Is Donald Trump improving the lives of Americans?
Short answer: it’s mixed, and it depends on which outcomes you care about. Since Donald Trump took office again on January 20, 2025, here’s how key indicators look as of October 17, 2026.
Getting better
Getting worse or creating headwinds
Other context
Bottom line: Some measures that many people value—crime rates, border crossings, median incomes—have improved. Others that hit wallets directly—prices outpacing pay recently, high mortgage rates and gas prices, and a larger federal deficit—have not. Presidents influence these trends, but global energy markets, interest‑rate policy, and longer‑running demographic/economic forces also play big roles.
If you tell me which issues matter most to you (prices, wages, safety, immigration, health care, etc.), I can go deeper on those and show more localized data.[11]
Citations (11)
- Violent Crime Falls at Historic Rate, New FBI Data Show — FBI
Backs: “Violent crime fell sharply in 2025—the FBI reports a 9.3% year‑over‑year drop, the largest recorded decline, continuing improvement from 2024.”
- Migrant encounters at US-Mexico border at lowest level in over 50 years | Pew Research Center
Backs: “After new enforcement measures, southwest border encounters dropped to their lowest monthly levels in decades starting in February 2025, according to Pew’s read of CBP data; CBP also reported a 93% year‑over‑year decline in May 2025.”
- Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025
Backs: “Real median household income rose 2.6% in 2025 to a record $87,460 (inflation‑adjusted), per the Census Bureau.”
- Employment Situation News Release - 2026 M09 Results
Backs: “Unemployment was 4.2% in September 2026, and real GDP grew at a 2.5% annual rate in 2026 Q1 and 2.2% in Q2 (latest BEA estimates).”
- Consumer Price Index News Release - 2026 M09 Results
Backs: “Real average hourly earnings fell 0.7% over the same 12 months.”
- Mortgage Rates Hold Steady at 7.40% | Freddie Mac
Backs: “The average 30‑year mortgage rate is 7.40% (Freddie Mac, week of Oct 15, 2026), and national average gasoline is about $4.33/gal (AAA, Oct 15, 2026).”
- Surveys of Consumers
Backs: “The University of Michigan’s preliminary October sentiment reading is 46.3—very low by historical standards.”
- Monthly Budget Review: September 2026 | Congressional Budget Office
Backs: “The FY2026 deficit was about $2.0 trillion, up from $1.8 trillion in FY2025, per CBO’s latest monthly review.”
- Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025
Backs: “The uninsured rate held roughly flat at 7.9% in 2025 (no significant change from 2024), per Census.”
- Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Declares National Emergency to Increase our Competitive Edge, Protect our Sovereignty, and Strengthen our National and Economic Security – The White House
Backs: “Supporters argue this helps industry; critics note legal and economic downsides, and news coverage has described rate changes amid court setbacks.”
- Presidents, vice presidents, and first ladies | USAGov
Backs: “If you tell me which issues matter most to you (prices, wages, safety, immigration, health care, etc.), I can go deeper on those and show more localized data.”