Fact check: How many executive orders has each president signed in last 20 years in USA?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, here are the executive order totals for U.S. presidents in the last 20 years (2005-2025):

• George W. Bush (2001-2009): 291 executive orders during his 8-year presidency ^[1]
• Barack Obama (2009-2017): 276 executive orders during his 8-year presidency ^[1]
• Donald J. Trump - First Term (2017-2021): 220 executive orders during his 4-year presidency ^[1]
• Joe Biden (2021-2025): 162 executive orders during his 4-year presidency ^[1]
• Donald J. Trump - Second Term (2025-present): 163 executive orders ^[1]

The data reveals that Trump has set a record pace in his second term, signing 142 executive orders in just his first 100 days, compared to Biden who didn't reach 142 executive orders until September 2024, and Obama and Bush who required nearly their entire first terms to hit that milestone ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several important contextual elements:

• Rate of executive order issuance varies significantly - Trump's second term shows an unprecedented acceleration, with 142 orders in 100 days versus the more typical pace of previous presidents ^[2]
• Presidential terms affect total counts - Bush and Obama served full 8-year terms, while Trump's first term and Biden's term were 4 years each, making direct numerical comparisons potentially misleading without considering duration
• The data shows Trump has served non-consecutive terms, which is historically unusual and affects how his executive order totals should be interpreted ^[1]
• Executive order numbering and tracking systems have evolved over time, though the sources don't provide detailed historical context about changes in how these orders are categorized or counted ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself doesn't contain misinformation, but it lacks specificity that could lead to incomplete understanding:

• The question doesn't account for varying presidential term lengths, which makes raw numbers potentially misleading when comparing presidents who served different durations
• No consideration of the rate or pace of executive order signing, which has become politically significant, particularly with Trump's record-setting pace in his second term ^[2]
• The question doesn't acknowledge that one president (Trump) appears twice in the 20-year timeframe due to non-consecutive terms, which could confuse interpretation of the data ^[1]

The sources themselves appear to be from authoritative government and academic institutions, suggesting the underlying data is reliable, though some sources provided limited relevant information for this specific timeframe question ^[4].