As of just 100 days into his term, Trump had already signed 130 executive orders—more than some presidents issued over their entire time in office.

This graphic, created by Visual Capitalist's Julia Wendling in collaboration with Inigo, offers a visual look at the presidents who made the most prolific use of executive orders throughout American history.

A Closer Look at Orders

Using data from UC Santa Barbara, we’ve broken down how many executive orders each president issued in their first 100 days.

Data as of April 30, 2025.

President Trump and President Biden are the only presidents from the last 50 years to hit the top 10 list.

Trump’s Executive Orders

Trump’s rapid-fire use of orders underscores his intent to drive change and disrupt the status quo on an unprecedented scale. On his first day in office alone, he signed a record-breaking 26 executive orders—nearly triple the next-highest first-day total, set by President Biden with 9.

These orders span a wide range of issues, including boosting American industry, cutting government inefficiencies, and addressing topics like foreign aid, border security, discrimination, innovation, and trade policy.

Executive Activity of Past Presidents

Upon taking office in January 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden directed his early efforts toward anti-discrimination measures and pandemic containment. Obama, on the other hand, prioritized labor rights and ethics reforms during his early days in office.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, who assumed the presidency during multiple national crises, including the aftermath of the Great Depression and World War II, centered his early executive actions on securing economic stability and recovery.