Trump’s Least and Most Popular Executive Orders

President Donald Trump has had an eventful return to office, signing a record number of executive orders in his first two weeks – more than President Joe Biden did in his first 100 days. Although many of these orders have been well received and his overall approval rating remains positive, some, such as the Jan. 6 pardons, have drawn scrutiny.

Most Popular Executive Orders

A recent I&I/TIPP poll, conducted Jan. 29-31 among 1,478 U.S. adults, found that Trump’s most popular executive order was to deploy the U.S. military to secure the southern border, which had 57% approval and 34% disapproval. Other immigration-related policies also saw majority support, including accelerating the deportation of undocumented immigrants, which had 54% approval, and ending birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants, which had 48% approval.

Another widely supported policy was Trump’s executive order requiring federal workers to return to the office full-time, which garnered 56% support and 29% opposition. The order was part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s agenda aimed at reducing the national debt. Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared a video of Trump signing the order on X, writing, “Pretending to work while taking money from taxpayers is no longer acceptable.”

Another order related to the culture wars of the past few years was Trump’s ban on federal funding for gender identity programs and his directive to recognize only biological sex. The order stated, “Federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology” and mandated that “agencies shall remove all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology, and shall cease issuing such statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications or other messages.” The order had 54% approval and only 35% opposition, according to the poll.

Least Popular Executive Orders

Not all of Trump’s early executive actions have been well received. One of the most controversial was his pardon or commutation of all individuals imprisoned for their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The pardons and commutations had only 37% approval, including just 60% support among Republicans, with 51% opposition overall. Opposition to the pardons is largely driven by the negative public perception of the Jan. 6, 2021, events. According to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted Jan. 26-28, 55% of Americans view the incident as “a violent insurrection,” while only 25% consider it “legitimate political discourse.”

Another unpopular move was Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization, which had just 38% approval. In his executive order, Trump justified the decision by criticizing the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and arguing that the United States pays nearly twice as much in funding as China despite having a smaller population. Trump had previously attempted to leave the WHO in July 2020, but the withdrawal process takes a full year, and President Biden canceled the withdrawal when he took office.

Another lingering debate from his first term resurfaced with an executive order withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement for a second time. The Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to below 2°C, was first exited by Trump in 2017 before Biden rejoined in early 2021. According to the poll, the move had 39% approval and 41% disapproval.

Trump’s Approval Ratings Remain Positive

Despite the controversy surrounding some of his executive orders, Trump’s job approval remains positive – something he never achieved in his first term. In the RealClearPolitics Average for Trump’s Job Approval, Trump currently holds a +4.6-point approval rating, with 49.4% approval and 44.8% disapproval.