Introduction
In the first 100 days of his second term, President Trump signed 143 executive orders, more than any other president in that same timeframe. These executive orders include creating The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), implementing reciprocal tariffs, and an attempt to end birthright citizenship. An executive order is essentially legislation by decree and has the same power as a law passed by congress while the order is in effect. Executive orders can be challenged in the courts, reversed by an executive order from a succeeding president or defunded by Congress through legislation.
A4SC Resources
The below resources include relevant videos and lesson plans from our content library that will help contextualize this current event within broader, more enduring, concepts.
First 100 Days: A Presidential Benchmark – The first 100 days is used by journalists, historians, and other politicians to measure the efficacy of a new president. Using the 100 day benchmark dates back to FDR who campaigned on enacting sweeping reforms within his first 100 days as president. This video will provide needed context and allow students to understand why we emphasize the first 100 days when discussing executive orders.
Presidential Mandate: The Right to Govern – The presidential mandate can provide an incentive for a president to issue an executive order. If congress is uncooperative with the president’s agenda, a president may issue an executive order to enact a particular policy that enjoys popular support. This will help students understand why a president might issue an executive order instead of waiting for congress to legislate.
Override Veto: Congress Versus the President – Overriding a veto, while rare, is the highest congressional check on presidential power. This is relevant to executive orders because a president may veto legislation that defunds executive orders and congress may override said veto.
Possible Discussion Questions
- Do you think the trend of increased executive orders will continue? Why or why not?
- Do you think there should be any limits on a president’s ability to issue executive orders? If not, why? If yes, what limits would you suggest?
Activity Idea
Organize the students into a mock Congress and allow them to vote on whether to have a pizza party or cupcakes. Require that the winner must command a ⅔ majority and that they only have one chance to vote. If the vote fails, the teacher will decide unilaterally. Ask students to write down a 2-3 sentence reflection explaining why or why not this process was fair.
Additional Resources
- Hammond, E., Radford, A., Chowdhury, M., Powell, T., Sangal, A., Shen, M., Iyer, K., Forrest, J., Harvey, L. (21 January 2025). Trump signs slew of executive actions after being sworn in
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-inauguration-01-2025/index.html - Knappenberger, R. (28 January 2025). Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump freeze on federal grants.
Courthouse News.
https://www.courthousenews.com/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-trump-freeze-on-federal-grants/ - Hughes, S. (4 June 2025). Explainer: Executive orders as a governing tool
Harvard Kennedy School.
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/democracy-governance/explainer-executive-orders-governing-tool
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