Obama signed 923 executive orders
| Obama signed 923 executive orders | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "President Barack Obama issued 923 executive orders in his first three and a half years, far more than any predecessor, many of them giving the government power to impose martial law." | |
| Domain | Government, Law & Courts |
| Tactic | Fabrication Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2012 |
| Origin | A chain email that circulated during the 2012 presidential campaign and resurfaced in 2014 claiming "1,000+" |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Government, Law & Courts | |
The claim that Obama signed 923 executive orders came from a chain email that spread in 2012. It listed implausibly low totals for earlier presidents and attributed to Obama orders that other presidents had signed. Obama issued about 276 executive orders over two full terms, fewer than most two-term presidents of the 20th century.
The claim
The email said Obama had signed 923 orders in 40 months, compared with 62 for George W. Bush and 11 for Franklin Roosevelt. It cited specific order numbers as proof that he had seized emergency powers.
What the evidence shows
- Actual numbers. Snopes found that Obama issued 147 orders in his first term. PolitiFact counted 168 by January 2014. The American Presidency Project records about 276 for his presidency.
- Wrong totals for others. Franklin Roosevelt issued more than 3,500 executive orders, not 11. George W. Bush issued 291.
- Wrong orders. The order numbers in the email were signed by earlier presidents, such as John F. Kennedy, and many dealt with routine emergency planning.
Why it persists
The email played on fears about executive power and was easy to forward. Similar emails have targeted other presidents.
Lessons for readers
- Executive orders are numbered and published; totals can be checked quickly.
- Lists of "sinister" orders often misdescribe routine government planning.
Sources
- PolitiFact, "Chain email claims Barack Obama has signed 1,000 executive orders," February 6, 2014.
- Snopes, "Executive Orders," 2012.
- FactCheck.org, "Obama's Executive Orders," 2012.
- The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara, "Executive Orders."