The first nearly 100 days of President Trump’s term have played out far differently than those of any other recent administration—including his own eight years ago. Here’s a glimpse by the numbers as he nears completion of his 100th day on April 30.
Trump signed 26 executive orders at the start of his second term—the first batch of 137 implemented as of Thursday. That’s more than three times as many as former President Joe Biden and over 100 more than the first three months of his previous term. The orders have varied from implementing global tariffs to banning paper straws in federal buildings. More than 80 lawsuits have been filed that challenge his executive orders on immigration, gender and diversity, and climate change.
With Trump waging a trade war and clashing with the Federal Reserve chair, stock indexes have declined since Trump took office. Stocks rallied after Trump appeared to soften on China tariffs and the Federal Reserve, but overall the S&P 500 index is down 8.5% since Inauguration Day. During the first 100 days of both the Bush and Obama administrations, the stock market declined—driven by the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001 and the 2007-09 recession.
Trump has the second-lowest approval rating for any post-war president, according to Gallup. Trump’s rating from January through April averaged 45% and is slightly higher than the same period during his first term at 41%. The poll was conducted shortly after Trump announced widespread “reciprocal” tariffs on numerous countries in an event he referred to as “Liberation Day.” Hours later, however, Trump announced a 90-day pause on the higher rates for bad actors—except China.
The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has touted massive cuts in federal spending largely by reducing the federal workforce. Around 75,000 government employees took a voluntary buyout in the first few months of Trump’s term. Tens of thousands more federal workers have been laid off, though many have been at least temporarily reinstated by court orders. On a Tesla earnings call this month, Musk said he would be devoting significantly less time to DOGE beginning in May.
One of the president’s key campaign issues—in both his successful runs—has been closing the southern border to migrants seeking asylum. Illegal border crossings have plummeted, accelerating a trend that started under Biden. Crossings are at their lowest levels in 60 years and nearly mirror the numbers during Trump’s first time in office. The administration’s new policy of ignoring asylum claims—the legality of which is being challenged in court—has meant that migrants can be quickly deported back to Mexico or loaded onto removal flights.
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