Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Is the government improving under Trump? I'll gather recent data on approval, efficiency and policy to give you a balanced look.

Whether Donald Trump is improving the US government depends on how "improvement" is measured. Different metrics and sources point in different directions:

1. What the administration and supporters point to as improvements

The White House and allied offices describe 2025-2026 as a period of deregulation and agency reshaping, claiming 20 major deregulatory actions projected to save over $220 billion annually and hundreds of executive orders and memoranda issued in 2025–26 .

Other administration-aligned summaries claim:

•An estimated $211.8 billion in net regulatory cost savings , with a claimed ratio of 129 deregulatory actions for every new regulation in fiscal 2025

•The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) driving more than $60 billion in federal contract savings since January 2025

•Creation of a government efficiency commission and the DOGE / U.S. Digital Service reorganization to shrink regulatory burdens and reorganize agencies

•Border security improvements, described as reducing illegal border crossings to their lowest level in half a century

Supporters also cite tax cuts, expanded energy production, and pro-growth policies as improvements. One analysis notes Trump's tax cuts and deregulation support US economic growth .

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established by executive order on the first day of the second term to dismantle bureaucracy and cut waste, reported about $215 billion in savings as of Jan. 1, 2026 .

On personnel, the federal workforce fell by about 270,000 employees, a 12 percent decline from its peak of 2.3 million . Another assessment describes the Trump administration cutting more than 10 percent of the federal workforce , reversing a decades-long growth trend.

2. What independent assessments and data show

Fact-check summaries note that many of the White House "accomplishments" lists are heavily promotional and selective by design, and many concrete moves have been met with legal challenges, reversals, or disputed metrics . Much of the record on long-term cost savings should be treated as claims rather than settled facts where neutral third-party verification is lacking .

On DOGE specifically:

•Musk initially promised $2 trillion in cuts, later revised to $1 trillion, and even on a generous estimate saved only about $150 billion .

•By DOGE's own questionable accounting, it cut $170 billion, while overall federal spending has increased in each of Trump's first two years in office and the budget deficit has widened .

•The decline in federal workers has been offset by an increase in federal contractors, concentrated in Homeland Security and the Pentagon, while cuts mostly targeted other areas like Health and Human Services . One analysis concluded DOGE "achieved real contract savings, but these were more than offset by higher spending elsewhere, reflecting a shift in priorities rather than an overall reduction in contracting" .

The same supportive analysis that credits tax cuts and deregulation for growth also notes insufficient spending restraint weakens federal fiscal discipline .

3. What critics argue

Critics argue the changes weaken checks and balances and rule of law rather than improve government.

•Legal analyses describe the second term as including unprecedented efforts to expand executive power, often disregarding statutory limits, restructuring federal agencies, and firing officials in violation of federal law .

•Other critiques argue that by placing loyalty above independent judgment, checks and balances are weakened .

4. How the public rates performance

Polling trends show declining approval during the second term:

•Trump began his second term with 47% approval, the second lowest at the start of a term in polling history .

•Throughout 2025 to 2026, his approval rating steadily declined to an average of 36 to 37% .

•More recent polls in 2026 have recorded lows including 30 percent in Pew Research Center polling , 34% in Angus Reid tracking which was described as the lowest approval recorded in its tracking during his second term , and 32% in a UMass Amherst Poll .

Bottom line

•If improvement is defined as smaller federal workforce, fewer regulations, and tighter border enforcement, supporters cite measurable reductions in headcount and regulatory actions as evidence of improvement.

•If improvement is defined as lower federal spending, lower deficits, or strengthened institutional checks, independent data showing higher overall spending, wider deficits, replacement of employees with contractors, and legal challenges to executive actions is cited as evidence it has not improved.

Which definition matters most determines the answer.

Citations (2)

1factually.coLow provenance
Trump accomplishments 24-26
Backs: “Different metrics and sources point in different directions: 1. What the administration and supporters point to as improvements. The White House and allied offices describe 2025-2026 as a period of deregulation and agency reshaping, claiming 20 major deregulatory actions projected to save over $220 billion annually…”
2reason.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
DOGE cut the federal workforce. Why is government spending still rising?
Backs: “1, 2026 . On personnel, the federal workforce fell by about 270,000 employees, a 12 percent decline from its peak of 2.3 million .”