President Trump is signing the 200th executive order of his second term, setting a pace that’s unprecedented in modern history.
When Mr. Trump signs the directive renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War on Friday, it will be his 200th executive order in the 228 days, or just over seven months, since he returned to the White House in January.
Mr. Trump has signed more executive orders in his first 228 days than the past 16 presidents combined during the same point in their presidencies.
“President Trump is the most effective and hardest-working president in history. By signing executive orders at the highest rate in decades, he has quickly implemented the American people’s agenda to cool inflation, secure the border, and restore peace through strength,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a statement to The Washington Times.
Ms. Kelly said the latest order renaming the Defense Department “makes clear that under President Trump our military is about not just defense, but also offense. He is using all tools at his disposal to strengthen our national security, deter threats abroad and Make America Strong Again — just like he promised.”
The flurry of executive orders eclipses every president in nearly 100 years. Only President Franklin D. Roosevelt surpassed Mr. Trump’s pace, with 200 orders in 153 days.
Executive orders are presidential directives that carry the force of law but do not require congressional approval. While they can go into effect immediately, they can also be undone by a future president also issuing an executive order.
Mr. Trump’s orders have ranged from shrinking the government by cutting wasteful spending, bolstering immigration enforcement, imposing tariffs on U.S. trading partners to keeping men out of women’s sports.
No modern president has issued executive orders at a similar pace; former Presidents Biden, George H.W. Bush, and Ford never issued 200 executive orders during their single terms in office.
Presidents Obama and George W. Bush both signed their 200th executive orders well into their second terms, taking six years and five years, respectively.
In fact, historians would have to go all the way back to President Reagan to find a commander in chief who issued 200 executive orders in a single term. It still took Mr. Reagan more than three years and more than 1,300 days in office to reach 200.
During Mr. Trump’s first term, he signed a total of 220 executive orders.
Earlier this year, Mr. Trump issued his 100th executive order within his first 100 days, shattering Mr. Roosevelt’s record of 99 orders within 100 days.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.