President Trump just hit 100 days in office — here's why the benchmark is so important
The first 100 days are a presidential milestone and a benchmark that dates back almost a century.
The 100-day marker began with Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 when he hit the ground running during the Great Depression and called for a special session.
"During the first 100 days of Congress, they passed 15 mammoth pieces of legislation that saved banks, saved jobs, saved farms, saved industry, put money in poor areas," said Larry Jacobs, a politics professor at the University of Minnesota.
Jacobs says FDR spoke on the radio to update Americans on their work and to give the nation hope.
" When Roosevelt referred to the first 100 days, he was actually referring to the first 100 days of Congress, not to his own term in office," Jacobs said.
Presidents today now seize that 100-day spotlight.
"To talk about their accomplishments, their achievements, the legislation that they've passed," Jacobs said. "[Voters] have become a part of the kind of the drama of the 100 days. What are Americans saying? And you usually see some kind of report from pollsters in the media on how the president is being judged by voters."
Some presidents have made their mark early: John F. Kennedy launched the Bay of Pigs invasion, Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt and Barack Obama signed a $787 billion stimulus by day 29.
"I think that history gives it importance, and it now has a place in both the media coverage of the White House, but also the way in which Americans tend to size up the president out of the gate," Jacobs said.
This week, President Trump marked his first 100 days in office with a rally in Michigan, where he highlighted his accomplishments since taking office.
Mr. Trump signed 142 executive orders during his first 100 days, more than any president in history.
