Amen, who has long been a democrat, primarily emphasizes the restrictions on civil rights that she believes are taking place in Trump's USA. She sees parallels to the controversial legislative package Patriot Act, which was approved after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and gave increased opportunities to monitor citizens.
But none of the country's major parties seem to care about the voters, she claims.
"The Democrats are doing the same thing as this government, but they are quieter and smile at you when they create policies that negatively affect people. The other side (Trump) is a wolf that shows its teeth and yells in your face."
Too Ashamed
Amen lives in the Michigan city of Dearborn, which is home to one of the largest populations with origins in the Arab world in the USA. Here, the Democrats lost support in the presidential election last autumn, mainly due to former President Joe Biden's support for Israel in the Gaza War.
Suehaila Amen was a driving force in the grassroots movement Uncommitted, which during the primaries urged voters to vote democratically blank, to strike Biden's name in protest against the war. In the actual presidential election, a relatively large proportion of Dearborn residents voted for Trump, which contributed to his victory in Michigan.
"But today it's hard to get anyone to admit it, or say they voted for Trump and are disappointed. They are just too ashamed," says Suehaila Amen.
Safer Country?
On the other side of Lake Michigan, in the small town of Kenosha, Wisconsin, lives entrepreneur Erin Decker. She is full of superlatives when describing the president's first hundred days and claims that Trump has made the country safer by securing the border and deporting "dangerous members of criminal gangs".
Erin Decker is a designer and runs a car workshop with her husband, but she is also a Republican and active in local politics. Now she gives a thumbs up to the White House's efficiency agency Doge, which she claims has uncovered fraud and corruption in the state apparatus for "hundreds of billions of dollars".
High on Erin Decker's wish list is now a balanced state budget so that Washington DC can start paying off the "enormous national debt".
Amen's and Decker's statements reflect the political divide in the USA, where the president's approval ratings have decreased in recent weeks. Trump's average approval rating, 45.2 percent, is however higher than the average of 42.8 percent who thought he did a good job during his first term.
Republican Donald Trump took office on January 20 for his second term as President of the United States. The controversial Trump has, among other things, focused on deportations of undocumented migrants, cuts in the state apparatus, global tariffs, promises to annex Greenland and Canada, and attempts to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine during his first hundred days.
Currently, 45.2 percent have a positive view of Trump, while 51.3 percent do not.
Furthermore, 45.2 percent of Americans believe the president is doing a good job, and 52.4 percent believe he is not.
The proportion of citizens who believe the USA is developing in the right direction has increased by over 11 percentage points since Trump took office and is now at 39.6 percent.
Source: Real Clear Politics compilation of current measurements
