This week President Donald Trump has reached his 100th day in office, a benchmark that is increasingly used to gauge early presidential success.The first 100 days of Trump’s second presidency have been defined by record numbers of executive orders, sweeping tariffs that caused upheaval in global markets, a crackdown on border security and efforts to slash federal spending with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.Already Trump has signed 142 executive orders — over four times the amount he signed during his first 100 days in 2017. That’s more than the total number signed by each 21st century president combined during their first 100 days in office.While his executive orders have touched on everything from DEI to showerheads, many have centered around government reform and accountability.One of the first executive orders Trump signed created DOGE — a department tasked with maximizing efficiency. Through DOGE, Trump directed federal agencies to initiate large-scale reductions in force. Many agencies cut back their workforce by laying off probationary employees. No official number of federal layoffs has been shared by the administration, but an analysis by the Hearst Television Data Team shows at least 49,000 employees were laid off. National security and foreign policy was the second most common bucket of executive orders. Trump has dismantled USAID, exited the World Health Organization and withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council. Among the flurry of executive orders, Trump has carried out campaign promises to eliminate DEI practices in the federal workforce and prevent transgender individuals from serving in the military and participating in collegiate sports. He also pardoned Jan. 6 defendants, started dismantling the Department of Education, pushed back the Tik Tok ban and released JFK assassination files. About 45% of the executive orders closely mirror policies Project 2025 advocates for, despite Trump distancing himself from the initiative on the campaign trail, a Hearst Television Data Team analysis found. Project 2025, which preceded the November election and was spearheaded by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, gives guidance for what policies the next conservative president should carry out.For many voters, the economy was the most important issue in the 2024 election, according to a Gallup poll. Trump had a slight edge with voters favoring him to handle the economy, according to the same Gallup poll. One hundred days later, a recent Gallup poll showed 59% of Americans feel the economic conditions in the country are “getting worse” and 36% said the economy was “getting better.”So far, Trump has addressed the economy by rolling back regulations and protections across various industries. On day one, he declared a national energy emergency urging agencies to address the “inadequate development of domestic energy resources” and “high energy costs” that threaten economic stability. The dip in approval follows Trump’s announcement of blanket tariffs with increased reciprocal tariffs on certain countries, especially China. Following the announcement, the stock market plummeted and the administration has since announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs. The consumer price index eased from the high 3% in January to 2.4% inflation in March. Of the 142 executive orders that Trump has issued, about one third have faced lawsuits. The lawsuits challenge executive orders ranging from birthright citizenship, DOGE, immigration policies and more. In total, the administration has faced 123 lawsuits challenging the legality and implementation of these orders, with nine actions currently fully blocked by the courts. Many of the cases are still pending, but some judges have ruled to uphold the administration’s actions while the cases continue their legal proceedings. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
This week President Donald Trump has reached his 100th day in office, a benchmark that is increasingly used to gauge early presidential success.
The first 100 days of Trump’s second presidency have been defined by record numbers of executive orders, sweeping tariffs that caused upheaval in global markets, a crackdown on border security and efforts to slash federal spending with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.
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Already Trump has signed 142 executive orders — over four times the amount he signed during his first 100 days in 2017. That’s more than the total number signed by each 21st century president combined during their first 100 days in office.
While his executive orders have touched on everything from DEI to showerheads, many have centered around government reform and accountability.
One of the first executive orders Trump signed created DOGE — a department tasked with maximizing efficiency. Through DOGE, Trump directed federal agencies to initiate large-scale reductions in force. Many agencies cut back their workforce by laying off probationary employees.
No official number of federal layoffs has been shared by the administration, but an analysis by the Hearst Television Data Team shows at least 49,000 employees were laid off.
National security and foreign policy was the second most common bucket of executive orders. Trump has dismantled USAID, exited the World Health Organization and withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council.
Among the flurry of executive orders, Trump has carried out campaign promises to eliminate DEI practices in the federal workforce and prevent transgender individuals from serving in the military and participating in collegiate sports.
He also pardoned Jan. 6 defendants, started dismantling the Department of Education, pushed back the Tik Tok ban and released JFK assassination files.
About 45% of the executive orders closely mirror policies Project 2025 advocates for, despite Trump distancing himself from the initiative on the campaign trail, a Hearst Television Data Team analysis found.
Project 2025, which preceded the November election and was spearheaded by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, gives guidance for what policies the next conservative president should carry out.
For many voters, the economy was the most important issue in the 2024 election, according to a Gallup poll. Trump had a slight edge with voters favoring him to handle the economy, according to the same Gallup poll.
One hundred days later, a recent Gallup poll showed 59% of Americans feel the economic conditions in the country are “getting worse” and 36% said the economy was “getting better.”
So far, Trump has addressed the economy by rolling back regulations and protections across various industries. On day one, he declared a national energy emergency urging agencies to address the “inadequate development of domestic energy resources” and “high energy costs” that threaten economic stability.
The dip in approval follows Trump’s announcement of blanket tariffs with increased reciprocal tariffs on certain countries, especially China. Following the announcement, the stock market plummeted and the administration has since announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs.
The consumer price index eased from the high 3% in January to 2.4% inflation in March.
Of the 142 executive orders that Trump has issued, about one third have faced lawsuits.
The lawsuits challenge executive orders ranging from birthright citizenship, DOGE, immigration policies and more.
In total, the administration has faced 123 lawsuits challenging the legality and implementation of these orders, with nine actions currently fully blocked by the courts.
Many of the cases are still pending, but some judges have ruled to uphold the administration’s actions while the cases continue their legal proceedings.
