John Kennedy entered office with an ambitious agenda, which included the creation of the Peace Corps, but his first 100 days are probably best remembered for the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Truman to Clintonįollowing FDR’s death, Harry Truman’s first 100 days were focused on the closing battles of World War II, with Germany’s surrender occurring less than one month after Truman took office.ĭwight Eisenhower’s first 100 days were similarly dominated by foreign policy, including the death of Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin and negotiations to end the Korean War. Let’s consider how the presidents have done. The authors attributed that to changes in Congress that have slowed down the lawmaking process. In a 2001 study, political scientists John Frendreis, Raymond Tatalovich and Jon Schaff determined that the presidents who followed FDR have not come close to his success levels in seeing proposed bills pass into law so early in their administrations. This flurry of activity became the standard by which future presidents would be judged.

to insure bank deposits and the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide rural electricity. These bills created the Public Works Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps to provide job opportunities, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. In the decades since, journalists, historians and political scientists continued the practice of looking for accomplishments in the early months of a presidency.ĭuring those 100 days, FDR got many major bills through Congress to battle the economic crisis of the Great Depression. In a July 24 Fireside Chat, FDR referred to “the crowding events of the 100 days which had been devoted to the starting of the wheels of the New Deal.” Rather, he had in mind measuring the New Deal achievements of the first 100 days of a special congressional session that year. FDR didn’t plan to put himself under scrutiny. The entire event is available to watch here.Vice President John Nance Garner (left) affectionately pats the head of President Franklin D. He declared a national banking holiday, signed bills that provided government relief for farmers and the unemployed, and pushed for new federal jobs programs. For every president since, the challenge remains to top the many early accomplishments Roosevelt. Roosevelt had begun to reshape government’s role in the American economy. “It is clear to me that this new administration is determined to do something truly monumental with regard to rule-making.”īy his 100th day in office, Franklin D. “How a president manages rule-making will determine, to some great extent, his or her success in managing the policy initiatives that they think are important,” said Kerwin. He’s shown he’s willing to throw out the playbook.” “If we think we can compare to the past, we’re in trouble. “President Trump creates his own measuring stick,” said Lachance. Bush and Barack Obama issued memoranda reversing the previous administration’s rules about abortion funding and international aid shortly after taking office. Just two weeks in, President Trump has followed suit. New presidents regularly take advantage of their unilateral power to direct the executive branch. Within this context, they also pointed out that legislation is not the only yardstick of presidential outcomes. The panel members discussed everything from rule-making to environmental policy, and from science and technology policymaking, to predicting the unpredictable. Fiorino, director of SPA’s Center for Environmental Policy Martha Joynt Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project Janice Lachance, president-elect of the American Society for Public Administration and Howard McCurdy, SPA professor. Panelists included Neil Kerwin, president of American University Daniel J.

Thurber, SPA distinguished professor moderated the event.

“The first two weeks of the Trump Administration have already shown unprecedented use of presidential power.” “Things happen rapidly in the first days of a presidency and it’s important to help people unpack what it means,” said Candy Nelson, interim director of CCPS. The event was held after executive orders were signed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to institute a sweeping federal hiring freeze, just to name a few. SPA’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS) hosted an event on January 24 to review what the 100 days typically means for a new administration and examine President Trump’s approach to executive power. Roosevelt’s presidency, has been extended to President Donald Trump, who laid out a 100-day action plan in October. The tradition, which dates back to Franklin D. The accomplishments of a president’s first 100 days have become the measure of a successful start.

Trump first 100 day plan