One year ago today, Donald Trump (R) assumed office as the 47th president of the United States, making him one of only two presidents in U.S. history to serve two non-consecutive terms. Here’s a closer look at the first year of his second administration, by the numbers.
Executive actions:
During the first year of his second term, Trump issued 229 executive orders, 57 presidential memoranda, and 116 proclamations. Trump’s executive order total was the highest first-year executive order total since Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D), who issued 568 executive orders in 1933. Looking at his second term executive orders by topic, Trump has issued the most executive orders on foreign policy at 61 orders, 35 of which were related to trade and tariffs.
Federal judges
Since taking office for his second term, Trump has nominated, and the Senate has confirmed 27 Article III federal judges, including 21 to U.S. District Courts and six to the U.S. Courts of Appeals. During the first year of his first term, Trump nominated, and the Senate confirmed 23 Article III judges, including one Supreme Court Justice, 12 to the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and 10 to the U.S. District Courts.
Supreme Court emergency applications
During the first year of Trump’s second term, the Trump administration filed 32 emergency applications with the Supreme Court, asking the court for immediate intervention in cases that had not fully progressed through the ordinary procedures required for the Supreme Court to issue a regular opinion in a case. The court granted the Trump administration’s request for intervention in 21 cases, granted the request in part and denied it in part in two cases, and denied the request in four cases. Three requests were withdrawn, and two are pending.
Presidential pardons
Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states, “The President ... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” It describes the presidency’s powers of executive clemency, which gives the president the authority to pardon individuals convicted of having committed a federal crime.
Trump issued 181 presidential pardons and commutations (This figure only includes pardons that have been published on the U.S. Department of Justice’s website. As of Jan. 16, the website was last updated on Dec. 15, 2025.) This figure also does not include instances of mass pardons. According to the Department of Justice, during fiscal year 2017, Trump issued one pardon and no commutations. Joe Biden (D), Barack Obama (D), and George W. Bush (R) issued no pardons or commutations during their first fiscal year in office.
Tie-breaking votes in the Senate
Under Article I, Section 3, Clause 4 of the U.S. Constitution, the vice president also serves as the president of the Senate and may cast the deciding vote when there is a tie in the Senate. In the first year of the Trump Administration, Vice President J.D. Vance (R) cast seven tie-breaking votes in the Senate. Three votes were related to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, two votes were related to the Rescissions Act of 2025, one vote was related to voting down a joint resolution to terminate the national emergency related to global tariffs, and one vote was in favor of the nomination of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
