Presidential candidates often tout how much they plan to accomplish on the first day of their presidency, and President-elect Donald Trump is no exception. His day one agenda is shaping up to be one of the busiest starts to a term, with reportedly more than 100 executive orders ready to be signed. But how much do new presidents actually accomplish on their first day in office, and what should we expect to see from the new administration on Jan. 20?
Trump has a range of tools at his disposal beginning on day one, from signing executive orders to issuing pardons and new administrative guidance for the federal bureaucracy, says John Portz, professor of political science at Northeastern University. “There’s really a broad range of things that a new president can implement on the first day,” Portz says. “But some of the things they want to do on the first day require Congress to support them, or else they will end up in the courts before they ever see the light of day.”
