President Donald Trump will head to Asia this weekend as the U.S. government remains shut down for more than three weeks. While Congressional Democrats and Republicans repeatedly tried and failed to pass funding legislation, President Trump began demolishing the White House to make way for a $300 million ballroom, shocking preservationists as construction expanded to include the entire East Tower. Some Democratic lawmakers have called for President Trump to cancel his visit to North Korea in response to the government shutdown, but as of October 23, Trump’s visit remains on the schedule. According to Reuters, President Trump will head first to Malaysia, then to Japan and South Korea. What do people here stateside think about Trump and how he’s doing as president? Check out his latest approval ratings.
Shutdown week 3: More Americans criticize Republicans
A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed President Trump’s approval rating rose slightly to 42%, but within the poll’s margin of error. According to Reuters, it has hovered between 40% and 44% since the beginning of April. The poll was conducted between October 15th and 20th among 4,835 American adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Fifty percent of respondents believe Republican Congressional leadership is to blame for the government shutdown, while 43% believe Democrats are to blame.
The closure has been in place since October 1, so far the second longest closure in history.
YouGov: 53% disapprove of decision to demolish east building
A weekly poll by The Economist and YouGov found 39% approve of Trump’s job performance, while 56% disapprove. The poll was conducted among 1,621 people from October 17 to 20, and had a margin of error of about 3.5 percentage points. His approval rating fell slightly from the previous week.
A separate YouGov poll of 2,326 U.S. adults conducted on October 23 found that 53% disapproved of President Trump’s move to demolish the east wing of the White House, compared to 28% who disapproved.
What is President Trump’s overall average approval rating?
President Trump’s approval rating is a net negative, but has remained relatively stable over the past few months, according to an average based on RealClearPolitics and the New York Times aggregators.
According to graphics from RealClearPolitics, President Trump’s approval rating was 50.5% as of January 27th, making him net positive, but by March 13th, his approval rating was 47.8%, and his disapproval rating was 48.5%, making him net negative. The approval rating hit its lowest of 45.1% on April 29, but it declined near the 100th day of the Trump administration. On September 30, the day before the government shutdown began, the approval rating hit an all-time low of 44.8%.
According to a tally by the New York Times, President Trump’s approval rating fell from 52% in January to 44% in April, and has remained roughly flat since then. According to the Times, Trump’s lowest approval rating during his term was 43%, which he first reached on August 21, about 10 days after Trump took over Washington, D.C.
As of October 23, President Trump’s average approval rating is 45.3%, according to Real Clear Politics, and 43% according to the New York Times.
President Trump’s approval rating is lower than other presidents
A Gallup poll conducted from October 1 to 16 found that 41% of people approve of President Trump’s job performance, a slight increase from the previous month.
Trump’s approval ratings in his first October as the 45th and 47th president of the United States were lower than any other modern president during the same period, according to a historical analysis by Gallup. According to Gallup, his October approval compares to other presidents’ first year in office.
- Joe Biden (October 2021) – 42% support
- President Trump (October 2017) – 37% approve
- Barack Obama (October 2009) – 53% approve
- George W. Bush (October 2001) – 88% approved
- Bill Clinton (October 1993) – 48% support
- George H.W. Bush (September 1989) – 68% approve
- Ronald Reagan (September 1981) – 55% approved
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky (@kinseycrowley.bsky.social).
