Compare Presidents
Side-by-side comparison of the last four presidents. Green highlights indicate the strongest performer for each metric. Red highlights the weakest.
Executive Power
Executive Orders
Direct presidential directives with force of law
227
79
255
306
Proclamations
Official declarations (holidays, emergencies, trade)
157
301
549
1,229
Memoranda
Policy directives to agencies
69
76
206
427
Signing Statements
Statements issued when signing bills into law
2
5
61
41
Total Executive Actions
455
461
1,071
2,003
Legislation
Bills Signed
Bills signed into law
107
631
591
933
Vetoes
Bills rejected by the president
0
1
3
6
Pardons & Clemency
Total Clemency Grants
All pardons, commutations, and reprieves combined
121
257
237
1,927
Pardons
Full forgiveness — restores civil rights
98
76
143
212
Commutations
Reduces sentence but keeps conviction
23
181
94
1,715
Constitutional Assessment
Within Authority
Actions clearly within Article II powers
289
420
409
841
Legally Debatable
Broad delegations or areas of active legal debate
63
32
60
61
Potential Overreach
Actions conflicting with congressional authority
12
7
5
6
% Overreach
3%
2%
1%
1%
% Questionable
17%
7%
13%
7%
Total Assessed
364
459
474
908
Public Communication
Speeches
284
1,025
520
1,607
Press Conferences
18
17
88
162
Remarks
587
628
1,437
3,386
Total Statements
889
1,670
2,045
5,155
Constitutional Authority — Visual Comparison
Proportional breakdown of how each president's executive actions were assessed
Trump (2nd)364 actions assessed
289
63
12
Biden459 actions assessed
420
32
7
Trump (1st)474 actions assessed
409
60
5
Obama908 actions assessed
841
61
6
Within Authority Legally Debatable Potential Overreach
Methodology: Executive actions sourced from the GovInfo Compilation of Presidential Documents (CPD). Constitutional assessments are based on Article II powers, statutory delegations, and judicial precedent — not partisan opinion. Bills signed data from Congress.gov. Numbers for the current president reflect their term to date and will increase as more actions are taken.