The United States has entered the second week of its government shutdown, but so far there has been no mention of an end date.
President Donald Trump has said the blame lies with Democrats who have stuck to their demands for expanded health care coverage. But polls show Americans more often blame Republicans and Trump than Congressional Democrats for the government shutdown.
Along with the closure, it’s been a busy week. National Guard troops were deployed to Chicago, but the move was temporarily blocked by a federal judge. President Trump announced that Israeli and Hamas leaders had agreed to the first phase of a peace deal, and learned that he would not win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, which he had long desired. The White House instead accused the Nobel committee of putting “politics over peace.”
What do his voters think of his time in office? Here’s what you need to know about his approval ratings.
The Economist/YouGov: Americans lean toward blaming Republicans for government shutdown
A poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov from October 4-6 found President Trump’s approval rating at 39%. The poll was conducted among 1,648 American adults and had a margin of error of about 3.5 percentage points.
The poll also found that Americans are more likely to blame Republicans and President Trump than Congressional Democrats (41% vs. 30%), and 23% say both parties are equally responsible. The poll found that among respondents who could accurately identify which party controls the majority in Congress, 49% blamed Republicans and 34% blamed Democrats.
Reuters/Ipsos: National Guard deployment unpopular
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted October 3-7 showed Trump’s approval rating at 40%. The poll was conducted among 1,154 adults nationwide and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
The poll also found that 58% of Americans say the president should only send in the military to counter external threats. President Trump has deployed the National Guard to U.S. cities he says have been high in crime over the past few months. Hundreds of troops arrived in suburban Chicago earlier this week, but their deployment was temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
President Trump’s approval rating is lower than other presidents
A Gallup poll conducted September 2-16 found that 40% of people approve of President Trump’s job performance, unchanged from the previous month.
Trump’s approval rating as the 45th and 47th president in September, his first year in office, was lower than that of any other modern president during the same period, according to a historical analysis by Gallup. According to Gallup, his September confirmation compares to other presidents’ first-year September approvals.
- Joe Biden (September 2021) – 43% support
- President Trump (September 2017) – 37% approve
- Barack Obama (September 2009) – 52% approve
- George W. Bush (September 2001) – 76% approve
- Bill Clinton (September 1993) – 50% approve
- George H.W. Bush (September 1989) – 70% approved
- Ronald Reagan (September 1981) – 52% approved
How has President Trump’s average approval rating changed this term?
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 aggregator.
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. Trump’s lowest approval rating of his term is 43%, which he first reached on August 21, according to the Times.
As of October 10, President Trump’s average approval rating is 45.3%, according to RealClearPolitics, and 43% according to the New York Times.
Contributors: Katherine Palmer, Sudiksha Kochi, america today
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).
