100 days and counting- Donald Trump and American presidency.

100 days and counting - Donald Trump and American presidency.

So there you have it. Donald Trump has been American president for 100 days. It's time for street parties, jelly and ice-cream, Stars and Stripes flags fluttering from the top of the White House roof, cheerleaders on every street corner, burgers and doughnuts to every American citizen and a huge slice of self congratulation. Our Donald couldn't have done it without you. He'd like to thank all of you from the bottom of his heart but the bitter cynics would probably tell you that he hasn't got one. So let's hear it for Donald. Three cheers for Donald. Hip Hip Hooray!

This has been one of the most astounding periods in American political history. Don't let anybody tell you that it hasn't. Rarely has one man so divided and provoked a nation in the way that Trump has. If somebody had told you that an uncontrollably opinionated, controversial, sarcastic, facetious and single minded man could take control of one of the most globally important roles in politics you'd have probably sniggered and sniffed, probably laughed and then you'd have been told that it could never happen. But it did and we were wrong.

We've underestimated Donald Trump at our peril and the man who looks as if he's just stepped out of an American soap opera has got a century under his belt. Days of Our Lives! You've got be joking. It feels like centuries or perhaps that's a slight exaggeration. But the simple truth is that Donald Trump has been President for 100 days and if all goes according to plan then he should still be there in the 22nd century or maybe even longer. It is hard to put a time frame on this one because the American public, while not mad about Donald, do believe that the man should be given space, a chance to leave his indelible legacy, a once in a life time opportunity to make an impression before it all gets complicated.

But you've got to hand it our Donald. This has been the craziest, wildest, most outrageous and barely believable moment in time for America. Still they knew what they were getting and they were given ample warning. We did know that he was almost certainly politically ignorant. richly comical and a man who should never have come even close to running the USA. But here he is 100 days in and none of us are any wiser or more enlightened. We should have known but didn't.

Here was a man who, if all the reports are anything to go by, was the most corrupt, devious, crafty and disturbingly untrustworthy businessman in the history of the world. He may run one of the most striking of hotels, he may have billions of dollars in his account and he may know how to hire and fire his staff. The fact remains though that Donald Trump is a fresh faced new President of the United States and this one is completely beyond our comprehension. As they say you couldn't really make it up.

What hasn't Trump done so far? How has one man so disgusted, horrified and alienated the globe and make it look so easy. We've had Mexican walls, travel bans, veiled threats, a deep suspicion of North Korea, Russia and anybody else who tries to upset him. He bellows out his distaste of and aversion to any country that goes against his principles. Then he has the audacity to stop talking to those countries who swear at him, curse him or are simply downright offensive or blasphemous. How dare they challenge Donald's supremacy because he's in charge so we may have to get used to the idea whether we like it or not.

These are tumultuous times for America and for the last 100 days Donald Trump has spoken out so forcefully and at times seemingly aggressively about everybody and everything that it is hard to imagine how or why this has all happened. But the unquestionable fact is that Trump will continue to speak his mind and nobody can stop him now he's in full flow. From a distance it may look very stage managed, shallow and superficial but for Trump this is the way it should be. It's all very shocking and terrifying but this is it for the next four years and America can only hold its breath.

Here in Britain we all look at our American friends across the pond and try to fathom the unfathomable. None of us can really believe how one man has so mastered the art of media manipulation and conquered all obstacles that might have been put in his way. He is, as our American cousins would say, one cool dude, a shrewd publicist and the most persuasive of schmoozers.

 He's charmed his way through difficult days and months. He's taken advantage of the oxygen of publicity, slammed the boo boys, dismissed the negative vibes around him and as for that fake news. Well you can just ignore that because if he does hear any unfavourable gossip, Donald will tell you exactly what he thinks of that. It's all lies and propaganda, fabrication and perjury and where's that Hilary Clinton? We all know what our Donald thinks of her. The woman is a loose cannon, an evil villain, a political grenade ready to explode at any moment. When the American election was all over our Donald felt very smug and extremely pleased with himself. Justice had been seen to be done.

So now that he's reached his century it's time to take our hats off to Trump, his stamina, staying power and his amazing longevity, his bravado and bravura. Nobody gets the better of Donald Trump on any level of any discussion or argument. That body language will remain his party piece, his distinctive method of communication. There are the finger gestures which continue to baffle, the semi serious looks at his inquisitors and then that whole argumentative delivery. Then you move away from this bizarre scenario and wonder how this all came to pass.

We all know that an American president should be talking like an American president. And yet to all intents and purposes Donald Trump looks as if he's simply reacting furiously to anything he disagrees with. We may be wondering what Trump's policy is on the issues that should be of concern to any country. What, for instance does he think of America's housing problems, America's educational system. its vast pockets of unemployment, its unforgivable racism and above all its foreign policy. Well we probably know what he thinks of the rest of the world. That much has become abundantly clear.

But here we are 100 days in and it all seems like some unusual play by Chekhov. At times it  looks  very dark and sinister, a touch problematic and cloaked in secrecy. There are underlying currents, hidden agendas, strange goings on, possibly sharp malpractice and a good old fashioned air of mystery just for good measure. Trump though has got it all under his control and won't let go. There are whispers in dark corridors, men with walkie talkies muttering under their breath but our Donald has got it all worked out.

It's at times like this when you begin to wonder what a psychologist or human behaviour expert would make of all this.  What to make of a man who so confidently believes in what he's doing that there's no point in contradicting him because he's always right. What a self righteous man he is or so we're led to believe. How can he possibly believe his own ego, his own vanity, his own self aggrandissement, that unwavering belief that this is the man for all seasons and occasions This is the man who can lead the world to the Promised Land. Unquestioningly. So get ready America.

However Trump has done it and done it with his very own brand of bluff and counter bluff. He hasn't fooled himself into believing that it's been easy but he does know his mind and he does know what he's doing. While all are losing their heads elsewhere Trump is the coolest man in the room. He's shrugged all of the doubters and all of that ferocious opposition. The future for Trump is almost wholly dependent on the behaviour of the people around him and the rest of the world. He will, as they say. refuse to suffer fools gladly and the chances are he'll probably win most of those heated battles.

It's 100 not out and in Britain the reward for such a notable achievement is normally a thunderous round of applause at Lords and a wave of the bat. But Trump is triumphant which sounds almost right and proper. What happens for the next 100 days or any point in the immediate future remains to be seen. If he manages to see out the rest of the year without any notable blemishes or mistakes then this could be the start of something very good.

For now the year is unfolding rather like an awkward and disobedient deckchair. You get all tangled up in complex knots to begin with and then eventually find a clear resolution to your problem. But Donald Trump is no deckchair attendant although some of his blunter critics have cruelly compared his hair to candy floss. It's time to focus on the continuing saga of Donald Trump, America's 45th President. Your audience is ready to pass judgement President Trump.

 I've yet to find out what happens in the next chapter but for the next few months we could be in for a treat. The script is intriguing and hardly credible so let's see how things develop. The element of surprise is much greater than we think. America- it's time to surge forward and jump onto the Donald Trump bandwagon. We're looking forward to it. We await with bated breath.