Trump is losing ground in the shutdown polls, but winning over Republicans


President Trump may have changed his mind about welcoming responsibility for shutting down part of the federal government over his proposed border wall, but Americans are still sticking him and his party with most of the blame, according to two polls released Sunday. In a Washington Post/ABC News poll, 53 percent of respondents blamed Trump and the Republican Party for the shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, while 29 percent blamed Democrats and 13 percent blamed both sides. In a CNN/SSRS poll, 55 percent of American adults blamed Trump and the GOP, 32 percent blamed Democrats, and 9 percent blamed both sides equally.
Trump and the GOP "are losing the messaging war on the government shutdown," Politico reports, but only among Democrats, independents, and white voters without a college education. Almost 7 in 10 Republicans blame Democrats for the shutdown in the Washington Post/ABC poll, but GOP support for building a border wall has increased by 16 percentage points since last January, to 87 percent now from 71 percent a year ago. In the CNN poll, 8 in 10 Republicans back a wall. Overall, in the CNN poll, 56 percent of Americans oppose the wall and 39 percent support it; in the Post/ABC poll, 54 percent oppose the wall versus 42 percent who support it.
Trump's poll numbers have also taken a hit amid the shutdown, the CNN poll found. His approval rating remained steady at 37 percent, but his disapproval number rose 5 percentage points since December, to 57 percent. Much of that rise in disapproval came from whites without college degrees, among whom he is now underwater for the first time in a year, with 45 percent approving and 47 percent disapproving. This group also blames Trump over Democrats for the shutdown, 45 percent to 39 percent.
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.
The Post-ABC poll was conducted via phone Jan. 8-11 among 788 Americans nationwide, and its margin of sampling error is ±4.5 percentage points. The CNN/SSRS poll was conducted Jan. 10-11 among 848 adults nationwide, and its margin of sampling error is ±4.1 points.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in 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.
-
The strange phenomenon of beard transplants
In The Spotlight Inquiries for the procedure have tripled since 2020, according to one clinician, as prospective patients reportedly seek a more 'masculine' look
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 26, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 26, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Judge: Nazis treated better than Trump deportees
speed read U.S. District Judge James Boasberg reaffirmed his order barring President Donald Trump from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US officials share war plans with journalist in group chat
Speed Read Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal conversation about striking Yemen
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Canada's Mark Carney calls snap election
speed read Voters will go to the polls on April 28 to pick a new government
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk set to earn billions from Trump administration
Speed Read Musk's company SpaceX will receive billions in federal government contracts in the coming years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reports: Musk to get briefed on top secret China war plan
Speed Read In a major expansion of Elon Musk's government role, he will be briefed on military plans for potential war with China
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump signs order to end Education Department
Speed Read The move will return education 'back to the states where it belongs,' the president says
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump pauses $175M for Penn over trans athlete
Speed Read The president is withholding federal funds from the University of Pennsylvania because it once allowed a transgender swimmer to compete
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump purports to 'void' Biden pardons
Speed Read Joe Biden's pardons of Jan. 6 committee members are not valid because they were done by autopen, says Trump
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published