Military veteran: "Anger and anxiety over Musk's Ministry of Government Efficiency"
- Jan Carey
- Jun 2
- 5 min read
100 days after taking office, voices of opposition to President Trump's policies grow
April 29, 2025 19:14
On the 29th, it will be 100 days since the inauguration of the second term of the Trump administration. President Trump's average approval rating remains in the mid-40% range, but the voices of those who oppose his policies are growing stronger day by day.The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also posted a video on social media titled "We will never give in!"
In mid-March, when Republican Congressman Edwards, a local representative in Asheville, North Carolina, held a town hall meeting, citizens opposed to President Trump's policies confronted the congressman, and police were called in to quell the situation.
Jay Carey (54), who was forced out of the venue by the police, is angry and worried about the dismantling of government agencies and cuts to the government budget by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), led by businessman Elon Musk. Carey served in the Army for over 20 years, taking part in numerous operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. He was certified disabled due to combat stress and injuries, and is currently living off his pension while receiving treatment at a hospital affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Carey is particularly concerned by reports that Musk and others are planning to cut 80,000 employees working at hospitals and other facilities under the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs. She feelsthat the lives of veterans like herself are being threatened.In an interview with NHK, Carey criticized, "Musk and others are planning to fire more than 86,000 employees related to the Department of Veterans Affairs across the United States. These people are not being fired for poor work performance, but by Elon Musk, who is just cutting things down with a chainsaw. These are employees who play a vital role in patient care."
And she said it is unacceptable that Musk, who has not been approved by Congress under President Trump, is wielding the axe in the name of government reform.Carrey said, "I feel betrayed by my country. I took an oath to join the military. At the same time, my country promised to provide medical treatment if I were injured. Some of my colleagues lost their lives in combat. What they are doing now is an insult to them."When American media reported that Carey was being removed from the venue by police, she said she received many words of encouragement.
Carey said, "The response was amazing. Most of them were expressions of support for me. They were thanking me for standing up. I stood up because I knew it was the right thing to do. People called me a hero, but I'm not a hero. The real heroes are the people who go to work every day not knowing if they'll still have a job tomorrow."Carey recently launched an NPO to protect the rights of veterans, and said, "We know what the truth is. We need to speak out and let the truth be heard by each and every person, and make it burn like a fire. Then the government won't be able to ignore us," emphasizing that she wants to speak out against the Trump administration and spread her support.
Anti-Trump left-wing forces gaining momentum
As President Trump has made waves by implementing various policy changes from the Biden administration in his first 100 days, the left-wing forces, also known as "progressives," are trying to gain political momentum by promoting "anti-Trump." SenatorSanders, an independent who belongs to the Democratic Party, is a representative of this movement, and since February, he has held protest rallies in various places, attracting more than 30,000 citizens, mainly Democratic supporters, at times, and attracting attention. Representative Ocasio-Cortez,a young and well-known Democratic Party member, also joined the movement.The catchphrase of the series of protest rallies is "Fight against the Oligarchs." "Oligarchs" generally refer to emerging conglomerates and wealthy people from Russia and other countries, but they are also used as a word to symbolize the situation in which a small number of wealthy people dominate the country's politics. Sanders and others are seen as successfully attracting anti-Trump forces by likening the Trump administration, led by businessman Elon Musk, to "oligarchs."It has been pointed out that one of the reasons behind this is disappointment with the opposition Democratic Party, which has not been able to stop the policy shift of the Trump administration.According to a poll conducted by Harvard University and a private research company, the Democratic Party's approval rating, which was 47% in October last year just before the presidential election, dropped 10 points to 37% in March.At a protest rally in Los Angeles on the 12th of this month, Senator Sanders strongly criticized the Trump administration, saying, "We are fighting a president who is undermining the Constitution of the United States and threatening freedom of expression and assembly every day. I don't care if you're a Republican, Democrat, or independent. The people of this country don't want oligarchs, and they don't want authoritarianism."
What are the public's opinions in battleground states?
In the suburbs of Asheville, North Carolina, one of the battleground states in the US presidential election last November, citizens were asked to give their assessment of the Trump administration's 100 days.A self-employed man who did not support President Trump said, "Trump has plunged the country into chaos. It will take a long time to resolve this chaos and get rid of him. Both Trump and Musk should go," and strongly criticized Trump, saying, "Trump is in a position to represent us, the people, but he's just doing what he wants and pushing forward on the path to dictatorship. That's wrong." On the other hand, a man who supports Trump said, "Trump is a great man. People just don't understand that what he's doing now is painful, but it will save us in the future." Another man who supports Trump said, "Trump does what he says. Our government has been deeply corrupt for many years. He's trying to wipe it out. I like this administration."
Chinese Foreign Ministry posts video: "We will never give in!"
On the 29th, 100 days after President Trump took office, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a video titled "We will never give in!" on social media.Along with footage of a typhoon, the video commented, "The United States is unleashing a storm of tariffs around the world, playing a game of giving all countries except China a 90-day grace period, and threatening to limit economic and trade cooperation with China." The video also touched on past trade friction between the United States and Japan, saying, "History has already proven that compromise and concessions do not get you what you want, and that even if you kowtow, you will eventually be cornered step by step."It then went on to say, "By China not backing down, the voices of weaker countries will be heard, bullying will be prevented, and justice will be upheld. America does not represent the world."At the end of the video, the video calls on countries around the world to unite along with footage of China's space development, military, and robotics development, emphasizing the country's stance of thoroughly opposing the Trump administration's tariff policy together with other countries.Regarding the video, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a press conference on the 29th, "We hope it will help people from all walks of life to better understand China's position."
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