Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

This is a subjective question that depends heavily on political perspective, values, and what "improving" means to different people—efficiency, size of government, specific policy outcomes, etc. Rather than offering my own opinion, let me pull together some recent factual context that might help inform your own view.## This depends on your definition of "improving" and your political values — here's what the data shows

There's no neutral, factual answer to whether Trump is "improving" the government, because that judgment depends on your priorities (smaller government vs. more services, deregulation vs. environmental protection, immigration enforcement vs. immigrant rights, etc.). What I can offer is a summary of measurable outcomes and how they're being received.

Public opinion has soured

Trump entered his second term with an approval rating of 47%, the second lowest approval rating at the start of a presidential term in polling history. Since then, throughout 2025 to 2026, Trump's approval rating has steadily declined to an average of 37 to 39%. As of mid-September 2026, aggregators show his approval averaging around 37.4% approve, 59.1% disapprove. Notably, this far into his second term, Trump was at -13.0 net approval, while Joe Biden was at net -11.3 at the same point in his presidency — meaning he's currently less popular at this stage than Biden was.

There's a sharp partisan divide: Republicans 87% approve; Democrats 7% approve; Independents 34% approve, and the independent figure has declined 14 points from Trump's 48% inaugural-period independent approval.

Claimed accomplishments (from administration and allied sources)

Supporters point to policy actions like expanded oil and gas leasing, approval of advanced nuclear projects, and rolling back environmental programs described by the White House as restoring energy independence, plus border security and deregulation initiatives.

Contested areas

Independent fact-checkers note that Trump's second-term record 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. One analysis summarized it this way: assessing accomplishments requires weighing official claims against third-party verification, but the long-term effects, legal standing, and broader societal impacts remain disputed or not fully independently verified.

Specific flashpoints include:

Bottom line

Whether these changes count as "improvement" is a value judgment. If you value deregulation, energy expansion, and immigration enforcement, you may see real progress. If you prioritize international peace-building, public health consensus, cost-of-living stability, or broad public trust, the data suggests significant strain. I'd encourage weighing these facts against your own priorities rather than looking for a single "yes/no" verdict — and if you want, I can dig deeper into any specific policy area (economy, immigration, foreign policy, etc.).