During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump pledged to “cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama.” The good news was that Trump did not simply use the phrase “executive order” to describe every administrative tool presidents can use. As regular Monkey Cage readers know, that simplification is inaccurate.
[There’s a big difference between abusing executive orders and just using executive power.]
The bad news was that it wasn’t clear, then or now, which particular actions he deemed “unconstitutional.” Many of those he complained most about on the campaign trail — about gun control, for instance — had little substantive impact on gun ownership or use.