Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

This is a deeply contested political question that reasonable people answer very differently based on their values and priorities, so I can't give a definitive yes/no. But I can share what's known about his administration's actions and how they're being evaluated, so you can form your own judgment.## It depends entirely on how you measure "improving" — and who you ask

This is a question people disagree on sharply based on political values, so rather than declaring a verdict, here's what the evidence shows on both sides:

What the administration and supporters point to as improvements

The White House's own tally touts a surging economy with record jobs and growth, ironclad border security slashing illegal crossings, and bold investments fueling AI and tech innovation. More specifically:

•Border enforcement: Border security is another major area where the second-term record includes clear, measurable change, with federal officials reporting extended periods of sharply reduced southwest border apprehensions, including 14 consecutive months with fewer than 9,000.

•Energy production: One of the strongest data-backed accomplishments is energy production, with U.S. crude oil production reaching approximately 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025, a record annual level.

•Government restructuring: Supporters frame mass federal workforce cuts as efficiency gains — more than 30,000 federal positions had been eliminated or reclassified as at-will roles, with supporters arguing these moves improved efficiency while critics pointed to ongoing lawsuits.

•Republican allies like Sen. Blackburn argue he "ended the illegal alien invasion... unleashed American energy dominance, restored law and order" while citing tax cuts and falling gas prices.

What critics and fact-checkers highlight as problems

•Many of his specific claims don't hold up. Fact-checkers found that in his first-year anniversary press conference, Trump repeated inaccurate claims, saying the U.S. had "secured a record-breaking $18 trillion in commitments for new investments" while the White House's own website showed $9.6 trillion, and experts cautioned that some of those pledges may not come to fruition.

•Government "efficiency" efforts have been messy. A year-end review characterized 2025 as "the year Trump broke the federal government," describing how DOGE and the White House carried out a once-unthinkable transformation of the bureaucracy, alongside reports of "chaos in governance, finance, education and trade".

•Health policy rollbacks: Reforms included cuts to both health personnel and budgets, efforts to remove vaccine mandates, attempts to end diversity efforts, and the essentially shuttering of the United States Agency for International Development program.

•Economic reality is mixed: Job growth slowed sharply — the economy added more than 2 million jobs in Biden's final year, compared with 473,000 in 2025 under Trump — and gas prices, while down, aren't at the level he's claimed (he said gasoline is "at $1.99 in many states," but the national average in January 2026 was $2.78).

What the public thinks

Polling suggests most Americans are unconvinced. A recent AP-NORC poll showed 31 percent approved of how Trump is handling his job, while 69 percent disapproved — his lowest approval in either presidential term. More broadly, his approval rating has steadily declined throughout 2025-2026 to an average of 36-37%, making him the second most unpopular president at this stage of a presidency in polling history going back to the 1940s.

Bottom line

There's no neutral, objective way to answer "is he improving government" — it hinges on whether you weight things like reduced border crossings and deregulation as improvements, or whether you weight workforce cuts, health-program rollbacks, and reduced oversight as damage. The public, on net, currently leans toward disapproval, but that's a political judgment, not a settled fact. I'd encourage you to look at specific policy areas you care most about (economy, immigration, foreign policy, etc.) rather than a single up-or-down verdict.

Citations (14)

1whitehouse.govGovernment
Wins and Achievements
Source excerpt: “Discover President Trump's second term triumphs: a surging economy with record jobs and growth, ironclad border security slashing illegal crossings, a...”
2stl.newsNews and media
Trump’s Second Term: The Data Behind the Accomplishments and the Fight Over the Narrative in 2026
Source excerpt: “## Border Enforcement: A Measurable Shift in Federal Control Border security is another major area where the second-term record includes clear, measur...”
3stl.newsNews and media
Trump’s Second Term: The Data Behind the Accomplishments and the Fight Over the Narrative in 2026
Source excerpt: “## Energy Production: A Record-Level Accomplishment With Direct Inflation Impact One of the strongest data-backed accomplishments of Trump’s second te...”
4stl.newsNews and media
President Trump's Second Term Accomplishment to Present
Source excerpt: “Government Restructuring and Efficiency Initiatives By the end of February, the administration reported that **more than 30,000 federal positions** ha...”
5senate.govGovernment
Blackburn Celebrates President Trump’s Historic First Year of Second Term
Source excerpt: ““He has ended the illegal alien invasion created by Joe Biden, unleashed American energy dominance, restored law and order, and advanced peace through...”
6wral.comNews and mediaquality 0.88
Fact-checking Donald Trump’s claims about his second term accomplishments :: WRAL.com
Source excerpt: “During the briefing, Trump repeated some inaccurate claims he’s made in the past. He said **the U.S. has "secured a record-breaking $18 trillion in co...”
7wral.comNews and mediaquality 0.88
Fact-checking Donald Trump’s claims about his second term accomplishments :: WRAL.com
Source excerpt: “In addition, experts have cautioned PolitiFact that some of the $9.6 trillion in pledges may not come to fruition and others are unrealistically large...”
8substack.comBlogs and newsletters
Year-in-Review: 2025
Source excerpt: “– FT Sun, Dec 21, 2025: The year Trump broke the federal government. How DOGE and the White House carried out a once-unthinkable transformation of th...”
9substack.comBlogs and newsletters
Year-in-Review: 2025
Source excerpt: “– WP Sat, Dec 20, 2025: Chaos in governance, finance, education and trade set off alarm bellsBloomberg Thurs, Dec 18, 2025: Shouting, Ranting, Insul...”
10sciencedirect.comAcademic
The second Trump presidency: Health care themes, policies, and impacts in his first year back in office - ScienceDirect
Source excerpt: “# Health Reform Monitor The second Trump presidency: Health care themes, policies, and impacts in his first year back in office ## Abstract ### Reform...”
11wral.comNews and mediaquality 0.88
Fact-checking Donald Trump’s claims about his second term accomplishments :: WRAL.com
Source excerpt: “During Biden’s final year in office, the economy added more than 2 million jobs overall, compared with 473,000 in 2025 under Trump. ”
12wral.comNews and mediaquality 0.88
Fact-checking Donald Trump’s claims about his second term accomplishments :: WRAL.com
Source excerpt: “Trump also said gasoline is **"at $1.99 in many states."** In the second week of January 2026, the average price per gallon nationally was $2.78, comp...”
13newsweek.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
How Trump’s Ranking of Best Presidents Compares to America’s - Newsweek
Source excerpt: “A recent poll from the Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago showed 31 percent of respondents approved of how Trump is handling his j...”
14wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Opinion polling on the second Trump presidency
Source excerpt: “Throughout 2025 to 2026, Trump's approval rating has steadily declined to an average of 36 to 37%. In August 2026, Trump was the second most unpopular...”