CGTN Europe discussed this with Political strategist Rina Shah
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00:00Reena Shah is a political strategist and thanks ever so much for coming on the program.
00:05Look, Trump has said it's a hundred very special days to make America great again.
00:10And yet, as we heard from our correspondent there, approvals ratings are waning, aren't they?
00:14Is it fake news or something Trump needs to acknowledge?
00:19Well, when I look at this hundred days so far, I see shock and awe with a side of chaos.
00:24Look, he has signed a blitz of executive orders, 124 to date.
00:31And that dwarfs President Roosevelt's record.
00:34And all these executive orders have targeted immigration, deregulation and, of course, tariffs.
00:41But when you look at that approval rating you just mentioned, it hovers at about 40 percent.
00:47But 71 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the economy.
00:51And what that does is reflects a very mixed reception of this president with his reentry to the White House.
00:58We ought to look at the global impact, too, here.
01:00You know, tariffs have sparked a trade war and that risks a global recession.
01:05But immigration crackdowns also factor in here because that has led to court battles here within the United States.
01:12So what Trump has done with his administration has signaled bold but very divisive moves on key areas that Americans have long held as kitchen table issues.
01:23The takeaway here is that Trump is doubling down on disruption to reshape America's domestic and global posture.
01:31But here we are. The backlash is growing.
01:35So it sounds like for you, certainly, he's made his mark in these first three months.
01:38But, you know, on signature issues like the economy, he's claiming investments are flooding into the country.
01:44Are they?
01:46They actually are being received with mixed reception.
01:50There are companies that want to invest in the United States and they're talking to the Trump administration directly.
01:57But also there are companies that have had long held plans to invest in the United States.
02:02So not everything can be given to Trump's credit is my point here.
02:07When you look at tech investments, that is really big.
02:10Of course, artificial intelligence is front and center in all the talks of everything we are trying to posture ourselves with in regards to being a tech leader.
02:21You've got juggernauts like Apple and Microsoft that were front and center at President Trump's inauguration as well.
02:28So what's very different with this administration is the access that tech leaders and other industry giants have to this White House.
02:36So he's not too far off. Yes, corporations want to invest, but they know that there is a direct pipeline to the White House that they have to act with positively.
02:46You talk about A.I. being front and center, you know, fast changing technology like artificial intelligence and global crises like like climate change are challenges that some commentators say the world's biggest powers might be better off tackling together.
03:00What's your take on the U.S. relationship with China in Trump's second administration?
03:06Well, first things first, allied unity is not a priority to this administration.
03:11They are far more concerned about domestic optics.
03:14We saw that with how the Secretary of State Rubio behaves when it comes to tension in Europe, you know, regarding Russia and Ukraine.
03:23But when it comes to how we view our potential adversaries, China gets name checked a great deal.
03:29And of course, the generally held sentiment within the ranks of Congress with Republicans is that China is the enemy.
03:37And so we ought to counter the weight that China is throwing at us, whether it be economic or in other ways.
03:44I think right now, when you look at the tariff issue, is China really going to be able to be successful in the retaliatory tariffs?
03:53I think there's also a mixed perception about that in Congress.
03:56Economists have been warning President Trump to be careful, to tread lightly with China.
04:01He does not believe that is the playbook that's correct for the moment.
04:05And so we shall see.
04:06I think it's far too early to tell what he wants to do with China in the long run.
04:11He has tried to negotiate.
04:13He has used his famous book, The Art of the Deal.
04:17And if you look at that book, it shows you how he's posturing himself in terms of trying to be the American people's king on this.
04:25He wants to look like he can be tough on China because that is something he's been saying since he ran back in 2015 to 16.
04:34Reena Shah, political strategist in Washington, D.C.
04:37Great talking to you.