Trump — A year of ruling by executive order

The Republican president signed more executive orders in less than a year than in first four-year term

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With a stroke of his favourite black pen, Donald Trump has signed what should become his 221st executive order since January — a figure that exceeds the number in his entire first term, as he forges ahead with one of the biggest displays of US presidential power in modern history.

To promote artificial intelligence, fight "woke" culture and even increase the water flow of showers, Trump has churned out executive orders at a rate unprecedented since World War II, according to an AFP analysis.

The latest, signed on December 15, classifies fentanyl as "a weapon of mass destruction".

Previously, 220 texts which are legally binding and do not need Congressional approval have been published in the Federal Register, according to its update on December 16.

The total is more than he had signed during his first stint at the White House between 2017 and 2021 and far more than his predecessors Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, who only signed an average of 30 to 40 per year.

Only Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt who over four terms signed nearly 4,000 executive orders between 1933 and 1945 produced at Trump's rate, although that occurred in the context of the Great Depression and World War II.

Trump, who returned to the White House on January 20, has relied on executive orders despite having a congressional majority.