Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Is the Trump administration improving government? I'll gather recent data on reforms and performance to give you a balanced overview.

Whether Donald Trump is improving the U.S. government depends on how "improvement" is measured - by efficiency, size, cost, services, or public trust. There are verifiable actions and claims, as well as significant criticism and low public approval.

What the Administration Points To

The White House describes the period as "the most consequential stretch of governing in modern American history", listing:

•Border and enforcement: Claims of ending "catch-and-release," reduced illegal immigration and designating cartels as terrorist organizations.

•Deregulation and efficiency: Claims of a massive deregulatory push with "20 major deregulatory actions projected to save over $220 billion annually and hundreds of executive orders and memoranda issued in 2025–26", and a government-wide deregulatory mandate projected to save $1.5 trillion in FY2026.

•Workforce reduction: The Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited in reports shows federal employment fell to 2.67 million as of August, down from just over 3 million when President Trump took office, marking the lowest headcount since 1966.

•The administration claims workforce cuts shrunk the federal bureaucracy by 10% in 2025 and that efficiency reforms have already saved an estimated $215 billion.

•Other claimed wins include record domestic oil and gas production in 2025 and other policy priorities.

To achieve this, the administration created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on January 20, 2025, by rebranding the U.S. Digital Service, with a mission to "harness the power of technology and artificial intelligence to root out waste, fraud and abuse".

Changes and Challenges to That Assessment

•DOGE status: Reports indicate DOGE, initially spearheaded by Elon Musk and set to run through July 2026, has been disbanded. Other reports state the Department "has been officially disbanded" and originally slated to operate until July 2026, with functions absorbed by the Office of Personnel Management.

•Costs of workforce cuts: Reports note the cuts have also come with costs. For example, revenue collected from IRS examinations fell 35%, from about $10 billion in fiscal 2024 to $6.5 billion in fiscal 2025, as examination and collection staffing was cut by nearly 10,000 employees. GAO found agencies spent about $6.7 billion paying employees who took part in the Deferred Resignation Program, and despite cuts, the administration spent 3% more on federal salaries during its first year than the Biden administration did during its initial year.

•Government shutdown: The government entered a shutdown on Oct 1, 2025. During the shutdown, the administration moved to begin laying off federal workers. On October 10, the Trump administration fired more than 4,000 federal workers across a range of agencies, which drew legal challenges and a preliminary injunction in federal court.

•Overall assessment gaps: Analyses note that while there is clear activity and selective successes, it "lacks independent, comprehensive assessments needed to conclude definitively that the country is overall 'improved' since 2025", with counter-evidence including the shutdown and allegations of politicized use of agencies.

Public Opinion

Polling shows low approval for the second term:

•At the start of his second term, approval was 47%.

•Throughout 2025 to 2026, approval steadily declined to an average of 36 to 37%.

•As of October 20, 2026, aggregator averages show ~36.3% approve and 61.0% disapprove.

Recent analysis also notes that Trump's approval after the first year of his second term was the lowest of any president since 1977.

Summary

Supporters argue improvement is shown through a smaller federal workforce at a 60-year low, claimed cost savings, deregulation, and border enforcement changes.

Critics argue improvement is not shown, pointing to the government shutdown, mass layoffs during the shutdown, reduced agency capacity (such as IRS collections), higher salary spending despite cuts, legal blocks to layoffs, and historically low approval ratings.

Evaluation often depends on which metrics of "good government" — efficiency and size vs. service delivery, stability, and public trust — are prioritized.

Citations (3)

1whitehouse.govGovernment
President Trump Delivers Historic Results for the American People in Under Two Years
Backs: “There are verifiable actions and claims, as well as significant criticism and low public approval. What the Administration Points To”
2nytimespost.comNot yet classified
Trump’s first-year government overhaul delivers change Washington hasn’t seen since the 1960s
Backs: “Deregulation and efficiency: Claims of a massive deregulatory push with "20 major deregulatory actions projected to save over $220 billion annually and hundreds of executive orders and memoranda issued in 2025–26", and a government-wide deregulatory mandate projected to save $1.5 trillion in FY2026. Workforce…”
3wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Opinion polling on the second Trump presidency
Backs: “Overall assessment gaps: Analyses note that while there is clear activity and selective successes, it "lacks independent, comprehensive assessments needed to conclude definitively that the country is overall 'improved' since 2025", with counter-evidence including the shutdown and allegations of politicized use of…”