As far as artificial milestones go, few dates seem to carry as much weight as a new president’s 100th day in office. It’s a date that former Obama adviser David Axelrod once referred to as a “Hallmark holiday.” In other words, it gets lots of attention but has no actual significance.
For better or worse, marking the first 100 days has become a time-honored tradition in Washington. For that, President Biden has Franklin D. Roosevelt to thank. Over the course of his first 100 days in office, FDR not only helped shore up a rapidly deteriorating banking system — helping to bring an end to the Great Depression — but also laid much of the groundwork for what would become the New Deal.
Presidents have been measured by the 100-day standard ever since. As Biden inches closer to crossing the milestone on Thursday, here is a look at where he stands on nine key benchmarks.
When it comes to a yardstick for measuring a president’s first 100 days, political scientists will say to focus on the significance of the bills the president signs, not the number. In part, that’s because the first 100 days have become far less productive on the legislative front for modern presidents since the high-water mark of 76 laws set by FDR. Biden’s early record is a case in point for this theory. The 11 bills he has signed into law are among the fewest for any newly elected president dating back to FDR. At the same time, if there is one piece of legislation that Biden’s first 100 days will be remembered for, it will be the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that he signed in March.
While Biden may be lagging his predecessors on the number of bills he has signed, he’s far outpacing them on executive orders. Biden has signed 41 to date, more than any president going back to Harry Truman. He may have campaigned on bringing bipartisanship back to Washington, but much of his early focus at least has been on policies he can implement on his own, such as measures to revoke the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, requiring masks on federal property and continuing a ban on evictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
