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Muse Spark 1.2Oct 5, 2026meta/muse-spark-1.2-20260805
Is Donald Trump improving the US government?
Both sidesSays it is contested
Is the Trump administration improving government performance? I'll gather up-to-date, balanced data on its key initiatives and metrics.
Whether the Trump administration is improving the US government depends on how "improving" is defined and which metrics are prioritized. Supporters and critics point to different indicators:
Areas Cited as Improvements by the Administration and Supporters
•Border security and immigration enforcement: The White House and CBS News reported that unlawful crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2025 plummeted to the lowest annual level since the early 1970s, with Border Patrol recording about 238,000 apprehensions. Another summary put FY 2025 southwest border apprehensions at 237,565 — an 87% drop from the previous four-year average. The administration also reports more than 2.5 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. since January 2025, including self-deportations and deportations.
•Economic growth and inflation: Supportive reports cite real GDP growth in 2025 reaching 3.8%, with third-quarter growth reported at 4.3%, and the consumer price index settling at 2.7%. The administration frames these as evidence of restored policy credibility and fiscal restraint.
•Government operations and efficiency claims: The administration states it has taken actions to increase government transparency and reinstitute merit-based hiring. A White House fact sheet said the backlog of veterans waiting for benefits has dropped by 74%, and that a Fraud Task Force has uncovered over $260 billion in fraud since January 2025. The federal government has shed roughly 271,000 civilian positions in the past year, which supporters describe as shrinking the federal bureaucracy.
•Legislative and regulatory actions: The administration highlights passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill on July 4, 2025, which made 2017 tax cuts permanent, and sweeping deregulation.
Areas Cited as Concerns or Deterioration by Critics and Watchdog Reports
•Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): DOGE, created by executive order on January 20, 2025, to modernize federal technology and cut waste, has faced criticism, lawsuits questioning whether it exceeded executive authority, and reports of low employee morale. Critics claim DOGE generated at least $21.7 billion in wasteful spending.
•Cost of workforce reductions: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported the administration spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers in 2025, also described as an estimated $9.5 billion paying federal employees not to work. GAO found a 435% increase in administrative leave between 2023 and 2025, with $6.7 billion attributed to the deferred resignation program under DOGE. GAO also concluded there is little evidence to support the $110 billion in savings claimed by DOGE. Another analysis said federal spending grew by 7.4% in early 2025 compared to the previous year, with the deficit reaching $1.3 trillion.
•Public opinion polling: Approval ratings have been consistently low in multiple polls. Pew Research Center reported approval at 37%, Reuters/Ipsos measured it at 32% and CNN/SSRS at 33%, and AP-NORC polling found Trump's economy approval fell to 30% in April 2026. Surveys also found about half of Americans say the country, national economy, and local economy are worse off since the 2025 reelection, and about 50% believe the administration has underperformed relative to expectations.
•Employee morale and shutdown: Reports cite plummeting employee morale across the federal government in 2025, and polling during the longest government shutdown found only three in ten adults approved of Trump's handling of the economy, health care, or the federal government.
Summary
Evaluations differ by priority:
•If viewed through border apprehensions, reported GDP growth, reported inflation moderation, and federal workforce size, supporters argue the government is more effective and controlled.
•If viewed through cost of the efficiency program, GAO findings on savings, federal spending and deficit levels, federal workforce morale, and public approval polls, critics argue government performance has not improved.
Most independent polling through late 2025 and early 2026 shows a divided public with overall approval in the low-to-mid 30s and economic approval also low, while administrative data shows record-low border encounters and stronger-than-forecast GDP growth in mid-to-late 2025.