Trump bashed Obama for executive orders, but his own record is basically the same

President Trump has issued 130 executive orders in his presidency so far — largely keeping pace with President Obama, except for the 55 orders he unleashed in 2017. (George W. Bush sent 54 in his first year).

Why it matters: Trump made it a point on the campaign trail to deride Obama's use of executive orders, saying "the country wasn't based" on them at a 2016 Republican Presidential Town Hall and that Obama's executive orders were "a basic disaster," since he couldn't "even get along with the Democrats."

The bottom line: Trump has relied on executive orders and emergency declarations in an attempt to push through some of his biggest campaign promises, like authorizing a border wall, securing its funding and banning travelers to the U.S. from predominantly Muslim countries. He's also heavily used them to impose sanctions.

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