This is the so-called honeymoon phase of Donald Trump’s presidency. Pro-democracy Americans likely find such a description — and the underlying reality — disheartening if not outright terrifying and sickening. Trump’s MAGA people and other followers should be happy, on the other hand. America’s brokenness is that deep and severe — and likely irreversible.

During these first weeks of his honeymoon period, Trump successfully launched his shock and awe campaign against America’s democratic institutions, the rule of law, and a sense of normalcy and consistency. With his almost one hundred executive orders and other edicts, Trump has done such things as attempt to void the 14th Amendment, reverse 60 years of civil rights progress, launch a nationwide mass deportation campaign, declare a national emergency to combat the “border crisis," free his MAGA followers who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, weaponize the Department of Justice as his personal enforcers, removed non-partisan inspectors-generals from government agencies so that he can put his loyalists in power, and ordered a freeze on federal grants and loans totaling many billions of dollars. Further cementing his personalist rule, Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointees are also being quickly confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump’s so-called mandate is his own making.

"This is the moment when we need to be energized and determined."

Some of these actions by Donald Trump are clear violations of the Constitution and the law. He does not care. The right-wing justices on the Supreme Court have made Trump a de facto dictator and king and he intends to use that power.

CNN offers this profile of a divided public and Trump’s return to power, “There are two areas of bipartisan agreement about President Donald Trump’s early days back in the White House: voters say he is moving quickly to keep promises and he is far more active and visible than his predecessor. There is, though, a giant divide over whether that is fantastic or frightening.”

The New York Times compiled the following polling information about the American people’s mood in the aftermath of the election and Trump’s victory through to the first weeks of January and before his inauguration. The Times’ findings should give great pause and concern to those expecting an immediate groundswell of opposition to President Trump:

Although feelings about the country diverge along partisan lines, when taken overall, the electorate’s mood looks relatively lighter than it was during the election season. With Trump’s victory, there was a swift and significant rise in the number of those feeling “excited” and “hopeful,” along with a healthy drop in the number of “angry” voters.

There are many reasons for this, but with the economy such a searing issue in 2024, a chunk of the electorate is presumably buoyed by Trump’s vow to “Make America wealthy again.” Stung by inflation and by the sense that the Biden administration was not taking their pain seriously, Americans are especially eager for Trump to tackle economic issues as he assumes office. Trump promised to swiftly slash costs, improve wages and usher in a new era of prosperity. …

No matter how you slice the numbers, it’s clear the American people were itching for change. Good change. Scary change. Risky change. They wanted someone to acknowledge that the status quo was not working for them —........

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