Trump's first 100 days: A packed agenda, with mixed results

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An in-depth look at President Trump's first 100 days

Chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports

President Trump's first 100 days in office had all the hallmarks of a chief executive's approach: Busy, brash and bold.

As the president hits the benchmark on Saturday, he has compiled a record big on action, but mixed on results. Trump has sought to manage expectations, mocking as "ridiculous" the 100-day yardstick that dates back to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had signed a staggering 76 pieces of legislation by the time he reached it.

FDR's legacy of out-of-the-chute productivity has cast a long shadow over all of his successors, and Team Trump is well aware of it.

“In office, President Trump has accomplished more in his first 100 days than any other president since Franklin Roosevelt,” the White House said in a Tuesday statement accompanied by a list of executive orders and other actions the fledgling administration has taken.

Well before he took the oath of office, Trump promised huge changes in the first 100 days of his administration, including repealing and replacing ObamaCare, cracking down on illegal immigration and pursuing a tax overhaul.

So how did he do? Fox News takes a look at some of the highlights – and lowlights – of Trump’s first 100 days in office:

Supreme Court: Getting Gorsuch confirmed

Trump’s biggest, cleanest victory to date was getting conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court in the face of deep Democratic opposition. In a fast-paced chain of events, Senate Republicans deployed the so-called “nuclear option,” changing precedent so that Gorsuch could be confirmed with a simple majority of 51 senators as opposed to 60. At Gorsuch’s swearing in, Trump said, “A new optimism is sweeping across our land and a new faith in America is filling our hearts and lifting our sights.”

ObamaCare repeal: Down, but not out

Trump said one of his first priorities as commander-in-chief would be to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare. Not only was he not able to do so within 100 days, it was the conservative faction of his own party that helped stop the Republican bill from moving forward. After the bill’s defeat, Trump said he “learned a lot about loyalty and the vote-getting process.” Trump said House Republicans were 10 to 15 votes shy of getting it to pass, at first blaming the Freedom Caucus for the defeat but then pivoting to Democrats. The president added the “best thing we can do, politically speaking, is let ObamaCare explode. It’s exploding right now.”

However, congressional Republicans have begun work on a new health care package and Trump continues to voice optimism that  -- this time -- they can get it done.

Syria strikes: Use of force

Though he often urged his predecessor to avoid getting entangled in Syria's ongoing civil war, Trump changed his approach after reports surfaced of a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians earlier this month. He ordered the launch of 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield in response. The White House was largely praised for the action that it said sent a message to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

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The Trump administration also has been tough on terror in its first 100 days. And the Department of Treasury has sanctioned 25 entities and individuals involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program.

American energy: Keystone, Dakota pipelines

Among his first moves as president, Trump signed a presidential memorandum that cleared the way for two major oil pipeline projects that had been blocked by the Obama administration to move forward. Trump promised American steel would be used in the construction -- a claim the White House had to walk back in late March, explaining it would apply to future construction. Trump also signed an order that would end protracted environmental reviews.

Border wall  

Trump boasted throughout the campaign he was going to build a “big beautiful border wall” and make Mexico pay for it. That hasn’t happened yet, and the administration has struggled to get early funding for it in this week's spending bill. But White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway told "Fox & Friends" Tuesday that the wall is still prominent on Trump's radar.

“Building that wall and having it funded remains an important priority to him, but we also know that that can happen later this year and into this year,” she said.

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At the same time, the administration has moved aggressively on other fronts -- threatening to pull funding for sanctuary cities (though that is held up in court), moving to speed up certain deportations and trying to suspend immigration and travel from six mostly Muslim countries. The latter, too, has been held up in the courts.

The wall, meanwhile, could loom large for Trump throughout his early tenure, amid challenges covering the cost, tricky terrain and manpower.

Tax overhaul: In the works

With the 100-day clock ticking down, Trump still hopes to score a big victory with a sweeping overhaul of the tax code. He pushed a blueprint this week that would cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent.

Hanging over the push is Democrats' continued protest over Trump's refusal to release his tax returns. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer recently reiterated that Trump has no plans to release his tax documents – though most presidents before him have. Some Democrats continue to say they won't cooperate on a rewrite of the tax code unless they are told in detail how revisions would benefit Trump, his businesses and family members.