Once a Trump sceptic, Ryan has certainly been along for the ride over the first 100 days. He has a reputation as a serious policy wonk and was once hailed as the one Republican who could unite the party. Both of those perceived talents have been seriously called into doubt.
Democratic unity
Being powerless is not fun. And as Democrats try to pick up the pieces after a disastrous 2016 election - and face a historically grim picture in state governments across the country - they're fighting over how to move forward. Independent senator Bernie Sanders questioned the progressivism of Georgia special election House candidate Jon Ossoff. DNC Chairman Tom Perez suggested that all Democrats had to support abortion rights. Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren, criticised former President Barack Obama for taking US$400,000 for a Wall Street speech.
Non-interventionism
Remember when Trump was the guy playing up his claimed opposition to the Iraq War and promising to get America out of foreign conflicts so it could focus on "America first"? That same president has now launched unprecedented strikes against the Syrian Government, put Iran "on notice," and engaged in a war of words with North Korea while warning about the very real possibility of a "major, major conflict" there. It's the kind of talk that could one day mean Trump will have to put his military where his mouth is.
Stephen Bannon
Chief White House strategist Bannon's nationalist politics and past embrace of the alt-right have made him a controversial and unloved figure - but one that Trump apparently relied upon and trusted. That's now no longer a given. Bannon is still in the White House, but his role sure seems to be diminished.
Winners
Obamacare
It turns out that all Trump's predecessor had to do to make Obamacare popular was to leave office and have Republicans prepare to repeal it! The Affordable Care Act has never polled better, with some surveys even showing a majority of Americans approve of it. Even more, the law has proven resilient in the face of GOP efforts to overhaul it.
The GOP's Supreme Court dreams
The court returned to its nominal 5-4 conservative majority when Trump nominee Gorsuch was confirmed .
Democrats' 2018 hopes
The minority party hasn't yet pulled off a big upset in a special election, but signs are pointing to an animated Democratic voting base and a real chance to seize upon Trump's historic unpopularity in the 2018 midterms.
Jared Kushner
The Trump White House is marked by seemingly constant backbiting and infighting, with nobody knowing who will emerge as the most influential advisers. But for now, that appears to be Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, who has asserted power as the embattled Bannon has sunk..
Trump's base strategy
Trump is unpopular, yes. He hasn't accomplished what he promised, yes. And things don't seem likely to get easier, either. But he's still in the game. And that's because he's got a base that just won't quit him. A Washington Post-ABC News poll last weekend showed just 2 per cent of Trump voters thought he was a worse president than they expected, while 66 per cent thought he was a better one. And 96 per cent said they'd vote for him again. Trump has broken his promises on all kinds of things that were important to his base. But having his base intact keeps him powerful in the Republican Party, and that means he can still get things done. Trump's ability to be a successful president in his next 100 days will be dependent upon how he leverages that.
