100 Days, 141 Executive Orders -- How Trump is Fundamentally Challenging the American Concept of Governance

Trump's Record on Executive Orders Shows How He is Systematically Moving the Country Toward Autocracy

Author’s Note: As the Trump administration reaches the 100-day mark, my inbox is flooded with analysis to the point that I'm numb from it. You probably are too. So much clutter. Here, I've tried to cut through the clutter and find a way to objectively analyze and depict what Trump has done—and continues to do—to reshape American governance. I've taken a pretty big swing at it. Here goes.

The Traditional American Concept of Governance

For 250 years, with almost no exceptions, American presidents have approached the task of governance by working with Congress to craft and pass legislation. They build alliances across their own party and, ideally, reach across the aisle to negotiate, persuade, and compromise. Governance, at its best, is the slow, sometimes painful art of consensus-building. This has been such an obvious feature of American governance that we tend to take it for granted. Or we used to, anyway.

Within this framework, executive orders have historically been a relatively minor tool. They were used to manage internal federal operations, implement existing laws, and handle emergencies. They were never intended as substitute for legislation or to impose sweeping changes on the nation without congressional approval.

Historian Anne Applebaum summarizes this tradition when she warns, "Presidents are not kings; they govern within the constraints of laws and norms—constraints that exist to protect democracy itself."

Trump's First Term — A Modest Anomaly

During his first term (2017–2021), Trump showed some early signs of departing from this tradition. His instinct to govern by executive order was visible, notably in the chaotic rollout of the "Muslim ban" in his first weeks in office.

But even then, Trump was surrounded by "guardrails" — an establishment-heavy cabinet, wary congressional Republicans, and a judicial branch that was still largely respected. His first 100 days produced 33 executive orders, a noticeable number, but not entirely outside historical norms.

Legal scholar David Schultz noted at the time: "He's trying to do government by executive order on a whole range of issues," but within bounds that still acknowledged checks and balances.

Trump's Second Term — A Huge, Measurable Departure from Normal Governance

Fast forward to 2025. Those guardrails are gone. Trump's second term has seen an explosive increase in executive orders: 141 in his first 100 days—an unprecedented number, far exceeding his first term and those of his modern predecessors. How out of alignment is this? In his first 100 days in 2017, Trump issued 33 Executive Orders. The other recent Presidents? Here’s a chart that captures is.

More critically, in terms of what this means for democratic governance, Trump has made almost no serious attempt to engage Congress or pursue major legislation. There is no signature legislative package akin to Biden's COVID relief bill or Obama's economic stimulus. Instead, Trump has shifted almost entirely to unilateral action via Executive Order after Executive Order after Executive Order …… This is fundamentally different.

How different?

Michael Sozan of the Center for American Progress captures the gravity of the moment:

"President Trump's first 100 days in office have taken a chainsaw to democracy and brought the United States to the doorstep of authoritarianism."

The Issue is Not Just Volume — It’s Purpose, and Focus

This isn't just a matter of quantity. It's a matter of purpose. Many of Trump's executive orders have directly targeted political opponents, dismantled civil rights protections, restructured federal agencies to consolidate loyalists, and accelerated deportations without congressional oversight.

As Rory Little, a professor of constitutional law, warns:

"These orders are extraordinary, not just in their number, but in their breadth. The current state of affairs can be characterized, I think with no exaggeration, as a crisis—a challenge to the rule of law in the United States."

This chart breaks down the nature of Trump's 2025 executive orders. A significant share are aimed at targeting perceived political opponents, dismantling civil rights protections, and restructuring government agencies. Very few address conventional governance tasks like infrastructure, health care, or education.

There is zero precedent for Executive Orders being used in the broad, systematic, and blatantly partisan way that Trump is using them.

Legal Challenges to Executive Orders

Trump’s Executive Orders have faced many legal challenges. How does this compare to other presidents? Take a look.

Trump's 2025 executive orders have already triggered more than 160 lawsuits in his first 100 days—an avalanche far surpassing what any modern president has faced at this point in office.

Defiance of Court Orders

Finally, what about compliance with court orders? .While previous presidents occasionally faced court challenges, they almost always complied with the rulings. Trump stands apart: his administration has already been credibly accused of defying federal court orders in at least 15 documented cases in just the first 100 days.

Conclusion

Trump's second term isn't merely a continuation of his first. It's something fundamentally different - a radical departure that is evolving into an experiment in Executive Governance unlike anything that has preceded it. He has broken with more than two centuries of American democratic governance norms and moved the country toward a model where the executive acts alone, punishes opponents, ignores courts, and regards democratic constraints as obstacles to be bulldozed.

This isn't just politics. It's a profound, measurable change in how America is being governed.