Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Both sidesSays it is contested

Is the Trump administration improving government? I'll look for recent data on reforms, efficiency, and public trust to give you a balanced answer.

Whether Donald Trump is improving the U.S. government is disputed and depends on how "improving" is measured. Views are strongly split by party.

What the administration says it has done

The Trump administration says its priority is to drastically reshape the government, through its Department of Government Efficiency, established to modernize Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.

Its President's Management Agenda includes goals to eliminate "woke" programs, downsize the government workforce and real estate portfolio, implement workforce reforms and modernize government technology, as well as targets to "annihilate government censorship" and centralize government contracting.

Actions cited by the White House include:

•Workforce reduction: Since the start of the year, hundreds of thousands of federal employees have left government either through reductions in force or voluntary separation incentives like the deferred resignation program.

•Efficiency and savings claims: The White House states government efficiency efforts have saved an estimated $215 billion, equivalent to $1,335 per U.S. taxpayer, and that it developed "retire.opm.gov," a website that automates federal retirements.

•Deregulation: The Office of Management and Budget reported agencies finalized 646 deregulatory actions compared to only 5 regulatory actions, for a ratio of 129-to-1, dramatically exceeding the President's 10-to-1 target. These actions have realized $211.8 billion in net cost savings, over $600 per American.

OMB Director Russ Vought said: "The Trump Administration's deregulatory agenda is the most ambitious in American history. We have blown far past the target 10-to-1 deregulatory ratio... saving hundreds of billions for the American people".

Supporters align with this view. Republicans say cuts will improve federal government and save money, and 76% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say Trump will improve the way government works.

What critics and polling show

Polling shows more Americans currently view the impact negatively:

•Less than a month into Trump's return, the public was evenly divided: 41% say Trump's administration will improve the way the federal government works, and 42% say it will make things worse.

•In later surveys, far more say President Trump is making the way the federal government works worse than making it better.

•An April Pew survey found a 53% majority say Trump is making the federal government work worse, while only about half as many (27%) say he is making the government work better.

•A Pew report also found majorities say Trump definitely or probably has not improved the way government works (59%).

•Trump's overall job approval has been low by historical standards, sitting at 34% in one August 2026 Pew reading, lower than most recent presidents at comparable points.

Critics cite:

•Firing of watchdogs: Days after taking office in 2025, Trump dismissed nearly 20 inspectors general, whose very jobs are to combat waste, fraud and abuse in the government.

•Evidence questions: While the administration has accused some programs it shuttered of being rife with fraud, it has then struggled to provide evidence of widespread fraud.

Democrats overwhelmingly hold the opposing view to Republicans, with 87% saying Trump is making the way the government works worse, and Democrats say these cuts will make government worse and cost money.

In short, the administration points to downsizing, deregulation savings, and technology modernization as improvements in efficiency and accountability, while a majority in recent national polls say the government is working worse, and critics question the methods and evidence for waste-reduction claims.

Citations (2)

1nextgov.comNews and mediaquality 0.85
Push to 'reform the government root and branch' detailed in Trump’s new management agenda
Backs: “government is disputed and depends on how "improving" is measured. Views are strongly split by party.”
background, article, neutral. Claim: Whether Trump is improving government is disputed and depends on how improvement is measured; the administration's management agenda aims to reshape government.
2whitehouse.govGovernment
White House Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Releases End of Year Deregulatory Stats: Showing the Trump Administration Has Best Deregulation Year in History
Backs: “Efficiency and savings claims: The White House states government efficiency efforts have saved an estimated $215 billion, equivalent to $1,335 per U.S. taxpayer, and that it developed "retire.opm.gov," a website that automates federal retirements. Deregulation: The Office of Management and Budget reported agencies…”
statistic, official document, points to yes. Claim: White House/OMB reports $215 billion in efficiency savings and 646 deregulatory actions versus 5 regulatory actions, a 129-to-1 ratio.