Apples and Oranges: First 100 Days

As much as I hate the phrase “comparing apples to oranges”, it is certainly appropriate to use when comparing the first 100 days of our two most recent Presidents.  One of them was fortunate enough to enjoy a long honeymoon period full of positive, fawning press coverage while the other has been bombarded with attacks since long before his Presidency began. 



Each President comes into office under different circumstances.  President Obama sailed into office with 58 Democratic Senators and 257 Democratic Representatives, ready to cater to his every desire.  By the time his first 100 days concluded, the number of Democratic Senators had risen to 59; as Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.  Following Specter’s party switch, there were only 40 Republican Senators as a result of the controversy surrounding the recount in the Minnesota Senate Election; which was ultimately won by Democrat Al Franken. Because of the large majorities enjoyed by his very united party in both houses of Congress, President Obama was able to get his agenda passed with little to no difficulty.



For his first 100 days, President Trump only had 52 Republican Senators.  Democrats willing to work with President Trump are few and far between.  Since many sweeping legislative initiatives require 60 votes to pass, it has been much more difficult for President Trump to get his agenda enacted into law.  In the House, President Trump came into office with 241 Republican representatives.  That number has been slightly reduced as President Trump has appointed some members of Congress to his cabinet, leaving some seats vacant. Intra-party fighting in the House between moderates and conservatives has made it even more challenging to pass legislation.   



The other obvious difference between the first 100 Days of Presidents Trump and Obama is the coverage from the mainstream media, as well as treatment by late night comedians.  A study by George Mason University finds that Trump has been the butt of more jokes by late night comedians than all three of his predecessors in their first 100 days.  Trump has been the subject of 1,060 jokes and is on track to beat the existing record for most comedy quips for any individual.  The previous record of 1,717 was set by Bill Clinton in 1998, the year where the Monica Lewinsky scandal dominated the national headlines. 



Another media study, completed by Newsbusters, has found that the coverage of Trump’s first 100 days by the evening news broadcasts on the three major news networks has been overwhelmingly negative.  89 percent of stories on President Trump were negative, while President Obama received very favorable coverage during his first 100 days.  A Harvard study examining the coverage of President Trump’s first 100 days reached a similar conclusion.  That study found that CBS, CNN and NBC presented greater than 90 percent of news reports regarding the President with a negative tone.  ABC, home to Martha Raddatz, who broke down in tears on election night when it became clear that a President Donald Trump was a real possibility, was not examined in that particular study.  When compared to other presidents, President Trump received nearly double the amount of negative news coverage than his predecessor. 



When you account for an openly hostile press, and smaller governing majorities in both houses of Congress, it should come as no surprise that President Trump's first 100 days turned out much different than President Obama's.  Still, the obsession over the first 100 days is ultimately irrelevant; it is still possible for a President to experience a terrible first 100 days and wind up having a successful presidency overall.  Similarly, a President could have a wonderful first 100 days and still go down in history as one of the worst presidents. 

It appears as if the negative news coverage is going to continue for the next 100 days and beyond.  The media and the Democrats have the same goal: to destroy President Trump by any means necessary.  This is quite different from their goal of the previous eight years; which was to protect and defend their buddy President Obama at all costs. It would be nice if the media did their job; which is to hold those in power accountable, no matter which party controls the balance of power in Washington.   

So the next time the media tries to compare President Trump’s first 100 days to President Obama’s, tell them it’s like comparing apples to oranges.