Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

This is a subjective question that people evaluate very differently based on their political values and priorities, so I can't give a definitive yes-or-no answer. What I can do is share some factual context on major actions and their varying reception, and you can weigh whether they represent "improvement" based on your own criteria.Whether Trump is "improving" the U.S. government is fundamentally a matter of political values and priorities—reasonable people looking at the same facts reach very different conclusions. Here's what the evidence shows on both sides:

Actions Supporters Point To

The administration has moved aggressively on several fronts it touts as accomplishments. The president moved quickly, scoring a Gaza peace deal abroad and winning approval of his 'Big Beautiful Bill,' and with help from Elon Musk, Trump overhauled the federal government, while ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and launching massive immigration enforcement. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has highlighted trade deals, tax deals and deregulation as key wins.

On energy policy, the administration publicly prioritized expanded oil and gas leasing, approval of advanced nuclear projects, and rolling back environmental programs described by the White House as restoring energy independence—reopening Alaska lands, approving thousands of drilling permits, and approving new nuclear licensing and financing with reactors slated in 2026. The administration has also cited favorable Supreme Court rulings described in White House releases as enabling policy tools like third-country deportations and revocation of Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands as institutional wins.

Concerns Critics Raise

Independent assessments are far more cautious. One fact-check summary notes that Donald Trump's second-term record through early 2026 is a mix of aggressive executive action, deregulatory and immigration-focused measures, and claims of economic gains; much of the narrative of success comes from administration and allied outlets while independent reporting records contested legal and international actions.

On the environmental rollbacks specifically, these moves are lauded in administration press but draw immediate criticism from environmental advocates and press outlets for reversing prior pollution and climate controls. More broadly, the administration's own outlets and sympathetic outlets catalog dozens of "wins" across energy, border security, deregulation, and health-data initiatives and present metrics of success, while mainstream and independent outlets offer more cautious or critical readings that emphasize legal challenges, selective statistics, and partisan framing. Notably, President Trump also promised to end inflation, but he has not.

Public Opinion Has Soured

Whatever the merits of specific policies, public approval has declined significantly through 2026. Multiple September 2026 polls show approval in the low-to-mid 30s: Most recent polls from Ipsos with Reuters surveyed 1,167 adults and found a 33% approval rating and a 63% disapproval rating, a net approval rating of -30 percentage points, and most recent polls from CNN/SSRS surveyed 1,225 adults and found a 34% approval rating and a 66% disapproval rating, a net approval rating of -32 percentage points.

Aggregated tracking shows a similar picture: Trump approval rating September 2026: 37.8% approve, 58.4% disapprove (-20.6 net), with May 2026 marking the sharpest single-month decline and the lowest approval of either Trump term, driven by tariff-driven inflation and Q1 GDP coming in at +2.0% but PCE inflation hitting 4.5%—a stagflation pattern last seen in the 1970s. Approval has fallen sharply among independents in particular: the independent figure has declined 14 points from Trump's 48% inaugural-period independent approval, and now sits below the 36% level that preceded Democrats' 41-seat wave gain in 2018.

Bottom Line

There's a real gap between the administration's self-described list of "wins" and how independent media, courts, and the public are assessing the results—especially on economic conditions and the legality of some executive actions. Given how contested and value-laden this question is, I'd encourage you to look at specific policy areas you care about most (economy, immigration, foreign policy, government efficiency, etc.) and weigh the evidence yourself rather than relying on any single verdict—including mine.