Donald Trump laments 'ridiculous' judgement of his first 100 days, after shambolic first 100 days

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A week before Donald Trump marks the first 100 days of his presidency, he already appears to be dampening down expectations of how it will be viewed.

The first 100 days of any presidency are considered the “salad days”, a period when the incoming administration seeks to secure some of its key priorities, carrying with it the mandate of the election victory.

“No matter how much I accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, & it has been a lot (including S.C.), media will kill,” he said on Twitter.

Barack Obama was able to pass two major pieces of legislation in his first 100 days, including a major financial boost to the ailing economy and a move to help ensure fair pay for women.

Mr Trump’s first 100 days will fall on 29 April. After a rocky period during his first few weeks, when an executive order to stop the entry of citizens from several Muslim-majority countries to the US was blocked by the courts and his national security advisor, Mike Flynn, had to stand down after it was revealed he lied about a conversation with a Russian diplomat.

His attempt to find a replacement for Obamacare failed to secure enough support among Republicans on Capitol Hill.

However, Mr Trump has managed to get his pick for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, confirmed and has overseen an immigration crackdown as part of an order to tighten regulations on migrants.

He responded to an alleged chemical attack by Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad with what was generally seen as moderate, proportional military action. He has also earned praise from his supporters for the blunt message he has delivered to North Korea over its nuclear missile programme.

Mr Trump assumed office with a historically low approval rating. At one point it stood at just 35 per cent, but the latest Gallup Daily tracking poll has a placed him at 43 per cent.

Earlier this week, Mr Trump seized on a poll by Rasmussen Reports – whose methodology was questioned by others – which suggested his approval rating stood as high as 49 per cent.