Back in 2012, Donald Trump, now the current president, had a big problem with President Barack Obama using executive orders.
On July 10 of that year, Trump posted, “Why is @BarackObama constantly issuing executive orders that are major power grabs of authority?” He included a link to one of Obama’s latest orders at the time.
Fast forward: Same playbook, different president
Fast forward a few years, and Trump himself became known for signing a long list of executive orders during his presidency.
As one user wrote, “Don’t you just love it when your own words come back to bite you?”
By 2025 alone, Trump had already signed 129 executive orders—from EO 14147 through EO 14275—according to the Federal Register.
These covered everything from drug pricing and tariffs to government restructuring and even regulating showerhead water pressure.
Some examples include:
EO 14273: Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First
EO 14264: Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads
EO 14233: Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States Digital Asset Stockpile
EO 14248: Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections
EO 14201: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports
EO 14155: Withdrawing the United States From the World Health Organization
That last one sparked global headlines. Signed on Jan. 20, 2025, Trump said the WHO had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and imposed “unfairly onerous payments” on the U.S.
“World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” he said at the signing.
The withdrawal, which takes effect after a one-year notice period, puts several global health initiatives at risk, including efforts to combat tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and future pandemics, according to experts.
The move revived criticism that Trump’s use of executive power often cuts deep into established international norms.
From sweeping deregulation to controversial social issues, the scope and tone of many of these orders have drawn both praise and sharp criticism.
Hypocrisy is on full display
Reddit users also didn’t let this one slide. A screenshot of Trump’s 2012 tweet quickly became a magnet for ridicule.
The top comment read: “Donald Trump, the all-time world champion of executive orders, mad at Obama’s ‘executive overreach’ back in 2012.”
Several commenters pointed out that Obama had issued 130 executive orders over about four and a half years.
As of the time of the discussion, Trump had issued the same number in his second term alone, and now appears to be surpassing it.
The deeper resentment
Beyond executive power, many suggested Trump’s criticism had less to do with the orders themselves and more to do with Obama personally.
One user wrote, “He wasn’t mad about anything other than an exceptional Black man being superior to him in every possible metric.”
Others chalked it up to projection. “Every accusation is a confession,” said one commenter. “Lots of projection even in 2012,” another added.
A pattern of contradictions
The post sparked a broader conversation about Trump’s history of contradicting his past statements.
And it’s not just executive orders. Others pointed to how Trump once slammed Obama for golfing too much, then went on to golf even more himself.
“No president can compete with the amount of time he’s been out there cheating at golf,” one person said.
Trump’s 2012 tweet has become yet another example of how past statements can come back to haunt politicians, especially when their actions don’t match their words.