US executive powers, checks and balances etc. examples

Executive Actions

President Trump, 2025

• Immediately after taking office, President Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at reversing policies from the previous administration.

  • withdrawing from the Paris Climate Treaty

  • ending federal remote work

  • Pardoning individuals involved in the January 6, 2021 protests.

    • 1,500 defendants pardoned

President Biden, 2022

• student loan relief. announced a plan to cancel student debt for millions of Americans via executive action, showcasing the president's ability to direct federal policy, though its legality was later questioned.

President Trump, 2017

• Travel Ban. Issued Executive Order 13769, which restricted entry from several predominantly Muslim countries. This was an example of the president exercising unilateral executive power, though it faced significant legal challenges.

Military Actions

• Syria Airstrikes (2017): Trump ordered a missile strike in Syria in response to a chemical weapons attack without congressional approval, highlighting the president’s role as Commander-in-Chief.

• Withdrawal from Afghanistan (2021): Biden oversaw the withdrawal of U.S. troops, exercising executive power to end a 20-year military engagement.

Veto Power

• Trump’s Veto on Border Wall Funding (2019): Trump vetoed a congressional resolution to terminate his national emergency declaration on the U.S.-Mexico border, demonstrating the executive’s ability to reject legislative checks.