Year in review: Trump’s executive orders

When it comes to shaping policy, presidential executive orders are a potent tool – one that President Donald Trump has wielded frequently. As of December 28, 2017, Trump had signed 55 executive orders during his first year in office. In October 2017, CNN reported that Trump was on pace to surpass President Dwight Eisenhower for the most executive orders signed by a president during the first nine months of a new administration. Trump’s pace slowed over the fall, but with a total of 55 executive orders signed by December 28, 2017, Trump still ranks in the top four for first-year orders, trailing only Presidents Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, and John F. Kennedy.