Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

This is a deeply subjective and politically contested question that doesn't have a single factual answer—it depends heavily on one's political values, priorities, and which policy areas you weigh most heavily. Rather than offering my own opinion, let me pull together what current polling and analysis show, so you can form your own judgment.There's no single factual answer to whether Trump is "improving" the government — it depends heavily on which outcomes you value and whose assessment you trust. Here's a balanced picture of what's being reported right now (as of November 2026), roughly two years into his second term.

What the administration and supporters point to

The White House and allied outlets cite a list of accomplishments:

•Immigration/border: Trump ended what the administration called "Democrats' open borders disaster," cut illegal immigrants off taxpayer benefits, revoked more than 175,000 visas, and carried out what it calls the largest denaturalization effort in history.

•Crime: The administration touts that the U.S. murder rate fell to a historic low in 2025 after the largest annual drop in violent crime in American history, with preliminary 2026 data showing violent crime down another 10%.

•Energy: The U.S. achieved record domestic oil and gas production in 2025 and 2026, and set a world LNG export record.

•Taxes: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act permanently locked in 2017 tax cuts, with the Tax Foundation estimating an average federal tax cut of roughly $3,752 per taxpayer in 2026.

•Judiciary: Judicial confirmations have moved at the fastest clip since Reagan, with 271 Article III nominees confirmed across both terms by April 2026.

What critics and polling data show

•Approval ratings are historically weak. Trump's approval rating recently hit an all-time low of 36.3%, rebounding slightly to 38.3%, with disapproval around 59% — putting him in a worse position than his first term, and strong disapproval (49%) far outpacing strong approval (21%).

•The midterms were widely seen as a rebuke. Many voters viewed the November 2026 midterms as a rebuke of Trump's performance, with 43% saying opposition to Trump was a reason for their vote — higher than in 2018.

•Economic sentiment has soured. 75% of voters said the economy is in rough shape, and 65% said Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions — 65% say his policies have made the economy worse, and 62% say he's responsible for high prices.

•Immigration enforcement is seen by many as excessive. More than half of voters (57%) said Trump's immigration enforcement actions have gone too far.

•Corruption is a major concern. Government corruption was a key issue, with 90% of voters calling it a crucial or major factor in their votes.

•Controversial actions include: the EPA's rescinding of the climate "endangerment finding" — an assessment criticized by the Union of Concerned Scientists as "deeply flawed [and] anti-science" and by a climate scientist as "a mockery of science" — and airstrikes in Venezuela that captured President Maduro without congressional authorization, drawing criticism from media and congressmen.

•Even Republican-leaning voters are souring: 54% of non-MAGA Republicans approve of his performance, and 64% of voters overall — including a third of Trump voters — say he has fallen short of their expectations.

Bottom line

Whether this counts as "improving" the government depends on your priorities: supporters emphasize deregulation, energy production, tax cuts, border enforcement, and judicial appointments as concrete wins. Critics point to historically low approval ratings, economic anxiety over inflation and cost of living, concerns about executive overreach (unauthorized military action, firing officials, denaturalization), corruption concerns, and scientific/public-health controversies (vaccine policy changes, climate findings). The 2026 midterm results, which handed Congress to Democrats amid high disapproval numbers, suggest a majority of voters currently see the administration's record unfavorably — though a sizable base remains strongly supportive.

I'd encourage you to weigh these facts against your own values rather than looking for a single verdict, since this is fundamentally a question of political judgment, not empirical fact.

Citations (15)

1whitehouse.govGovernment
President Trump Delivers Historic Results for the American People in Under Two Years – The White House
Source excerpt: “President Trump ended Democrats’ open borders disaster, established the strongest border in history, and restored American sovereignty.The Trump Admin...”
2whitehouse.govGovernment
President Trump Delivers Historic Results for the American People in Under Two Years – The White House
Source excerpt: “The U.S. murder rate fell to a historic low in 2025 — the lowest level in 125 years — after the largest annual drop in violent crime in American histo...”
3whitehouse.govGovernment
President Trump Delivers Historic Results for the American People in Under Two Years – The White House
Source excerpt: “The U.S. achieved record domestic oil and gas production in 2025 and record crude and petroleum-product exports in 2026. America set a world liquified...”
4amgreatness.comNews and mediaquality 0.39
Trump Administration Accomplishments: October 2025 – Present, Part One › American Greatness
Source excerpt: “The law permanently locked in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act rates and the doubled standard deduction, which—absent the OBBBA—would have expired at th...”
5amgreatness.comNews and mediaquality 0.39
Trump Administration Accomplishments: October 2025 – Present, Part One › American Greatness
Source excerpt: “Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has driven confirmations at the fastest clip since Ronald Reagan: circuit court nominees have been confirmed ...”
6natesilver.netBlogs and newsletters
Trump Approval Rating: Latest Polls | Silver Bulletin
Source excerpt: “Nov 06, 2026 · ∙ Paid · 2,469 · 372 · 656 · Share · Donald Trump’s approval rating recently hit an all time low of 36.3 percent. It has since rebounde...”
7nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Many voters saw midterm election as a rebuke of Trump, NBC News Exit Poll shows
Source excerpt: “... Nov. 3, 2026, 5:06 PM EST / Updated Nov. 4, 2026, 1:33 AM EST · By Stephanie Perry, NBC News Exit Poll Desk and Jon Schuppe · As they handed contr...”
8nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Many voters saw midterm election as a rebuke of Trump, NBC News Exit Poll shows
Source excerpt: “The economy — once Trump’s strongest issue — is no longer viewed positively by voters, the poll showed. An overwhelming majority said the economy is i...”
9nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Many voters saw midterm election as a rebuke of Trump, NBC News Exit Poll shows
Source excerpt: “More than half (65%) say Trump’s policies have made the economy worse; 62% said he’s responsible for high prices. ”
10nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Many voters saw midterm election as a rebuke of Trump, NBC News Exit Poll shows
Source excerpt: “More than half of voters (57%) said Trump’s immigration enforcement actions have gone too far, according to the poll. ”
11nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Many voters saw midterm election as a rebuke of Trump, NBC News Exit Poll shows
Source excerpt: “Government corruption was also a key issue. Ninety percent of voters said it was a crucial or major factor in their votes, but they were divided over ...”
12wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Second presidency of Donald Trump - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “The report was assembled by five climate science contrarians and was heavily criticized for cherry-picked evidence, falsehoods, and distortions. The U...”
13wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Second presidency of Donald Trump - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “On January 3, 2026, the United States launched airstrikes in Venezuela, capturing Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and resulting in a...”
14nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Poll: Voters demand change and a check on Trump, fueling a steep Democratic midterm advantage
Source excerpt: “But he’s slipped significantly with Republicans who don’t consider themselves part of the MAGA movement: 54% of them approve and 46% disapprove of his...”
15nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Poll: Voters demand change and a check on Trump, fueling a steep Democratic midterm advantage
Source excerpt: “Amid those concerns, 64% of voters — including a third of Trump voters — say the president has fallen short of their expectations, with 34% saying he ...”