Story highlights Trump's 100th day in office falls on Saturday

He has relied on executive orders for progress

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump, hoping to stack his first 100 days with as many achievements as possible, has relied heavily on the use of executive orders, actions he decried as a 2016 candidate.

Trump, after Thursday, will have signed 29 executive orders, more than any President in the last 72 years, when President Harry Truman signed 57 orders in his first 100 days.

While the orders have run the gamut from immigration to federal lands, they all offer Trump a key benefit: The ability to tout wins without going through the arduous legwork of working with Congress to pass legislation.

A person close to the President, speaking on condition of anonymity to frankly discuss internal deliberations, said the executive orders have been helpful to the White House to get quick wins on the board, but don't have the breadth and permanency of legislation.

"They let you take action," the person said. "It doesn't take place of something statutory."

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