Bypassing U.S. Congress Intensively with Executive Orders: Donald Trump's Method
Charting Trump's Avalanche of Executive Orders
In a historic first, Donald Trump has smashed the record for the most executive orders during a U.S. President's first 100 days in office. Since his return to the Oval Office on January 20, Trump has signed a staggering 197 executive orders, outrunning Franklin Delano Roosevelt's record set during his first term (1933-1937) according to data from "The American Presidency Project."
These executive orders aren't a novel invention of the Trump era. Presidents have been employing them since George Washington in 1789, using them swiftly to direct federal officials without the prolonged process of Congress. However, their implementation is limited by one essential factor—they must be grounded in an existing legal authority granted by the Constitution or a federal law.
Executive orders have traditionally played a crucial role during crises, like during World War II, post-9/11, and the Great Depression of the 1930s. For instance, Franklin D. Roosevelt used them to circumvent the Supreme Court's resistance to his economic and social program upon his arrival at the White House in 1933.
Interestingly, there are three categories of presidential directives: decrees, memorandums, and declarations.
- Decrees, executive orders with the force of law, circumvent Congress.
- Memorandums, less formal than decrees, are directed to government agencies.
- Declarations involve information communicated by the president on various topics such as holidays, commemorations, special celebrations, commerce, and policy.
It's essential to note that Trump's record-breaking count comprises mostly decrees, but also includes memorandums and proclamations. His emphasis on rapid deregulation and policy reversals has likely led to the highest combined volume of executive-related actions among modern presidents.
As of Trump's second term in 2025, a remarkable 142 executive orders had been signed, focusing on areas like deregulation, tariffs, immigration, and reversing Biden-era policies. Trump had also issued over 20 significant deregulatory presidential actions, and surprisingly, signed 37 executive orders in his first week alone!
Historically, FDR signed 99 executive orders in 1933, a figure long considered the benchmark. Meanwhile, during his first 100 days in office in 2021, Joe Biden signed 42 executive orders, with Trump reversing 111 Biden-era orders by mid-April 2025. For perspective, during Trump's first term (2017), only 32 executive orders were signed in the first 100 days.
It's worth mentioning that Trump's 2025 count exceeds prior records but may exclude non-"significant" memoranda/proclamations. Exact historical totals for non-executive-order actions remain less standardized.
All in all, Trump's prolific use of executive orders sets a new precedent for U.S. presidential history.
- A significant number of Trump's 197 executive orders fall under the category of decrees, which have the force of law and bypass Congress.
- The presidency of Donald Trump initiated a policy-and-legislation shift, marked by an emphasis on rapid deregulation and policy reversals, as highlighted by the high volume of executive-related actions.
- During his second term in 2025, Trump had signed a substantial 142 executive orders, concentrating on areas such as deregulation, tariffs, immigration, and reversing Biden-era policies.
- In contrast to Trump's record-breaking count, President Joe Biden signed only 42 executive orders during his first 100 days in office in 2021, with Trump reversing 111 Biden-era orders by mid-April 2025, evidently showing a shift in the political landscape due to the constraints of presidency and policy-and-legislation.
