🇺🇸 MAGA: Trump, the Movement & the Numbers
What changed when Donald Trump became a political movement—not just a presidential candidate?
Donald Trump entered presidential politics in 2015, served as president from 2017–2021, lost the 2020 election, returned to office in 2025, and remains president today.
This page looks at his record through numbers, court records, government documents, historical comparisons, and public-opinion data.
Don't take our word for it. Open the sources.
⚖️ Trump Personally: The Legal Record
34 felony convictions
On May 30, 2024, a New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
He became the first former U.S. president convicted of a felony. (New York Courts)
Primary source:
New York Courts — People v. Donald J. Trump
Civil fraud finding
A New York court found Trump and other defendants liable for fraud involving financial statements used in business dealings. In 2025, an appellate court affirmed the fraud liability finding, while the litigation over remedies continued through appeals. (New York State Attorney General)
Sources:
New York Attorney General — Original Civil Fraud Judgment
New York Attorney General — 2025 Appellate Decision
🏛️ Historically Unusual Presidency
Trump is the only U.S. president impeached twice.
His first impeachment involved allegations that he abused presidential power and obstructed Congress in connection with Ukraine.
His second followed January 6 and charged him with incitement of insurrection.
The Senate acquitted him in both trials, meaning neither impeachment resulted in conviction and removal.
Sources:
U.S. Senate — Trump First Impeachment Trial
U.S. Senate — Trump Second Impeachment Trial
🗳️ The 2020 Election & January 6
After losing the 2020 election, Trump publicly maintained that widespread fraud had deprived him of victory.
The House January 6 Committee concluded after its investigation that Trump continued spreading false election-fraud allegations despite senior advisers, campaign officials and government officials telling him the claims were unsupported. It documented efforts involving state officials, the Justice Department, Vice President Mike Pence and alternate electoral certificates. (GovInfo)
The committee ultimately concluded:
“the central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump”
That is the committee's finding, not a criminal verdict. (GovInfo)
Primary evidence and testimony:
U.S. Government Publishing Office — January 6 Committee Collection
🗣️ Truth & Presidential Communication
The Washington Post Fact Checker created a database tracking Trump's statements during his first presidency.
It recorded:
30,573 false or misleading claims
across four years—about 21 per day on average. (The Washington Post)
The frequency increased substantially:
Year 1 → ~6/day
Year 2 → ~16/day
Year 3 → ~22/day
Year 4 → ~39/day (The Washington Post)
This is a news organization's fact-checking database, not an official government statistic, and methodological differences make exact president-to-president comparisons difficult.
Source & methodology:
Washington Post — Trump's 30,573 False or Misleading Claims
📜 Presidential Power
Trump's second presidency has also been unusually aggressive in its early use of executive authority.
On his first day back in office in 2025, Trump issued 41 executive orders, substantive proclamations and memoranda, according to the American Presidency Project's historical comparison.
Biden issued 14 comparable directives on his first day in 2021.
Recent presidents before them generally issued 0–1. (The American Presidency Project)
Historical comparison:
American Presidency Project — Trump's First 100 Days
💰 Tariffs & Prices
Trump dramatically expanded tariffs during his second administration.
Tariffs are taxes imposed on imported goods. Although foreign exporters can sometimes absorb part of the cost, tariffs can also raise costs for U.S. importers, businesses and consumers.
By July 2026, the Federal Reserve reported that tariff increases had contributed to higher domestic prices for some consumer goods. (Federal Reserve)
Over the 12 months ending May 2026:
PCE inflation: 4.1%
One year earlier:
2.5%
However, tariffs were not the only cause. The Fed also identified the 2026 Middle East conflict and resulting energy-price increases as contributors. (Federal Reserve)
Source:
Federal Reserve — July 2026 Monetary Policy Report
📊 How Does Trump Compare With Other Presidents?
As of Pew's July 2026 survey:
34% approved of Trump's job performance.
At approximately comparable stages:
Trump, second term — 34%
Biden — 37%
Obama — 47%
Clinton — 45%
Reagan — 42%
Historical comparisons aren't perfect because presidents face different economic conditions, wars and political environments. (Pew Research Center)
Full historical data:
Pew Research Center — Trump Approval in Historical Perspective
🔴🔵 Political Division
American polarization began long before Trump.
But presidential approval under Trump became extraordinarily divided by party.
Across Trump's first term:
86% of Republicans approved.
6% of Democrats approved.
That was an approximately 80-point partisan gap. (Pew Research Center)
During his second term so far, Pew calculates an approximately:
78-point average partisan gap
Again among the widest recorded in more than seven decades of presidential-approval polling. (Pew Research Center)
For comparison, Pew calculates administration-wide gaps of approximately:
Trump I — 80 points
Trump II so far — 78
Biden — 71
Obama — 67
Clinton — 53
Reagan — 52
Eisenhower — 39 (Pew Research Center)
Trump did not create American polarization.
But the data show that the political environment surrounding his presidencies has been among the most intensely partisan of the modern polling era.
Source:
Pew — Partisan Gap in Presidential Approval
🧭 Trust, Ethics & Government
In April 2026, Pew asked Americans how they thought ethics and honesty in the federal government had changed during Trump's second term.
56% — fallen
24% — stayed about the same
19% — risen
Views were sharply partisan: 37% of Republicans said ethics had risen and 23% said it had fallen; 88% of Democrats said it had fallen. (Pew Research Center)
Another Pew survey found:
48% trusted Trump's statements less than previous presidents.
32% trusted him more.
19% said about the same. (Pew Research Center)
These are measures of public perception, not objective measurements of government ethics.
Sources:
Pew — Ethics and Honesty Under Trump
Pew — How Americans View Trump's Governing
📉 Even MAGA Isn't One Group
Trump continues to have strong support among many Republican constituencies, but support is not uniform.
Between February 2025 and July 2026, Pew found approval changed substantially among different right-leaning groups.
For example:
“No Apologies Right”
100% → 89%
“Faith First Conservatives”
94% → 77%
“Unconventional Right”
78% → 51%
“Pragmatic and Polite Right”
50% → 34% (Pew Research Center)
This is important because MAGA, Republican, conservative and Trump voter are not interchangeable categories.
Source:
Pew — Political Groups and Trump Approval, 2026
🧠 What Has Changed Since 2015?
The evidence supports several conclusions without requiring a partisan interpretation:
Political polarization intensified.
Trump transformed the Republican Party and built a durable political movement centered heavily around his personal leadership.
Presidential communication became more direct, combative and social-media-driven.
Disputes over elections, executive authority, immigration, institutions, media and the justice system became central political dividing lines.
Public opinion of Trump has remained unusually divided by party.
At the same time, Trump has maintained a large and committed political coalition—enough to win the presidency in 2016 and 2024—and many supporters say they value his willingness to challenge political institutions and conventional presidential behavior.
That is part of the story too.
🔎 Don't Let This Page Tell You What to Think
If someone says Trump is “the best president in history,” ask for measurable evidence.
If someone says Trump is “the worst president in history,” ask for measurable evidence.
If someone says something happened because of Trump, ask:
Compared with what?
Look at:
Before vs. after
Trump vs. other presidents
Policy vs. outcome
Court allegation vs. court finding
Polling vs. measurable behavior
Correlation vs. causation
Campaign statement vs. government action
Then open the sources yourself.
Evidence over loyalty. Evidence over outrage. Evidence over misinformation.
You don't have to hate Donald Trump to scrutinize his record.
You don't have to support Donald Trump to understand why millions of Americans do.