Trump has largely governed by executive order, largely due to the ability to pass timely legislation. And, most of his legislation has passed has been in "omnibus" bills. I think most here would prefer smaller, specific bills, as the waste in these huge bills is eye-watering.

Here is the number of bills passed in the first years of presidency for recent presidents:

President # of Bills Passed Senate Y/N House Y/N
Johnson (1964) ~240 Y Y
Carter (1977) 223 Y Y
Bush (1989) ~200 N N
Nixon (1969) ~190 N N
Reagan (1981) 145 Y N
Obama (2009) 125 Y Y
Bush (2001) ~100 Y (tie) Y
Trump (2017) 96 Y Y
Biden (2021) ~80 Y (tie) Y
Trump (2025) 47 (Dec. 2025) Y Y

This got me thinking about the impact of these numbers on Trump's legacy. For instance, a primary reason we have lived with Obama-care for so long was that it was passed as a law in a separate bill. So, it required much more "inertia" to change.

With mid-terms coming up, it seems to me that cowardly* republicans' inability to pass legislation is going to greatly limit Trump's long-term impact on the direction of our government.

Of course, Trump's executive orders are gone literally the first day a democrat takes the oath of office.

On the positive side, I'm pretty sure he will continue to have an big influence on the direction of American society, at least.

* I don't like using that word here, but seems appropriate.

This is kind of misleading since the GOP decided to cram everything they wanted into a single bill.

Will be interesting to see what his legacy will be in 20 years, especially if all of his actions are quickly undone by the next Democrat President with EO.

We are almost 5 years from the end of his first term. Biden undid a lot of Trump's first term EOs. What are some of the best long term actions from the first term that are still around today? Without thinking too hard: tax cuts, supreme court selections, and ... ?

There is a reason the numbers are trending down, and it's not a Trump thing, but an issue our country needs to address.

EO's used to be a rare, but important tool. Now it's the POTUS' magic wand that gets waived daily.

The issue isn't just the POTUS issuing EO's. It's that when one President issues EO's, the next President not only issues their own EO's, but a litany of additional ones to undo the previous admins EOs.

Unless something changes, it's going to continue to trend in this direction, and it's not good for the U.S. It creates a Yo-Yo effect that is horrible for our country, our economy, and freezes innovation/investment.

Why invest 500 million into a pipeline if the next President is going to wish it away with the swipe of a pen on day one?

His legacy will be in the SCOTUS judges that he nominates. Especially, if he can get Thomas and Alito to retire during this term.

His legacy to will be his 2nd term attempt to really push the envelope on expanding executive branch authority. A lot of the Supreme Court decisions being handed down will fundamentally shift the operating approach in Washington that has been place since the post WW2 congresses, and this potentially cold be to the detriment of conservative voters.

Whether that persists depends on if congress ever gets its act together and stands up as the actual law writing body it was intended to be by the founders. I am not hopeful on that front outside a real crisis like the 08 recession or 9/11.

OMG….EO's will NOT be what Trumps legacy is.

That is like saying Nina Hartley will be remembered for her taste in clothing and matching outfits!

His near term legacy will be defined by whatever fake dem drama or geopolitical/market drama happens in his last 2 years.

But over time, history will judge him as someone who broke the mold and helped expose corrupt bureaucrats and media. The most persecuted POTUS in modern history, complete with an illegal coup attempt by CIA/FBI. A bull in china shop that paved the way for a new type of nationalist populism to rebuild.

Legacy? Best president since Reagan.

Some things I disagree with, others didn't work the way he had hoped, but overall, damn awesome.

Covid vax?

Sometimes you need to change the culture before you can change the law.

Executive order gives us a chance to experience how much better life can be without having to convince the majority of the House, the majority of the Senate, and deal with the occasional filibuster.

From there, hopefully he'll follow through by galvanizing it into law.

Over_ed said:

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Trump has largely governed by executive order, largely due to the ability to pass timely legislation. And, most of his legislation has passed has been in "omnibus" bills. I think most here would prefer smaller, specific bills, as the waste in these huge bills is eye-watering.

Here is the number of bills passed in the first years of presidency for recent presidents:

President # of Bills Passed Senate Y/N House Y/N
Johnson (1964) ~240 Y Y
Carter (1977) 223 Y Y
Bush (1989) ~200 N N
Nixon (1969) ~190 N N
Reagan (1981) 145 Y N
Obama (2009) 125 Y Y
Bush (2001) ~100 Y (tie) Y
Trump (2017) 96 Y Y
Biden (2021) ~80 Y (tie) Y
Trump (2025) 47 (Dec. 2025) Y Y

This got me thinking about the impact of these numbers on Trump's legacy. For instance, a primary reason we have lived with Obama-care for so long was that it was passed as a law in a separate bill. So, it required much more "inertia" to change.

With mid-terms coming up, it seems to me that cowardly* republicans' inability to pass legislation is going to greatly limit Trump's long-term impact on the direction of our government.

Of course, Trump's executive orders are gone literally the first day a democrat takes the oath of office.

On the positive side, I'm pretty sure he will continue to have an big influence on the direction of American society, at least.

* I don't like using that word here, but seems appropriate.

---

Trump can have a much better legacy if the economy is doing better than it is now. And by that I mean prices on everything the right complained about, rightfully, for the past four years, come down. It's always "it's the economy, stupid" at the end of the day, so here's to hoping the economy is doing good. That will help his legacy greatly.

Quad Dog said:

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Will be interesting to see what his legacy will be in 20 years, especially if all of his actions are quickly undone by the next Democrat President with EO.

We are almost 5 years from the end of his first term. Biden undid a lot of Trump's first term EOs. What are some of the best long term actions from the first term that are still around today? Without thinking too hard: tax cuts, supreme court selections, and ... ?

---

crushing ISIS in the first term

Abraham Accords peace between Israel and 4 Muslim countries

economy was strong before COVID

avoiding a Hillary Clinton Presidency

A lot of that is because of how divisive the parties have been since Obama.

That's one of the ways he has "fundamentally changed America".

He'll be remembered as the last millionaire businessman to ever hold the office of POTUS, to never take a salary, to put America first and to be hated by democrats, republicans, media and enemies because of that policy MAGA.

Trump's legacy? Politics of hate, aligning America with the Axis of Evil and elevating political graft and corruption to new heights not seen in over 100 years.

Forgot one--> by letting Steven Miller run wild, reckless and unconstitutional with ICE, cause the first multi-billion dollar class settlement....it's (the criminal behavior) literally all on video. They wear masks because they know they have no reasonable basis for qualified immunity and their actions go beyond anything covered by such policies. A plaintiff's attorney feeding frenzy.

Lastly--> bankrupting our country, devaluing the dollar, lighting the treasury market on fire and destroying our economy.

Trump legacy?
* Lowered the (already low) bar on politicians saying divisive and rude things
* One of, if not the, most divisive president ever
* Beat Hilldawg and prevented her from becoming president

FCBlitz said:

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That is like saying Nina Hartley will be remembered for her taste in clothing and matching outfits!

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Pissing off white liberals. Tis why I love him so…

His legacy… what might have been….

If the man laid off twitter and saying stupid things, I think our entire history would have changed… starting with Covid.

annie88 said:

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Legacy? Best president since Reagan.

Some things I disagree with, others didn't work the way he had hoped, but overall, damn awesome.

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George Washington, imho. He also saved us from both a President Hillary and Kamala. Mondale and Carter 2 would have been bad, but nothing like those two 'ladies.'

It's fine to have complaints about what he is and isn't doing well etc, but the depths of horrible evil the Democrats in his office would have plunged the nation into are tough to even consider. He has to a considerable degree saved the republic from becoming utterly unsalvageable.

ETA: they might have also just kept Peepaw-Dr. Jill as the nominee again last year if they didn't know Trump was about to defeat him. If one thinks his staff/autopen was running wild in '46 term, imagine how Gawdawful it could have been for 4 more years. They might have resorted to just wheeling him out onto the balcony as a proof of life every 90 days.

Swamp rat sighting

No Spin Ag said:

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Over_ed said:

---

Trump has largely governed by executive order, largely due to the ability to pass timely legislation. And, most of his legislation has passed has been in "omnibus" bills. I think most here would prefer smaller, specific bills, as the waste in these huge bills is eye-watering.

Here is the number of bills passed in the first years of presidency for recent presidents:

President # of Bills Passed Senate Y/N House Y/N
Johnson (1964) ~240 Y Y
Carter (1977) 223 Y Y
Bush (1989) ~200 N N
Nixon (1969) ~190 N N
Reagan (1981) 145 Y N
Obama (2009) 125 Y Y
Bush (2001) ~100 Y (tie) Y
Trump (2017) 96 Y Y
Biden (2021) ~80 Y (tie) Y
Trump (2025) 47 (Dec. 2025) Y Y

This got me thinking about the impact of these numbers on Trump's legacy. For instance, a primary reason we have lived with Obama-care for so long was that it was passed as a law in a separate bill. So, it required much more "inertia" to change.

With mid-terms coming up, it seems to me that cowardly* republicans' inability to pass legislation is going to greatly limit Trump's long-term impact on the direction of our government.

Of course, Trump's executive orders are gone literally the first day a democrat takes the oath of office.

On the positive side, I'm pretty sure he will continue to have an big influence on the direction of American society, at least.

* I don't like using that word here, but seems appropriate.

---

Trump can have a much better legacy if the economy is doing better than it is now. And by that I mean prices on everything the right complained about, rightfully, for the past four years, come down. It's always "it's the economy, stupid" at the end of the day, so here's to hoping the economy is doing good. That will help his legacy greatly.

---

nm

He'll probably be remembered as the demented idiot who demolished our economy because he didn't know the difference between a trade deficit and a budget deficit. It's kind of a shame, since he deserves to be remembered as a pedophile and war criminal.

Never been more clear that the GOP in congress doesn't want the change Trump can bring anymore than the dems. We could be absolutely kicking ass passing bills left and right but they've subverted him at every turn.

esteban said:

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He'll probably be remembered as the demented idiot who demolished our economy because he didn't know the difference between a trade deficit and a budget deficit. It's kind of a shame, since he deserves to be remembered as a pedophile and war criminal.

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Perfect description of Biden

94DCAg said:

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Trump's legacy? Politics of hate, aligning America with the Axis of Evil and elevating political graft and corruption to new heights not seen in over 100 years.

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I'm sorry, was Trump the President that established or abolished USAID.

1) Do you think that all of the money that went from USAID into NGOs, who subsequently paid congressmen and buerocrats was a good thing, or a bad thing?
1a) Do you disagree that USAID was funneling money to NGO who were funneling money to congresspeople on both sides?

2) Can you specifically point to the corruption you are speaking of? The Trumped up federal charges in NY that are all being thrown out by SCOTUS? That corruption?

Quote:

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Forgot one--> by letting Steven Miller run wild, reckless and unconstitutional with ICE, cause the first multi-billion dollar class settlement....it's (the criminal behavior) literally all on video. They wear masks because they know they have no reasonable basis for qualified immunity and their actions go beyond anything covered by such policies. A plaintiff's attorney feeding frenzy.

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1) Do you think that unfettered immigration allowed by Biden is good for the country? Should we be paying criminals to come to the US from Somalia to profit from welfare graft? Is that a good thing?

2) Want to make a bet that any lawsuit isn't going to survive SCOTUS challenge?

Quote:

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Lastly--> bankrupting our country, devaluing the dollar, lighting the treasury market on fire and destroying our economy.

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I wish Trump was tougher on budget deficits, but, blaming Trump for the current inflation is absolutely laughable.

No one believes this type of spin anymore. Bring sources or cites, or GTFO.

esteban said:

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He'll probably be remembered as the demented idiot who demolished our economy because he didn't know the difference between a trade deficit and a budget deficit. It's kind of a shame, since he deserves to be remembered as a pedophile and war criminal.

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I heard that President Trump took showers with his pre-teen daughter. That would be bad, right?

Are you firmly against the Abraham Accords?

Trump will likely be remembered as the POTUS that shifted party politics of the GOP from being mostly pro-business, pro-economy to the president that was pro-patriotism (or, Nationalism if you want to use that term) and pro-populism (or, anti-elite).

Trump has done more to damage cultural Marxism in the US than anyone else not named Jordon Peterson or Charlie Kirk.

He identified that a huge portion of the US population was being ignored by Washington, and he capitalized on it in a major way. The stuff coming out of SCOTUS alone has shaped this country more than policies that any president has done since Reagan.

Getting rid of differential impact for racial quotas is going to be devastating to the effectiveness of identity politics, and Trump has done wonders to help that along.

Finally, Trump has turned the GOP into an anti-globalism party. Where the old GOP was pretty pro-globalism due to the positive impacts on Trade, the new GOP realizes that the rest of the world is going Bat Guano Crazy trying to destroy Western civilization in the name of a global hegemony. Trump set that plan back by at least a decade.