Executive orders in trump:s first term
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Executive summary
Donald J. Trump issued 220 executive orders during his first presidency (January 20, 2017–January 20, 2021), numbered EO 13765 through EO 13984, with 55 issued in 2017 alone (EOs 13765–13819) as recorded in the Federal Register and compiled by secondary sources [1] [2] [3]. That volume put Trump among recent presidents in total EO count and made several orders the subject of intense litigation and policy reversal [3] [4].
1. A numerical baseline: how many and when
Trump’s first term produced 220 executive orders, officially numbered from 13765 to 13984, a total confirmed across Federal Register listings and multiple public compilations [1] [3] [4]. The Federal Register’s year-by-year pages show 55 orders in 2017 alone (EO 13765–13819), illustrating a front-loaded pace of directives early in the administration [2].
2. What kinds of orders dominated
The orders covered a wide policy sweep — immigration and border control, regulatory rollbacks, trade and sanctions, national security directives, and changes to federal workforce rules — with many specifically aimed at reversing prior administrations’ policies or reshaping agency practice [3] [5]. Compilations note that Trump’s EOs often targeted the administrative state and regulatory burdens, aligning with a stated agenda to reduce federal regulations [6] [5].
3. Litigation and reversals: legal pushback was common
Several of Trump’s executive orders faced immediate legal challenges and injunctions; courts blocked parts of or entire orders in high-profile cases [4] [3]. The record includes national injunctions and circuit-court disputes over constitutionality and statutory authority, reflecting judicial limits on unilateral presidential policymaking documented in reporting and catalogues of his orders [4] [3].
4. Transparency, numbering and public posting issues
Independent reviews at times found inconsistencies between White House postings and the Federal Register’s official texts early in the term, prompting scrutiny over accuracy and transparency of published orders [3]. The Federal Register remains the definitive repository and provides downloadable datasets by president and year [1] [2].
5. Comparison with other recent presidents
Contextual counts place Trump’s 220 EOs in the range of modern presidencies: Barack Obama signed 277 over two terms and George W. Bush 291; Trump’s single-term total is therefore substantial though not historically unprecedented among two-term presidents [1]. Sources note that some presidents issued many orders quickly on day one; Trump issued a notably heavy set of orders early in his term, with 26 on his first day per reporting trends [7].
6. Political purpose and partisan framing
Analysts and source compilations link many orders to explicit political aims: advancing immigration restriction, rolling back environmental and regulatory measures, and asserting executive control over agency operations [3] [6]. Critics argued these moves sidestepped Congress; supporters framed them as necessary use of executive authority to fulfill electoral mandates [3]. The Federal Register and encyclopedic listings document the content; debates over motive and legitimacy played out in courts and Congress [4] [3].
7. What got reversed or superseded
Some Trump orders were later revoked or superseded by the Biden administration, including revocations noted in Federal Register entries that cross-reference EO 13990 [2]. Catalogues note interadministrative rollbacks and partial survivals of sections — demonstrating how executive policy can be ephemeral across administrations [2] [4].
8. Data sources and limitations
Primary official counts come from the Office of the Federal Register and FederalRegister.gov, which lists each EO, year totals and downloadable data; secondary sources (Wikipedia compilations, policy aggregators) replicate and summarize that record [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention granular metrics such as the administrative cost savings actually realized by regulatory EOs or court-by-court outcome tallies for every order — those specifics require deeper, order-by-order legal and budgetary analysis not contained in the cited pages [1] [3].
9. Where to read the original orders
For definitive texts and formal metadata (filing dates, revocations, cross-references), consult the Federal Register’s Trump pages and year-by-year executive order lists; additional compiled lists and explanatory notes are available via encyclopedic aggregations and policy trackers [2] [1] [3].
Bottom line: the record is clear on quantity — 220 executive orders in Trump’s first term — and on the basic pattern: many orders aimed at regulatory rollback and immigration, numerous legal challenges followed, and several orders were later revoked or modified by subsequent administrations [1] [3] [4].