oil pipeline deserved a green light. And Trump’s many flip-flops — on NATO, China’s currency manipulation, the Iran nuclear deal, the Export-Import Bank, NAFTA and jailing Hillary Clinton — have generally been in the direction of sane poli- cy and constitutionality.

These successes, however, have been overshadowed by continuing displays of incompetence and flat-out destructive policy proposals. The main focus there would have to be Trump’s ongoing effort to rid 24 million people of the burden of medical insurance coverage for no reason other than to fulfill a Republican campaign pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Then there are his headscratching budget and tax cut proposals. Trump’s budget would gut many programs, especially environmental ones, that have bipartisan support. His tax plan would add trillions of dollars in new borrowing. Neither has the level of support in Congress that would suggest a reasonable likelihood of passage. Yet both were unveiled with great fanfare.

So many shiny objects and blaring noises, so little governing. Trump’s presidency is a chaotic and haphazard affair. He tweets up a storm but doesn’t bother to fill key positions in government. If there’s any kind of coherent vision or moral purpose, it’s hard to discern.

Trump spent his career selling himself as the smartest businessman with the best properties for sale. And now he can’t stop the selling. He has spent roughly one in three days in office at a Trump-branded property, continuing his frontal assault on ethical government, and has continued spouting exaggerations and falsehoods.

Lately, he has offered a new selling point: that no administration has accomplished more in its early days in office. If the benchmark is turmoil at home, doubts about America abroad, a degradation of public discourse and dogged efforts to deprive citizens of health coverage, then he is right. By more common standards, he is dead wrong.

So far, Mr. President, we’re not tired of winning.