Trump Report Card

John Stossel
Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:50:35 -0800
Opinion

During his State of the Union, President Donald Trump declared himself wonderful.

My new video takes a closer look, scoring his fifth year as president.
Updated: Wed Feb 25, 2026

During his State of the Union, President Donald Trump declared himself wonderful.

My new video takes a closer look, scoring his fifth year as president.

He deserves an "A" for his willingness to take questions. It's a relief after President Joe Biden, who hid from reporters.

But Trump deserves an "F" for childish bragging. Ignorant, too.

He proudly announced he cut drug prices by "400%, 500%, even 600%!"

Didn't he learn math? If he cut prices 100%, drugs would be free.

Trump deserves an "A" for ending Biden's self-destructive, anti-energy policies. On the other hand, Trump has blocked solar and wind projects, even those not government-subsidized. Can't either party just let the market work?

I'm relieved that the president hasn't fulfilled my worst fear: He has not acted like a total dictator.

He does respond to public opinion. After ICE brutality in Minnesota, he pulled troops out, saying, "We can use a little bit of a softer touch."

And when courts rule against him, he obeys, ending National Guard deployment in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, and now searching for court-approved ways to preserve his tariffs.

Hysterical media still scream about Trump being "a dictator!" and "authoritarian!"

Mises Institute Editor-in-Chief Ryan McMaken points out that America has had many authoritarian presidents.

"Nixon and LBJ, in terms of new bombing campaigns, ignoring Congress ... both of those presidents were significantly worse. FDR, through executive order, destroyed the gold standard. Just by the stroke of a pen, he impoverished many Americans, stole Americans' gold. This was one of the worst economic crimes in American history. I don't think (Trump) could get away with it."

Trump deserves an "A" grade for easing some regulation.

TSA no longer requires people to take their shoes off.

The EPA stopped mandating things like "stop/start" features that were supposed to save gas but barely did.

Trump ended "disparate impact" analysis, the toxic legal theory that led to parasitic lawsuits if workforces did not exactly match U.S. racial proportions.

Ken Griffin, CEO of the investment firm Citadel, says that Trump's merely criticizing regulation, telling bureaucrats back off, lifted the economy. It "gives you so much energy as an entrepreneur!"

"That's probably the best part of his administration right now." says McMaken, giving Trump a "B-" on regulation.

Not an "A" because his attempts to cut red tape have mostly failed.

And Trump hasn't cut spending.

"Spending has only increased!" McMaken points out.

Trump promised to cut America's debt, but since he took office, it's increased by more than $2 trillion.

"I give him the same grade I gave Joe Biden," says McMaken, "a 'D.' You should want to see significant cuts in the national debt."

"Why doesn't it ever happen?" I ask.

"It's popular to say, 'We're going to cut government spending.' (But) when you ask voters, 'Should we cut social security?' They always say, 'No.' 'Cut Medicare?' 'No.' ... 'Defense spending?'"

"That's where most of the money is," I point out.

"Exactly. There's also money going to Medicaid and smaller programs, but there's just not enough spending to be had in those areas. Even then, a lot of those smaller programs, they're popular, too."

When Trump was asked how he'd grade himself on the economy, he said, "A+++++."

I say, "C."

It's true that the stock market set records, but unemployment is up.

And Trump promotes crony capitalism, taking part ownership of private companies. That rarely ends well. When executives suck up to politicians instead of innovating, companies decline. Investors and consumers lose.

Finally, immigration: I give Trump an "A" for restoring order to our southern border. Illegal crossings are the lowest they've been since 1970. But Trump deserves a "D" for the needless cruelty of his deportation campaign.

Also, most of Trump's good changes come through executive orders, not by working with Congress to change law.

"We're going to find out how problematic that is when the next president comes in," says McMaken. "Could very well be a Democrat, and they can reverse all that."

So far, Trump's done a lot of good ... and a lot of bad.

Some of the bad is so unpopular that Democrats now are winning Republican districts.

President Trump has three more years to turn things around.

Hope he does.

Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom.