The executive branch
executive order
A written, numbered presidential directive to the executive branch, published in the Federal Register. It has legal force only as far as the Constitution or a statute backs it.
In full
Executive orders direct how the executive branch operates: they bind agencies and officials, not private citizens directly, unless a statute gives them wider reach. Their authority must trace to Article II or to power Congress has delegated. Courts can strike them down, Congress can defund or supersede them, and any later President can amend or revoke them.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.