It’s not easy to judge a president. It’s tempting to hold the ones you dislike to a higher standard while making excuses for the mistakes of the ones you like.

That’s why at the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, I settled on a handful of benchmarks to measure how he’s doing.

The goal was to periodically provide an interim answer to Ronald Reagan’s famous response to a 1980 debate question about judging the incumbent president:

“Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe? That we’re as strong as we were four years ago?”

As 2025 draws to a close, it’s a good time to check on how Trump’s doing. On the two core economic questions, the results are mixed so far: Inflation is a little lower, but unemployment is a little higher.

But other benchmarks paint a troubling picture for the next three years: The national debt is higher than ever, America is held in lower regard by other countries, and polls show that Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going.

Read Ryan Teague Beckwith’s assessment of Trump’s first year in office here.

A Gallup poll in December found only 24% of Americans said they were satisfied with “the way things are going” in the U.S. right now, down from 38% in May but still above the low of 18% under President Joe Biden.

Here are some highlights of the president’s actions over the last seven days:

The news can feel overwhelming. But each week, we pause to highlight a person, organization or movement sticking up for their principles or their fellow Americans. This week’s challenger is late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

Since 1993, the U.K.’s Channel 4 has aired an “alternative Christmas message” meant to be a thought-provoking contrast to the monarch’s annual speech. In past years, speakers have included everyone from whistleblower Edward Snowden to actor Stephen Fry. As this year’s speaker, Kimmel touched on Trump’s feud with his show, saying the president acts like he’s a king. “From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” he said. “Tyranny is booming over here.” He also urged the U.K. not to give up on its special relationship with the U.S. despite its current “wobble.” “We are a right mess, and we know this is also affecting you, and I just wanted to say sorry,” he said. 

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