THE FIRST 30 DAYS OF A PRESIDENT, COMPARED By Jacob Romero
“ Wanting to get people to agree is not a terrible idea.”
Analyzing the 30-day benchmark of a president's term in office can help visualize how their administration may function for the next four years. President Biden has already set a dramatically different tone in his first 30 days compared to former President Donald Trump, who spent his first month in office quite differently. Although the first 30 days may seem inconsequential compared to four or possibly eight years, the first 30 days of a president are packed with major decision-making that dictates the future of the country, sets the tone for the nation and serves a glimpse into what their term may be like. Some presidents have used their first month in office to enact executive decisions, while others use it to address the public in times of uncertainty or mourning. A president's first 100 days in office became a significant time frame to monitor in the last century, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who coined the term “First 100 days” in 1933. However, because the last two decades have been filled with periods of unrest and turbulence, each former president has used their first 30 days to define their a dministrations quickly. When Joseph R. Biden was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2021, he wasted no time passing executive actions and memorandums in his first days in office. He has followed that up by signing 41 executive orders as well as pushing a $1.9 trillion stimulus package that has managed to pass the floor without Republican support. It is not uncommon for an acting president to reverse a former president's executive orders. “I'm not making new law. I’m eliminating bad policy,” the president stated when speaking on his signed orders. Biden addressed the public from the Oval Office on Feb. 2, 2021, making his intention clear about removing former President Trump's administrative legacy.
8
