Trump faces more shutdown blame, but Americans remain divided: poll
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President Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One on Oct. 5. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
More Americans disapprove of how Republicans and President Trump are handling the government shutdown than disapprove of congressional Democrats — but no one appears to be sailing smoothly in a new poll released Sunday.
The big picture: The government shutdown has prompted an avalanche of finger pointing and social media trolling. Americans appear divided on who should shoulder the blame, though several recent polls have showed more think the onus is on the GOP.
Driving the news: A majority of Americans, however, are at least somewhat concerned about a shutdown's effect on the economy, the military, federal employees and a range of other issues, according to a new CBS News-YouGov poll conducted at the beginning of this month.
- Thirty-nine percent of Americans blamed Trump and Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, compared to 30% who blamed the Democrats. Another 31% said both sides share the blame equally.
- Over half (52%) of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling the shutdown. Fifty-two percent also disapprove of congressional Republicans' handling of the lapse, with 49% disapproving of congressional Democrats' handling.
Zoom in: Just 23% say Republicans' positions are worth having a shutdown over. But Democrats aren't far ahead, with just 28% saying their positions warrant a shutdown. On both questions, 32% said they weren't sure.
- Asked what issues the shutdown was over, 36% said health care — the centerpiece of Democrats' argument.
- A recent poll from KFF found that majorities of Democrats (92%), independents (82%) and Republicans (59%) support extending those enhanced tax credits that Democrats demand be included in any government funding deal.
Catch up quick: The early days of the first shutdown since Trump's first term have sparked a partisan frenzy to control the message and boot the blame across the aisle. For the Trump administration, that blame blitz has included using government websites to air political grievances.
- A NPR-PBS News-Marist poll from late last month ahead of the funding deadline signaled Republicans would shoulder more of the blame than Democrats — though, like in the polling released Sunday, a significant slice said both parties are at fault.
- A Washington Post poll found that 47% blamed Trump and Republicans in Congress, compared to 30% who blamed Democrats on the Hill.
The bottom line: As the political standoff persists with no sign of easing, it could cause significant disruptions to daily life, especially for the government workers who won't get paid and are facing the threats of layoffs from the White House.
Methodology: This survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,441 U.S. adults interviewed between October 1-3. The margin of error is ±2.3 points.
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