Poll: Americans increasingly blame Trump for the shutdown, 25 percent back his negotiating position


No one is "winning" the fight over President Trump's border wall and the partial government shutdown it sparked, but Trump is losing, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday ahead of Trump's Oval Office address. A 51 percent majority of American adults say Trump "deserves most of the blame" for the shutdown, up 4 percentage points from the previous poll, conducted right before Christmas. Another 32 percent place most of the blame with congressional Democrats and 7 percent mostly fault congressional Republicans — largely unchanged from the last poll.
And the wall itself is increasingly unpopular, except among Republicans, the poll found. Overall, 41 percent of Americans support more border fencing — a drop of 12 points from a similar poll an early 2015, before Trump made it central to his campaign — and 35 percent support a congressional spending bill that funds Trump's wall. Only 25 percent back Trump's decision to shut down parts of the government until Congress appropriates his nearly $6 billion down payment on the wall. Among Republicans, 77 percent said they want additional fencing and 54 percent backed Trump's negotiating position.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted in English Jan. 1-7 among 2,203 U.S. adults, and it has a credibility interval of 2 percentage points.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump uses tariffs to upend Brazil's domestic politics
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By slapping a 50% tariff on Brazil for its criminal investigation into Bolsonaro, the Trump administration is brazenly putting its fingers on the scales of a key foreign election
-
3 questions to ask when deciding whether to repair or replace your broken appliance
the explainer There may be merit to fixing what you already have, but sometimes buying new is even more cost-effective
-
'Trump's authoritarian manipulation of language'
Instant Opinion Vienna has become a 'convenient target for populists' | Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling