Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Whether Trump is "improving" the US government is a matter of perspective and depends on which metrics you prioritize—there's no single objective answer. Here's what the evidence shows from both sides:

Public Opinion Has Turned Negative

By most polling measures, Americans' views of Trump's performance have soured substantially since his second term began:

•When Trump began his second term, his approval rating was 47%, the second lowest approval rating at the start of a presidential term in polling history, and throughout 2025 to 2026, it has steadily declined to an average of 36 to 37%.

•Trump's approval rating fell to 30% in early October, according to Pew Research—the lowest at this point in a presidency since Harry Truman in 1946.

•Even among his own base, support has softened: 67% of Trump's 2024 voters now approve of his performance, down from 75% in July, 83% at the beginning of this year and 95% early in his second term.

•On trust and ethics in government specifically, a majority of Americans (56%) say the overall level of ethics and honesty in the federal government has fallen over the course of Trump's term, while far fewer (19%) say it has risen.

•Much of Americans' dissatisfaction is being driven by the economy, with only 26% expressing support for how Trump is tackling it, and just 17% approving of his handling of cost of living.

What Supporters Point To

Those who argue Trump is improving government cite:

•Energy production: one of the strongest data-backed accomplishments of Trump's second term is energy production, with U.S. crude oil output reaching approximately 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025, a record annual level.

•Deregulation: the administration claims major deregulatory savings for medical and other sectors, citing figures like $6.6 billion in savings and a reduction of 42 million hours of compliance work.

•Legislative and executive speed: Ballotpedia records 217 executive orders, 54 memoranda, and 110 proclamations by November 30, 2025, with proponents arguing this demonstrates decisive leadership and the ability to shift policy without waiting on slow legislatures.

•Immigration enforcement: immigration and enforcement have been signature achievements, from appointing a "border czar" to passing legislation like the Laken Riley Act and increased deportation flights, which the administration touts as fulfillment of campaign promises.

What Critics Point To

Those who argue it's a decline in governance cite:

•Institutional/democratic concerns: independent polling finds a majority of Americans say Trump is setting too much policy via executive orders — 51% in the Pew assessment of his first 100 days.

•Personnel turmoil: Cabinet-level removals, such as Trump planning to fire Kristi Noem after Senate criticism of her handling of certain incidents and mismanagement, reassigning her and naming a successor—making her the first Cabinet official removed during his second presidency.

•Trust in competence: about half of Americans say they are not too or not at all confident Trump has the mental fitness (52%) or physical fitness (50%) to do the job, and even fewer are confident he respects democratic values (25%) or picks good advisers (25%).

•Fact-check gaps: PolitiFact found several of Trump's own claims about his first year were exaggerated or inaccurate, for example during Biden's final year in office, the economy added more than 2 million jobs overall, compared with 473,000 in 2025 under Trump.

Bottom Line

There's a sharp partisan split—Trump's approval rating over the course of his second term has averaged 84% among Republicans and 6% among Democrats, a gap that is the widest in more than seven decades of tracking presidential approval ratings. If you weigh deregulation, energy output, and immigration enforcement most heavily, you might see improvement; if you weigh public trust, institutional norms, economic approval, and overall approval ratings, the data points toward decline. This is ultimately a values-based judgment that I can't make for you—but I hope this gives you a factual basis to decide for yourself.

Citations (15)

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Source excerpt: “At the time when Donald Trump began his second term, his approval rating was 47%, the second lowest approval rating at the start of a presidential ter...”
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5time.comNews and mediaquality 0.83
Trump's Approval Is Historically Low This Close to the Midterms
Source excerpt: “Data indicates that much of Americans’ dissatisfaction with the Trump Administration is being driven by the economy; according to polling from The Ass...”
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