Is Trump improving American lives? I'll pull the latest data on the economy, polls and policy impacts to give you a balanced answer.
Whether Donald Trump is improving the lives of Americans is viewed differently depending on political perspective, what metrics are used, and which recent data is cited.
What recent public opinion polling shows
Polling in late September - October 2026, shortly before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, shows widespread dissatisfaction with the economy:
•A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only 17% of U.S. adults approve of the Republican president's handling of the cost of living. Just 26% approve of his handling of the economy overall, marking a new low.
•A majority, 65%, of U.S. adults now blame Trump's policies for persistently high costs more than factors outside of his control.
•Trump's current approval on the economy is a 14 percentage point drop from March 2025, just after he took office for the second time.
•Overall, about 6 in 10 say the country as a whole is "much" or "somewhat" worse off than when he began his second term.
Other polls released in the same period showed similar results, with overall approval in the low 30s and economic approval at 26-28%.
What economic data shows
The economy is described as neither as strong as Trump has claimed nor as weak as consumer sentiment surveys suggest:
•Inflation: The consumer price index had been rising at an annual clip of 3% in January 2025, when Trump returned to the White House. The last CPI report before Election Day showed inflation was 3.7% over the past 12 months. That is below peaks seen during President Joe Biden's term, but represents a reversal of a downward trend that moved upward after tariffs were announced in April 2025 and with the start of the Iran war.
•GDP growth: The administration highlights real GDP gains and falling inflation during 2025 and early 2026 as central achievements, reporting third-quarter GDP growth of 4.3% in 2025 and core inflation running near 2.1-2.4%. Independent analysis cited by AP found gross domestic product has been expanding at a bit more than 2% annually under Trump, which is described as solid but not as fast as under Biden.
•Jobs: The 4.2% unemployment rate has been a sign of the economy's health in an environment described as "low hire, low fire". However employers are adding on average almost 39,000 jobs a month during Trump's second term. Monthly hiring gains were three times larger — topping 121,000 on average — in the year before Trump returned.
•Borrowing costs and markets: Interest on the 10-year Treasury is above 5%, making it more expensive to borrow for a home or auto. Stocks have continued to set records - the S&P 500 is up about 12% this year, compared to 23.3% in 2024 before Trump became president.
•Inequality: Since Trump returned, the wealth of the top 0.1% has increased by $5.5 trillion while the bottom 50% saw an increase of $380 billion, according to Federal Reserve data cited by AP.
What supporters and the administration point to
The administration and supporters cite a different set of outcomes as evidence lives are being improved:
•Deregulation and cost savings: Trump's team reports large reductions in regulatory burdens — quantifying savings in the tens of billions and claiming lower compliance costs for businesses and households. Supporters view this as pro-growth and pro-consumer.
•Energy and tax policy: Priorities have included "energy dominance," with expanded oil and gas production and opening 13.1 million acres for coal leasing and backing advanced nuclear projects. Republican congressional leaders and administration releases also tout historic tax relief and larger average tax refunds for families, plus proposals like a $1,000 one-time account deposit for newborns.
•Other issues: On border security, about half of Americans say they approve of his performance, his strongest issue in the AP-NORC poll, even as economic issues remain his weakest.
Why assessments differ
•Critics point to the polling and inflation/jobs data above, and to analyses arguing tariffs and the war in Iran have compounded inflationary pressures and that about 7 in 10 Americans say Trump's handling of the cost of living has been "worse than expected".
•Supporters point to GDP growth, stock gains, low unemployment, tax cuts, and deregulation as tangible benefits that improve business investment and household resources in the near term, while acknowledging that long-term distributive effects and fiscal impacts are contested.
Because his second term is still ongoing, many policies are still being implemented or challenged in the courts, so their long-term effects have not yet been fully evaluated.