Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Is the Trump administration improving government? I'll gather current assessments and data to give you a balanced answer.

Whether Donald Trump is improving the U.S. government is debated and depends on how "improvement" is measured — supporters and critics point to different indicators.

What the administration and supporters point to

The White House describes its second-term agenda as focused on efficiency, deregulation, and workforce reduction:

•Government efficiency (DOGE): The administration created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to modernize federal technology and maximize governmental efficiency and productivity. The White House page on DOGE claims government efficiency efforts have saved an estimated $215 billion, equivalent to $1,335 per U.S. taxpayer.

•Deregulation: For Fiscal Year 2025, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs reported agencies finalized 646 deregulatory actions compared to only 5 regulatory actions, for a ratio of 129-to-1, with $211.8 billion in net cost savings. Director Russ Vought said the administration had "blown far past the target 10-to-1 deregulatory ratio" and "saving hundreds of billions". Other claimed examples include FinCEN eliminating beneficial ownership reporting requirements saving $128.6 billion and TSA ending shoe-removal requirements saving $25.4 billion.

An independent analysis by the American Action Forum found federal agencies collectively finalized $129.7 billion in net regulatory cost savings and 50.9 million hours in paperwork reductions in 2025, making it the most deregulatory calendar year recorded, with about $86 billion in savings in the first six months alone.

•Workforce and operations changes cited by the White House:

•Developed "retire.opm.gov" to automate federal retirements after decades of records stored in an underground mine

•Percentage of federal employees working in-office increasing 30% in the second quarter of 2025

•Shrunk the federal bureaucracy by 10% in 2025

•Cut 129 regulations for every 1 new rule issued

•Issued Executive Actions to eliminate wasteful spending and restore transparency

•Economic claims: The White House has claimed inflation has decelerated since January, with core inflation at levels not seen since the first Trump Administration and average of 2.7% in the second term, and that private employment, consumer spending and investment accelerated after January.

What critics and polling indicate

•Legal challenges: Critics have filed lawsuits arguing the DOGE workforce optimization executive order and related actions "usurp" Congress' authority under the Constitution. More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed challenging cancellation of grants, mass firings, access to Treasury data, and closure of programs.

•Disputed savings and costs:

•A Government Accountability Office analysis found layoffs in the Education Department's civil rights division may have cost $38 million

•Investigators concluded that nearly half of the money DOGE claimed in canceled contracts — $27.4 billion — couldn't be verified

•DOGE's site has faced criticism for inaccuracies

•Liberal groups disputed projected savings, arguing analysis doesn't fully account for benefits of environmental, safety and consumer protection regulations. One analysis noted much of 2025's savings were tied to a single rulemaking.

•Public opinion: Polling shows mixed to negative public views on government performance under Trump in his second term:

•An AP-NORC poll in July 2025 found only about one-quarter of adults say Trump's policies have helped them, roughly half say they have "done more to hurt" them, and the president fails to earn majority approval on any of the issues included, including government spending. About 4 in 10 Americans approved of Trump's handling of government spending, down from 46% in March.

•Overall approval was about 4 in 10 adults in that poll, with other tracking showing 42% approval in November 2025 and 43-44% in September 2025, the lowest of his second term at that time.

Summary

Supporters argue improvement is shown through quantifiable reductions in regulations, cost savings, workforce size, and modernization of processes. Critics argue those same cuts have created legal vulnerability, reduced services and oversight, and that claimed savings are overstated and don't account for lost benefits.

Because "improving" involves value judgments about what government should do, assessments vary widely by political perspective and by which metrics — efficiency, cost, services, legality, or public approval — are prioritized.

Citations (3)

1whitehouse.govGovernment
Reform Government (DOGE) – The White House
Backs: “Government efficiency (DOGE): The administration created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to modernize federal technology and maximize governmental efficiency and productivity. The White House page on DOGE claims government efficiency efforts have saved an estimated $215 billion, equivalent to $1,335 per…”
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: “The White House page on DOGE claims government efficiency efforts have saved an estimated $215 billion, equivalent to $1,335 per U.S. taxpayer. Deregulation: For Fiscal Year 2025, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs reported agencies finalized 646 deregulatory actions compared to only 5 regulatory…”
3ap.orgNews and mediaquality 0.69
Trump's approval rating on immigration and government spending has slipped, new AP-NORC poll finds | The Associated Press
Backs: “Public opinion: Polling shows mixed to negative public views on government performance under Trump in his second term: An AP-NORC poll in July 2025 found only about one-quarter of adults say Trump's policies have helped them, roughly half say they have "done more to hurt" them, and the president fails to earn majority…”