Answers

Short answer: it depends on which outcomes you care about and the time frame you use. Many pocketbook and safety indicators show improvement since 2025, while others (especially prices and borrowing costs) remain painful. A quick scoreboard (as of September 17, 2026): - Jobs: The labor market is solid but cooler than two years ago. August 2026 unemployment was 4.1% and payrolls rose by 162,000. (

[[1]](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/02/02/migrant-encounters-at-the-us-mexico-border-are-at-their-lowest-level-in-more-than-50-years/)[[2]](https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/violent-crime-falls-at-historic-rate-new-fbi-data-show)[[3]](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/income-poverty-health-insurance-coverage.html)[[4]](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/11/business

Short answer: It depends which outcomes you care about. Some nationwide indicators have improved during Trump’s current term, while others are flat or worsening. What’s improved - Crime: The FBI reports 2025 saw the biggest one‑year drop in violent crime since national estimates began (violent crime rate down roughly 10% and murders down about 18% versus 2024), with preliminary declines continuin