Executive Action
Presidents can make new executive orders and they can revoke their predecessors' executive orders. How many of his predecessors' executive orders did President Obama revoke?
How accurate was your prediction?
What most surprised you about this data?
In terms of revoking executive orders, how does Obama compare to his predecessors?
What trends do you see in revoking of executive orders?
Why do you think that is?
What is a consequence of this?
Is this good or bad news?
If these trends hold, how many executive orders do you imagine Donald Trump will revoke?
When presidents revoke executive orders, which president's executive orders are they most likely to revoke?
Besides the President, is there any other institution that can revoke or "check" a president's executive order?
President Obama issued 9 executive orders in his first two weeks in office, how many executive orders do you think Donald Trump issued in his first two weeks in office*?
President Obama revoked 6 executive orders in his first two weeks. How many of his predecessors' executive orders has Donald Trump significantly revoked in his first two weeks in office**?
What impact do you think a president's popularity among the American people has on his use of executive orders?
What impact do you think the popularity of the president in Congress has on his use of executive orders.
If you were the president, what executive order would you make right here, right now?
Many critics from both the left and the right have criticized Donald Trump for being an autocratic ruler. What does his use of the executive order in his first week in office make you think about that claim?
