Days Into Government Shutdown, Voters Are Blaming Trump and the GOP: Polls

Just days into the first government shutdown in nearly seven years, Democrats seem to be winning the messaging battle, according to a number of newly released polls. Republicans in Congress and the White House are getting more aggressive in their attempts to get a message across, but for now, they are bearing the brunt of the blame. Senate Democrats blocked a government funding deal on Tuesday night, which caused the shutdown at the start of the day on Wednesday. After being given another chance to vote the next day, they again blocked the legislation. It takes 60 votes in the Senate to pass the bill. Republican leaders plan to hold another vote on Friday, though it is not expected to pass. In the meantime, the opposition party is at a strong advantage in the political battle. For those voters who don’t pay close attention to politics or Senate procedure, it is easier to grasp the idea of Republicans being at fault for the shutdown because they control all branches of government. According to one poll from the Washington Post that was released Thursday, the GOP is broadly seen as being at fault for the funding lapse. The survey finds that 30 percent of Americans blame congressional Democrats, while 47 percent place blame with President Trump and the Republicans in Congress. About one-in-four voters say they are not sure. The Post compared those numbers to its September 2023 survey, when voters were asked who would be responsible for a shutdown as Congress was approaching the deadline to fund the government. That poll found 40 percent would have blamed President Biden and Democrats in Congress, while 33 percent would have blamed the GOP. Another well-respected outfit, the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, released results of its poll on Tuesday, just before the government shut down at the end of the day. That poll gave Democrats an 11-point advantage in the political battle, with 27 percent saying they would blame Democrats for a shutdown, 38 percent saying they would fault Republicans, and 31 percent saying both sides were equally to blame. The Democrats’ upper hand strengthens even more among key demographic groups. Among independents, Democrats have a 17-point advantage, with 19 percent of them saying they would blame the opposition party for a shutdown and 36 percent saying they would blame Republicans. A third poll conducted by Navigator Research found similar advantages for the minority party, though the survey was fielded about two weeks before the shutdown began. That poll found 26 percent of voters would blame the Democrats if there was a shutdown, while 45 percent would blame the GOP. Although Mr. Trump could lose the political battle if the shutdown continues apace and key government agencies are closed, he could be hoping to bring an end to this with sheer force. His White House budget chief, Russ Vought, is already canceling federal payments to Democratic-run states in the hopes that senators will fold on the next vote to keep the government open, which will take place Friday. Mr. Trump said Thursday morning that he was glad Democrats have given him this “unprecedented” opportunity to take aim at their own preferred government expenditures. “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Days Into Government Shutdown, Voters Are Blaming Trump and the GOP: Polls

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