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Grok 4.5Oct 23, 2026x-ai/grok-4.5-20260708

Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

No single objective yes/no answer exists, as “improving the US government” is subjective and depends on metrics (size/efficiency, service delivery, fiscal health, rule of law, public trust, policy outcomes) and political values. Donald Trump has been in his second nonconsecutive term since January 20, 2025. His administration has pursued aggressive, disruptive changes aimed at shrinking the bureaucracy, cutting what it calls waste/fraud/abuse, deregulating, ending DEI initiatives, and asserting stronger presidential control over the executive branch. Results are mixed, heavily polarized, and contested.[1]

Key Changes and Claimed Improvements

The centerpiece has been the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), initially led by Elon Musk (who later left), alongside executive orders, a hiring freeze, deferred resignation/buyout programs, reductions in force, and Schedule Policy/Career (a successor to Schedule F) making it easier to remove certain policy-influencing civil servants.[2])

•Workforce reduction: Federal payroll employment (BLS data) fell substantially—from roughly 3.01 million in January 2025 to around 2.67–2.69 million by mid/late 2026 (declines of ~300,000–336,000, or ~11%). Other measures (OPM civilian non-postal) show drops of 250,000+ or ~12% from late 2024 levels, the fastest decline in decades and bringing levels to multi-decade lows in some counts. Agencies like Education, USAID, HUD, Treasury, HHS, and others saw large percentage cuts; Defense civilian staff also declined. Return-to-office mandates ended widespread remote work. Supporters view this as eliminating bloat after growth under Biden.[3]
•Spending/efficiency claims: The administration and White House cite ~$215 billion in savings (~$1,300+ per taxpayer) via contract/grant/lease cancellations, fraud reduction, and program cuts, plus deregulation projected to save trillions in economic costs over time (high ratios of deregulatory-to-regulatory actions, e.g., dozens-to-1). Tax cuts from 2017 were made permanent via the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and there were rescissions of some appropriated funds.[4]
•Other reforms: Aggressive deregulation; elimination of DEI offices/practices and race/sex preferences in hiring; efforts to dismantle or reassign functions of agencies (e.g., Education shifted toward states); modernization pushes (e.g., some IT/retirement systems); border enforcement leading to sharp drops in illegal crossings (often cited as 90%+ declines). Energy production rose. Supporters (including White House releases and conservative outlets) call this historic efficiency, draining the “swamp,” restoring merit/accountability, and delivering on a mandate.[5]

Criticisms, Disputed Results, and Counter-Evidence

Independent analyses, GAO reviews, and critics (including some nonpartisan or left-leaning sources) argue the changes created chaos more than lasting efficiency gains, with overstated benefits and real costs:

•Savings overstated: GAO and media fact-checks (Politico, NYT, BBC, etc.) found DOGE’s “Wall of Receipts” significantly inflated figures—claiming savings from contracts/grants/leases that were not terminated, already ending, unverifiable, or not yielding the claimed amounts. Verifiable savings were a fraction (sometimes estimated in the low single-digit billions for major categories vs. claimed tens or hundreds of billions). Overall federal spending did not drop dramatically (deficits and debt continued rising); many “savings” returned to agencies rather than reducing the deficit without congressional action. Musk himself later described aspects as only “somewhat successful.”[6]
•Disruption and capacity: Mass separations (hundreds of thousands via buyouts, RIFs, attrition), purges, and agency gutting led to claims of lost expertise, delayed services (e.g., housing loans, veterans issues, research/grants), and reduced readiness in some areas. Hundreds of lawsuits challenged actions (executive overreach, impoundment of funds, labor rights, immigration, etc.), with many injunctions or blocks. Public customer satisfaction with federal services declined.[7]
•Broader outcomes: Job growth was sluggish overall (partly due to federal cuts; private sector fared better in some data). Inflation rose in various reports. Debt held by the public continued climbing. Critics argue politicization of the civil service undermines neutrality and long-term competence.[8]

Public Opinion and Broader Context

Polls show division along partisan lines, with overall skepticism or disapproval of the government changes:

•Majorities or pluralities often say the administration is making government work worse, not better; oppose specific workforce cuts when named (e.g., VA, SSA); and doubt large taxpayer savings. Perception of government waste remains high or rose. Approval of Trump’s handling of the government/economy has been net negative and declined over the term in multiple surveys.[9]
•Republicans largely support the efficiency/DEI/border efforts; Democrats overwhelmingly oppose. Independents lean critical on many specifics. Customer satisfaction metrics and agency job ratings (Gallup) worsened in several cases.[10]

Related first-term context (2017–2021) included deregulation, tax cuts, and some workforce stability/growth, with mixed efficiency results and different economic conditions (pre-COVID boom then pandemic).

Bottom Line

Trump’s second term has substantially altered the US government: smaller federal workforce, fewer regulations in targeted areas, stronger executive direction, and major policy shifts on immigration, energy, taxes, and cultural issues in the bureaucracy. Proponents see this as necessary modernization, waste reduction, and alignment with voter priorities after years of expansion. Opponents see overreach, exaggeration of savings, loss of capacity/expertise, legal violations, and harm to services/public trust.

Whether this constitutes “improvement” hinges on priorities—e.g., smaller government and deregulation vs. institutional stability, service continuity, and checks/balances. Fiscal impact remains limited relative to the multi-trillion-dollar budget; long-term effects on effectiveness, debt, and competence will take years to fully assess. Data continues to evolve with ongoing litigation, economic reports, and midterms. For the latest primary sources, check BLS/OPM employment data, GAO reports, White House releases, CBO fiscal analyses, and nonpartisan trackers.

2.https://ballotpedia.org/Executive_Order:_Establishing_And_Implementing_The_President%E2%80%99s_%E2%80%9CDepartment_Of_Government_Efficiency%E2%80%9D_(Donald_Trump,_2025) — https://ballotpedia.org/Executive_Order:_Establishing_And_Implementing_The_President%E2%80%99s_%E2%80%9CDepartment_Of_Government_Efficiency%E2%80%9D_(Donald_Trump,_2025)

Citations (10)

  1. 1cnn.comNews and mediaquality 0.66
    https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/01/politics/donald-trump-2025-federal-government

    Backs: “His administration has pursued aggressive, disruptive changes aimed at shrinking the bureaucracy, cutting what it calls waste/fraud/abuse, deregulating, ending DEI initiatives, and asserting stronger presidential control over the executive branch. Results are mixed, heavily polarized, and contested.”

  2. 2ballotpedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.89
    https://ballotpedia.org/Executive_Order:_Establishing_And_Implementing_The_President%E2%80%99s_%E2%80%9CDepartment_Of_Government_Efficiency%E2%80%9D_(Donald_Trump,_2025)

    Backs: “The centerpiece has been the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), initially led by Elon Musk (who later left), alongside executive orders, a hiring freeze, deferred resignation/buyout programs, reductions in force, and Schedule Policy/Career (a successor to Schedule F) making it easier to remove certain…”

  3. 3fedsmith.comNot yet classified
    https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/09/09/federal-payroll-jobs-falling-fast/

    Backs: “Supporters view this as eliminating bloat after growth under Biden.”

  4. 4whitehouse.govGovernment
    https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/09/president-trump-delivers-historic-results-for-the-american-people-in-under-two-years/

    Backs: “Tax cuts from 2017 were made permanent via the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and there were rescissions of some appropriated funds.”

  5. 5whitehouse.govGovernment
    https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/doge/

    Backs: “Supporters (including White House releases and conservative outlets) call this historic efficiency, draining the “swamp,” restoring merit/accountability, and delivering on a mandate.”

  6. 6abcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.67
    https://abcnews.com/US/doges-claim-110b-savings-vastly-inflated-riddled-errors/story?id=135447522

    Backs: “Musk himself later described aspects as only “somewhat successful.””

  7. 7ourpublicservice.orgNonprofits and think tanks
    https://ourpublicservice.org/publications/a-government-in-chaos-trumps-first-year-back-in-office/

    Backs: “Public customer satisfaction with federal services declined.”

  8. 8factcheck.orgNonprofits and think tanks
    https://www.factcheck.org/2026/10/trumps-numbers-october-2026-update/

    Backs: “Critics argue politicization of the civil service undermines neutrality and long-term competence.”

  9. 9pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
    https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/08/14/trumps-tariffs-and-one-big-beautiful-bill-face-more-opposition-than-support-as-his-job-rating-slips/

    Backs: “Approval of Trump’s handling of the government/economy has been net negative and declined over the term in multiple surveys.”

  10. 10ourpublicservice.orgNonprofits and think tanks
    https://ourpublicservice.org/know-the-facts/resource-library/reports/steady-opposition-public-disapproval-of-trump-administration-funding-and-workforce-cuts-remains-strong/

    Backs: “Customer satisfaction metrics and agency job ratings (Gallup) worsened in several cases.”