Donald Trump Sets 1933 Record With 225 Executive Orders

President Donald Trump significantly altered the American governing model in 2025 by prioritizing executive orders over legislative action. He signed 225 executive orders last year, the highest single-year total since 1933. In contrast, he signed only 38 bills into law, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a figure markedly lower than the 80 to 120 laws typically signed by modern presidents in their first year.

This expansion of executive power included a December 11, 2025, order that curbed the ability of states to regulate artificial intelligence. Alongside these policy shifts, the administration impacted institutional norms through the use of tariffs against allies, sweeping immigration raids, the blacklisting of critical journalists, and the erratic firing and prosecution of civil servants.

These actions have shifted the institutional bedrock of the presidency. Observers suggest this reliance on executive authority creates a precedent that future presidents of any political affiliation could exploit to implement vastly different agendas.