LETTER: Trump, the ultimate deconstructionist

Peter McMurran Henderson August 19, 2026 - 9:00 pm President Donald Trump is the ultimate deconstructionist —not in the philosophical sense, but through his systematic dismantling and reversal of executive actions carried out by the Obama and Biden administrations. To date, Mr. Trump has signed 274 executive orders during his second term, adding to the 220 issued during his first. Additionally, the current administration has revoked 78 Biden-era orders and presidential memorandums. While presidents possess the constitutional authority to advance their mandates through lawful executive directives, certain actions carry profound consequences. Among the most impactful was Trump’s 2018 presidential memorandum unilaterally withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal. This multi-nat