Trump Declares Nine National Emergencies in First 100 Days, More Than Any Modern President

President Trump declared nine new national emergencies between January 20 and April 30, 2025—more emergency declarations in his first 100 days than any other modern president in that timeframe. The declarations invoked extraordinary executive powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the National Emergencies Act, enabling Trump to bypass congressional oversight and fast-track policies on energy, trade, immigration, drug enforcement, and foreign relations without legislative approval. Key emergencies included: (1) National Energy Emergency (Jan 20) to expand fossil fuel production; (2) Southern Border Emergency requiring military deployment; (3) Northern Border Emergency for drug trafficking; (4) Trade-related emergencies using IEEPA authority to impose tariffs unilaterally; and (5) Foreign relations emergencies. The Brennan Center for Justice noted that emergency declarations unlock access to 150 separate legal powers normally unavailable to presidents. Legal experts and civil liberties organizations expressed alarm that Trump’s aggressive use of emergency powers was ‘redefining emergency’ to impose his will, testing constitutional limits and potentially upending the balance of power between executive and legislative branches. Elizabeth Goitein of the Brennan Center warned that broad emergency powers combined with lack of congressional pushback created dangerous authoritarian potential. The pattern established precedent for systematic executive overreach by using manufactured ’emergencies’ to circumvent democratic processes and concentrate power in the presidency.