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GPT-5Sep 8, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Is Donald Trump improving the US government?
It depends on what you mean by “improving” and which period you have in mind. My knowledge goes through October 2024. If you’re asking about Trump’s first term (2017–2021), here’s a concise, mixed picture that people point to:
Areas supporters cite as improvements
•Economy (pre‑COVID): Low unemployment (down to 3.5% in 2019), rising wages for lower earners, strong markets.
•Deregulation/taxes: Fewer federal rules and the 2017 tax law, which supporters say boosted investment and simplified compliance.
•Criminal justice/Veterans: First Step Act; VA MISSION Act expanded community care.
•Trade/industrial policy: USMCA replaced NAFTA; tougher stance on China.
•COVID vaccines: Operation Warp Speed accelerated vaccine development.
Areas critics cite as harms to government performance or norms
•Fiscal health: Deficits and debt rose, including a larger deficit even before COVID.
•Management/governance: High turnover and acting officials; clashes with inspectors general; concerns about civil‑service politicization (e.g., “Schedule F” proposal).
•Rule of law/democratic norms: Pressure on DOJ; efforts to overturn the 2020 election culminating in Jan. 6, seen by many institutions and scholars as damaging to norms.
•Foreign policy: Strained alliances; exit from international agreements; tariff costs.
•Public administration/outcomes: Environmental rollbacks; uneven COVID response; immigration policies that reduced legal pathways and created humanitarian concerns.
•Public trust: Surveys showed persistently low trust in government and higher polarization.
If you mean his current term (2025–), I don’t have post‑Oct 2024 outcomes. To judge “improvement,” look at:
•Government capacity: Vacancies/turnover, use of acting officials, IG independence, civil‑service rules (e.g., any revival of Schedule F), OIRA rulemaking data.
•Service delivery: VA wait times, SSA and USCIS backlogs, FEMA performance, IRS service levels.
•Fiscal/economy: Real wage growth and productivity, inflation/unemployment, deficit/debt (CBO), business investment.
•Rule of law/democratic health: DOJ independence, election administration, adherence to norms.
•Immigration/border: Encounters, asylum processing times, removals, legal visa processing.
•International posture: Alliance cohesion, trade policy/tariffs, defense commitments.
•Public trust: Pew/Gallup trends.
If you share the time frame and which outcomes matter most to you (economy, fiscal health, border, public services, rule of law, etc.), I can give a more targeted assessment and point you to the best up‑to‑date indicators.