Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Both sidesSays it is contestedSources conflict

The White House release presents Trump's reforms as historic wins, while the Partnership for Public Service report says his actions have harmed government capacity and transparency.

Is Trump making the government better? I'll pull current assessments of his administration's reforms and efficiency.

Whether Donald Trump is improving the U.S. government depends on what metrics are used to define "improving." There is no consensus among independent assessments, and supporters and critics point to different evidence.

What the administration and supporters point to

The White House says President Donald Trump promised on Day One to "move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety, and peace" and has delivered results at a pace Washington has never seen.

Specific claims include:

•Deregulation and efficiency reforms: The White House and allied offices point to a massive deregulatory push — claiming 20 major deregulatory actions projected to save over $220 billion annually and hundreds of executive orders and memoranda issued in 2025–26— and an executive order directing that agencies maximize use of fixed-price and performance-based contracts that drive timely, complete performance.

•Government downsizing: As of August, just 2.67 million people were employed by the federal government, down from just over 3 million when President Donald Trump took office, marking the lowest headcount since 1966, per the BLS.

•Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): On day one the president issued a record 26 executive orders and established the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, that was tasked with eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. It was described as paving the way for the administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies. DOGE and agency leaders cut more than 13,000 contracts, 15,000 grants and directed the dismissal of more than 300,000 career civil servants.

•Border and crime: The administration states President Trump sealed the border, drove violent crime to historic lows, unleashed American energy, cut taxes for working families, ended "catch-and-release" — and has not released a single illegal alien into the country for 15 [days/weeks], and reduced the illegal alien population by at least 2.3 million.

•Other listed wins: In October 2026 the White House listed 32 recent wins including clawing back nearly $1 billion in wasteful spending aimed at illegal aliens and DEI programs, surpassing 250,000 visa revocations, launching America.gov, and actions on energy, transportation and Treasury programs.

What critics and independent analyses point to

•Assessment of chaos and capacity: A report by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan nonprofit, states since his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has undertaken the most radical transformation of the federal government in over a half-century, arbitrarily slashing the federal workforce, unilaterally dismantling agencies and eliminating critical programs and services.

The same analysis finds the numerous unilateral actions have harmed the ability of government to meet public needs, with the 43 day shutdown that began in October — the longest in history — causing further disruption of critical government services.

It concludes the primary responsibility of government is to keep us safe, but due to administration decisions the country is now less prepared for a terrorist attack than it was pre 9/11, less capable of dealing with a catastrophic natural disaster than before Hurricane Katrina, citing cuts to the FBI task force on foreign influence, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, CDC, and FEMA, and that reductions have increased wait times at Social Security, created problems at IRS, and loss of doctors and nurses at Veterans Affairs.

•Politicization concerns: The report also argues the White House has consolidated powers unlike any previous administration and turned many functions into political tools, politicizing the career workforce in a way not seen since the corrupt and inefficient spoils system of the 19th century.

During the shutdown, more than 1,000 complaints were filed about partisan messages from the White House and 37 agencies. Representative Robert Garcia labeled partisan tweaks to shutdown-related federal emails as likely Hatch Act infractions, part of ongoing executive agency abuses and politicization. Other critics said official statements openly admitted cuts would fall hardest on "Democrat agencies" and weaponized the shutdown into a tool for permanent reductions-in-force.

•Transparency and accountability: By firing 17 inspectors general, who help prevent waste, fraud and abuse, and the head of the Office of Special Counsel, and firing the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a jobs report that did not align with administration messaging, the administration has made government less transparent, according to the report.

DOGE itself was disbanded with eight months left to its mandate, with OPM taking over many functions. While some accounts describe DOGE staff transitioning to full-time roles within agencies like GSA, Treasury and DOD, other reporting says DOGE "doesn't exist at all" according to OPM Director Cooper.

•Lack of comprehensive independent evaluation: One summary noted 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.

Public opinion polling

Polling does not show a clear public consensus that government has improved:

•At the start of his second term, Trump's approval rating was 47%. Throughout 2025 to 2026, Trump's approval rating has steadily declined to an average of 37 to 40%.

•An average of 1,060 approval polls since January 2025 found 34.6% approve and 63.3% disapprove.

•Other polling aggregations in fall 2026 put approval between 33% and 36%, or net approval at -13.0 with 55.0% disapproving and 42.0% approving.

Bottom line

•Supporters argue improvement is shown in smaller federal headcount, deregulation and cost savings, border enforcement, and reorganization toward efficiency.

•Critics argue improvement is undermined by loss of expertise and capacity, longer wait times for services, politicization of previously apolitical functions, reduced transparency, and the use of executive power in new and potentially illegal ways.

How these competing outcomes are weighted — efficiency and border control versus capacity, continuity, and nonpartisan norms — largely determines whether observers conclude the government has been improved.

Citations (2)

1whitehouse.govGovernment
Nearly Two Years In, President Trump Is Still Stacking Historic Wins at Record Speed
Backs: “government depends on what metrics are used to define "improving." There is no consensus among independent assessments, and supporters and critics point to different evidence. What the administration and supporters point to. The White House says President Donald Trump promised on Day One to "move with purpose and…”
attribution, official document, points to yes. Claim: The White House says Trump promised on Day One to move with purpose and speed and has delivered results at a pace Washington has never seen.
2ourpublicservice.orgNonprofits and think tanks
A Government in Chaos:
Backs: “Government downsizing: As of August, just 2.67 million people were employed by the federal government, down from just over 3 million when President Donald Trump took office, marking the lowest headcount since 1966, per the BLS. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): On day one the president issued a record 26…”
statistic, official document, points to no. Claim: Federal employment fell to 2.67 million, the lowest headcount since 1966, and DOGE was set up and cut contracts, grants and staff, according to a critical report.