Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped again after a "momentary uptick," according to pollster Nate Silver.
Silver's tracker shows that Trump's approval rating stands at 43.8 percent, while 53.1 percent disapprove, for a net approval rating of -9.2 points.
But that is down from last week, when his net approval rating stood at -7.6 percent.
Why It Matters
Trump’s slipping approval rating suggests that recent gains in public support may have been short-lived, potentially signaling voter fatigue or backlash against the ongoing government shutdown.
What To Know
Trump's approval rating had ticked up in the last couple of weeks, despite the ongoing government shutdown, which began on October 1.
In a post on X, Silver explained that this was an unusual trend. “Trump's approval rating has actually improved a tick during the shutdown, which is pretty unusual as these things go,” he wrote.
According to FiveThirtyEight, past government shutdowns have often caused a dip in public support. During the 1995–1996 standoff, for example, President Bill Clinton’s Gallup approval fell from about 51 percent to the low 40s before recovering once the shutdown ended.
But that seemingly did not initially apply to Trump's ratings. Newsweek's tracker in the two weeks following the start of the shutdown saw Trump's net approval go from -11 points to -6 points.
But like Silver's tracker, Newsweek's tracker now shows Trump's approval rating has dropped again, to -11 points, as the shutdown drags on.
It comes as the shutdown has become the second-longest funding lapse in history, dwarfed only by the 2018-19 shutdown during Trump's first term.
American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley on Monday urged the Senate to "pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today" as federal employees missed their first full paycheck last week.
"No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay - today," Kelley said as per the BBC. Around 670,000 federal workers have been furloughed since the shutdown began.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he wasn't "100 percent sure" if members of the military would get paid this week.
The Department of Agriculture said on Monday that food aid would not go out on November 1, warning that "the well has run dry" for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which more than 40 million Americans rely on.
"People are scared," Central Pennsylvania Food Bank CEO Shila Ulrich said, according to CBS News. "It's a moment where people don't know and understand what's about to happen, whether or not they'll get those benefits should the government open back up, or when."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned earlier this month that the shutdown was “starting to affect” the U.S. economy. “This is getting serious. It’s starting to affect the real economy. It’s starting to affect people’s lives,” he told Fox News.
Analysts estimate the shutdown could trim U.S. economic growth by about 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points for each week it lasts, while the Treasury warned it may cost the economy roughly $15 billion per week.
What People Are Saying
Pollster Nate Silver said: "Trump’s job approval is down from where it was last week (net -7.6), but that was the tail end of what now looks like a momentary uptick. One month ago, Trump had a net approval rating of -9.4. That’s pretty much identical to where he is today. In fact, Trump’s approval rating has been so stable that even though it fell much more quickly than Joe Biden’s early in their respective terms, the two aren’t very far off today. On day 281 of Biden’s term, his net approval rating was -8.2. That’s only 1 point higher than Trump’s."
What Happens Next
The shutdown has now entered its 28th day, with no end in sight. A 13th vote on a House-passed deal to end the shutdown has not yet been scheduled.
SOURCE : newsweek.com