Donald Trump Brags About Eliminating Over 270,000 Federal Jobs Since Taking Office for His Second Term
Donald Trump has often described himself as a “president for the workers” who protects the middle class, but new comments and figures are raising questions about that claim.
In a post on Truth Social on December 26, Trump proudly highlighted the sharp drop in federal government jobs under his leadership. He shared a screenshot from the White House Rapid Response account, which said that the number of jobs in the U.S. government is now at its lowest level since 2014. According to the post, around 271,000 federal positions have been eliminated. The account praised this as a success, saying, “Promises made, promises kept,” and Trump echoed that message by writing, “Big news for the USA!”
The announcement came as Trump continues his second term after winning the November 2024 presidential election against Kamala Harris. Trump previously served as president from 2017 to 2021, winning the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton before losing his 2020 re-election bid to Joe Biden.
Since returning to office, Trump has pushed for major cuts to the size of government. After his 2024 victory, he brought Elon Musk into the White House as a co-lead of a new body called the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. The idea behind DOGE was to shrink what Trump described as unnecessary parts of government and reduce bureaucracy. Trump said the goal was to create a smaller, more efficient government and signed an executive order allowing DOGE to operate through July 2026.
However, the future of DOGE later became unclear. Musk announced in May that he was stepping away from his role, shortly after publicly criticising Trump’s budget plans. Then in November, Scott Kupor, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, said DOGE no longer existed as a central organisation, according to a Reuters report.
While Trump celebrated job cuts in the federal government, the wider job picture in the U.S. remains mixed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in November stood at 4.6 percent, with about 7.8 million people out of work. A year earlier, unemployment was lower, at 4.2 percent, with 7.1 million people unemployed. The data shows that jobs increased in areas like healthcare and construction, but federal government employment continued to decline.
Public opinion on Trump’s performance also appears divided. A recent YouGov/Economist poll found that only 39 percent of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the presidency. Meanwhile, 57 percent said they disapprove, and 4 percent were unsure. The poll was based on responses from 1,592 U.S. adults of different backgrounds and was carried out between December 20 and December 22.
Despite Trump’s claims of standing up for workers and the middle class, the celebration of large-scale federal job cuts, rising unemployment compared to last year, and low approval ratings suggest many Americans remain unconvinced.
