Trump Reshapes the U.S. with Historic Number of Executive Orders in First 100 Days
Donald Trump returned to the White House with a promise to complete his mission of reconfiguring the United States, a transformation he is carrying out through executive orders at a breakneck pace—so much so that he has broken the historic record for decrees in the first 100 days of a presidency.
In this second term, Trump has signed 142 executive orders, more than any of his predecessors during the same period, according to the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“I will sign historic executive orders. With these actions, we will begin to complete the restoration of the U.S. and the common-sense revolution,” the Republican said in his inauguration speech on January 20.
This confirmed that, as in his first term, Trump sees executive orders as his primary governing tool, and he began applying them from the start: on his first day in the Oval Office, he signed 26 executive orders, including some on immigration, energy, and pardons for nearly 1,500 people charged in the 2021 Capitol assault.
His approach to governing by decree has once again, as it did during his first term, faced pushback from the U.S. judiciary.
Several of his executive orders—from freezing international humanitarian aid to banning transgender soldiers in the military, eliminating the public broadcaster Voice of America, or his attempt to end birthright citizenship (the latter set to reach the Supreme Court in May)—have been blocked in the courts.
Reducing the Federal Government
Trump’s main focus has been shrinking the federal government, an election promise he fulfilled by creating the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), overseen by billionaire Elon Musk with the mission of cutting public spending.
Most of his executive orders target this area, with decisions such as freezing federal hiring, dismantling federal agencies, canceling 83% of foreign aid programs, and eliminating the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Another measure was the elimination of all “diversity, equity, and inclusion” and “environmental justice” programs, a purge of positions and offices intended to streamline the federal government.
Immigration
On his first day, Trump signed several executive orders related to immigration, including declaring a “national emergency” to deploy active-duty military, National Guard reservists, and other forces to the U.S.-Mexico border.
He also designated cartels as terrorist organizations, reinstated the “Remain in Mexico” program, which forces asylum seekers to wait for their cases in Mexican territory, and attempted to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants.
Additionally, he launched a new crackdown on so-called ‘sanctuary cities,’ which refuse or limit cooperation with the federal government to deport undocumented immigrants, and ordered the preparation of 30,000 beds at the Guantánamo Bay (Cuba) base for detained immigrants.
Tariffs
Trump implemented a series of tariffs by executive order, triggering a trade war. His first move came on February 1, when he imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on those from China.
On April 2, dubbed “Liberation Day,” additional tariffs were imposed on products from 57 countries, though they were suspended for 90 days for all nations except China, whose tariffs were raised to 145%.
Energy
Another early decision was declaring a “national energy emergency,” boosting oil and gas production in the country, including opening new drilling sites.
In March, he also ordered the promotion of domestic production of critical minerals and rare earth elements.
Gender Policy
After declaring that the U.S. recognizes only two genders—male and female—one of his first actions was to ban gender transition treatments and surgeries for minors under 19, as well as eliminate all government programs promoting diversity and inclusion.
In this vein, he signed orders to prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s sports or serving in the military.
On reproductive rights, the Republican ordered the cutoff of federal funds used to finance or promote elective abortions.
Withdrawal from International Organizations
Trump also withdrew the U.S. from the WHO and the Paris Climate Agreement by executive order—actions he had taken in his first term—and distanced the country from commitments with the OECD. Additionally, he ended U.S. participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council, froze funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and signed an order to sanction the International Criminal Court.
Outside of formal policy, on January 23, Trump signed an executive order to declassify files related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy (JFK) in 1963, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., also in 1968. No major secrets or revelations have been disclosed so far.
There are no signs that the pace of executive orders will slow. “We are signing executive orders at a rate no one can keep up with, and expect the same pace in the next 100 days,” a White House official told CBS, adding, “The American people don’t have the luxury of waiting.” EFE
