Is Donald Trump improving the lives of Americans?

This is a matter of significant political debate, and reasonable people disagree based on their values, priorities, and how they weigh different types of evidence. Rather than giving you my own verdict, let me lay out what's actually happening across a few key areas so you can weigh it yourself.## What the data shows

Public opinion is largely negative and worsening. As of mid-to-late 2026, Trump's approval ratings have hit record lows in multiple polls. 34% of U.S. adult citizens strongly or somewhat approve of Trump's job performance, tied for a record low for either Trump term, while a record 62% disapprove, for a net job approval of -28, also a record low. For comparison, at this point in Trump's first term, he had a net job approval of -9.

On the economy specifically, disapproval has been even sharper. Only 29% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of how Trump is handling the economy, while 63% disapprove — a net approval of -34, his lowest in either term. This is notably worse than his first term: Trump's -34 net approval on his handling of the economy is far worse than it was at this point in Trump's first term, when more Americans approved than disapproved (+8).

Even parts of his own base have soured. Among 45- to 64-year-olds, 33% approve and 63% disapprove — down from +15 at the start of Trump's second term — and among white Americans without college degrees, Trump has averaged a net job approval of -6, the lowest three-week average he's ever received from this group.

Cost of living/prices are a major driver of discontent. The widespread disapproval comes amid widespread concern about prices — majorities say car and housing prices have risen a lot, and 76% say gas prices have gone up a lot over the past year.

On tariffs specifically, economists have documented real effects: Trump's sweeping tariffs didn't dramatically raise the cost of living in 2025, but the U.S. collected $187 billion more in tariff revenue than in 2024, mostly paid by businesses. However, that's shifting — businesses are starting to pass those costs to customers, and that share could shrink further this year, according to JPMorgan. Goldman Sachs estimated tariffs caused inflation to increase by half a percentage point in 2025, roughly matching Fed Chair Powell's statement that tariffs were responsible for the entirety of inflation's rise above the Fed's 2% target.

The Tax Foundation's ongoing tracker estimates the new tariffs will reduce long-run GDP by 0.4 percent, the capital stock by 0.3 percent, and hours worked by 338,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

Bottom line

There isn't a single objective answer to "is he improving lives" — it depends on which outcomes you weight (jobs numbers vs. prices vs. immigration enforcement vs. deregulation vs. foreign policy, etc.) and your baseline for comparison. What the polling and economic data consistently show right now is that a majority of Americans, including a growing share of his own former supporters, currently say their economic situation is not improving — driven largely by persistent complaints about gas, housing, food, and car prices. Supporters would point to things like tariff revenue, deregulation, or immigration enforcement as wins even if they come with these costs. If you want, I can dig into a specific area (jobs, healthcare, immigration, crime, etc.) in more depth.