Trump’s First 100 Days: “Border #1, Trade Down to Very Low Losses, Reducing Taxes”; Atlantic: “Most Consequential Leader of 21st Century”

President Trump assessed his first 100 days in April 2025 with characteristic confidence: “I think either we’ve done everything or it’s in the process of being done. The border is in great shape — 99.9%. That was my number one thing. We were losing billions and billions a day with trade, and now I have that down to a very low level.” He identified the next priority: “The Big Beautiful Deal — if we get that done, that’s the biggest thing. The biggest bill in the history of our country in terms of tax cuts and regulation cuts.” Speaker Johnson then cataloged the achievements, quoting the Atlantic’s description of Trump as “the most consequential American leader of the 21st century” before listing: removed men from women’s sports, ended DEI, expanded oil production, secured trillions in manufacturing investments, and deported criminal aliens.

Trump’s Self-Assessment

Trump opened with his top priorities and their status.

“The border is in great shape,” he said. “99.9% came out again today. 99.9%. I would say that was my number one thing.”

He assessed the economy: “The economy would be certainly right up there, and I think it’s doing great.”

He cited trade progress: “We were losing billions and billions of dollars a day with trade, and now I have that down to a very low level, and soon we’re going to be making a lot of money.”

He previewed the future: “We’re going to be reducing people’s taxes.”

He identified the next focus: “A very important element that we’re working on now — maybe more important than anything with the border in good shape — is the fact that we want to get the Big Beautiful Deal. If we get that done, that’s the biggest thing.”

He described the stakes: “What’s happening in Congress right now — I think we’re going to get it done. We have great Republican support. If the Democrats blocked it, you’d have a 60% tax increase. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

He assessed the scale: “That’ll be the biggest bill in the history of our country in terms of tax cuts and regulation cuts and other things.”

He set the near-term priority: “I think the next period of time, my biggest focus will be on Congress with the deal that we’re working on.”

The 99.9% border statistic referred to the catch-and-release reduction — from 189,604 released under Biden’s worst month to just 20 under Trump. The figure had become the administration’s signature achievement, a single number that captured the transformation from open borders to operational control.

Trump’s pivot to the “Big Beautiful Deal” — the budget reconciliation bill — signaled a shift in presidential attention. With the border secured and tariff negotiations underway, the legislative agenda was becoming the primary focus. The reconciliation bill, which would make tax cuts permanent, fund no-tax-on-tips and other promises with tariff revenue, and raise the debt ceiling, was the vehicle through which the administration’s economic agenda would be permanently codified.

The Atlantic’s Admission

Speaker Johnson opened his remarks by quoting the administration’s most unlikely endorsement.

“I don’t know if there’s an Atlantic reporter here this morning,” Johnson said, “but they described him this way, quote: ‘He is the most consequential American leader of the 21st century.’ And that’s an understatement.”

The Atlantic — Jeffrey Goldberg’s publication, the outlet that had published the “suckers and losers” story, the magazine that represented the liberal intellectual establishment — had called Trump “the most consequential American leader of the 21st century.” The admission was grudging but undeniable. Whether one loved or hated Trump’s agenda, the scope and speed of his second-term actions had reshaped American domestic and foreign policy more fundamentally than any president since Reagan.

Johnson’s decision to cite the Atlantic was strategic. Praise from Fox News or conservative media could be dismissed as partisan. Praise from the Atlantic — the intellectual home of Trump’s most articulate critics — could not. If even the Atlantic acknowledged Trump’s consequentiality, the fact was beyond dispute.

The Achievement List

Johnson cataloged the first 100 days with rapid-fire precision.

“Removed men from women’s sports,” he began.

“Ended DEI in the federal government and the U.S. military.”

“Expanded oil and gas extraction to lower prices.”

“Taking steps to end unfair trade practices.”

“Secured trillions of dollars in new investments in American manufacturing.”

“Deported criminal illegal aliens.”

“Stood up for religious liberty and rooted out anti-Christian bias.”

“Combated virulent anti-Semitism on college campuses.”

He concluded: “The list goes on and on and on. That’s just barely scratching the surface. That’s in 100 days. We’re just getting started.”

Each item on the list represented a distinct policy achievement that had been implemented through executive action, regulatory change, or diplomatic initiative. The breadth was extraordinary — from cultural issues (women’s sports, DEI) to economic policy (oil, trade, manufacturing) to immigration (deportations) to social policy (religious liberty, anti-Semitism).

The women’s sports protection — ensuring that biological males could not compete in women’s athletic competitions — had been one of the administration’s earliest executive actions and one of its most popular. The DEI elimination extended across the entire federal workforce and military, reversing years of progressive ideology embedded in government institutions. Oil and gas expansion had produced the falling energy prices that Trump cited repeatedly — gasoline below $2 in some states.

The “60% Tax Increase”

Trump’s warning that Democratic opposition to the reconciliation bill would result in a “60% tax increase” was his framing of what would happen if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expired without replacement. While the actual math was more complex — the increase would vary by income bracket — the direction was correct: taxes would rise substantially for virtually every American household if the current rates expired.

The framing was designed to pressure Democrats. Opposing the reconciliation bill would require explaining to voters why they wanted higher taxes. In an environment where the administration had already delivered falling energy prices, border security, and trade reform, adding “prevented your tax increase” to the record would be politically devastating for the opposition.

Key Takeaways

• Trump on 100 days: “Border in great shape at 99.9%. Trade losses down to a very low level. Next focus: the Big Beautiful Deal in Congress.”
• He called the reconciliation bill “the biggest in history — tax cuts and regulation cuts.” Warning: Democrats blocking it means “a 60% tax increase.”
• The Atlantic acknowledged Trump as “the most consequential American leader of the 21st century.”
• Speaker Johnson’s 100-day list: ended DEI, removed men from women’s sports, expanded oil, secured trillions in manufacturing, deported criminals, defended religious liberty.
• Johnson: “That’s just barely scratching the surface. That’s in 100 days. We’re just getting started.”