WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AP-NORC poll shows approval of President Donald Trump’s handling of government has dropped sharply since the start of his second term, with growing dissatisfaction mostly coming from fellow Republicans.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was conducted after Democrats won the off-year election. But that was before Congress took any major action. in an effort to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The report shows that only 33% of U.S. adults Only approve of how the Republican president handles government, down from 43% in an AP-NORC poll in March.
This has largely been driven by declining approval among Republicans and independents. The survey found that only about two-thirds of Republicans, or 68%, said they approve of Trump’s administration, down from 81% in March. Independent agency approval dropped from 38% to 25%.
The results highlight the risks posed by the shutdown. Trump and his administration are trying their hardest to fixate on Democrats. Although adults in the United States Both sides will be blamed. Due to lack of funds, air traffic is congested. This left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without a paycheck. and affecting food assistance for some of the most vulnerable Americans. But it may also indicate broader dissatisfaction with dramatic change and other polarization. of Trump’s response to the federal government in recent months. This includes various agencies. that were cut off and controlled by mass layoffs
Approval of the Trump administration has eroded among Republicans.
Republicans have generally been steadfast in their support for the president. This makes them more and more dissatisfied.
Beverly Lucas, 78, 78-year-old Republican and retired educator A resident of Ormond Beach, Florida, said, “I am deeply distressed by the 40-day government shutdown and compare Trump’s second term to “There is a scumbag in the White House with unmitigated power.”
“When people are hungry He threw a party,” she said, referring to the Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. “I think he looks mean.”
The poll found that an overwhelming majority of Democrats, 95%, still disapprove of Trump’s federal administration, compared to 89% in March.
Trump’s overall approval remains stable.
This is despite the fact that support for his government administration has decreased. But Trump’s overall approval rating remains steady in new polls. About a third of U.S. adults, or 36%, approve of his overall handling of the presidency. That’s close to 37% in the AP-NORC survey from October. His approval of key issues such as immigration and the economy Hardly changed since last month.
Health care emerged as a key issue in the shutdown debate. As Democrats urged Republicans to negotiate with them to extend the tax credit that expires on January 1, Trump’s approval on the issue which is already quite low has hardly changed at all.
About a third, or 34%, of Americans said they approved of Trump’s handling of health care in a November poll, compared with 31% in October.
And many of his supporters are still behind him: Susan McDuffie, 74, a Republican who lives in Carson City, Nevada, and retired several years ago; said she had He has “a lot of confidence in Trump” and thinks the country is on the right track. She blames Democrats for the shutdown and the suffering it has caused.
“I just don’t understand why Democrats care so little about the people,” she said, scoffing at the idea that Democrats are trying to use the shutdown to force Republicans to deal with soon-to-be skyrocketing health costs.
“I have no patience for Democrats and their lame excuses,” she said, arguing that people who fear their SNAP benefits will expire and struggle to put food on the table are more pressing problems.
A lot of blame goes around.
When it’s time to shut down There are still many complaints. Recent polls indicate that while the Republican Party may be slightly more heated, But many people think Democrats are also at fault.
“I truly believe it is everyone. Everybody is stubborn,” said Nora Bailey, 33, a moderate who lives in the Batesville, Arkansas area and disagrees with either party.
She said that after giving birth recently, she faced delays in pumping breast milk through a government program that helps new mothers while her son was in the ICU. And she worries about disabled parents who rely on SNAP food stamp benefits.
Overall, she said she was confused by Trump’s handling of the event. and disagreed with his administration of the federal government. Because she believes he didn’t go far enough to deal with the garbage.
“I still don’t see enough done to tell me that we have downsized the federal government. Instead of having these surplus people,” she said.
It’s possible that Trump’s approval of managing the federal government will rebound if the government reopens. But this showdown may have a more lasting impact on the president’s perception. Economic and immigration approvals have dropped slightly since the spring.
Lucas, Republican of Florida It said shutting down the system without civilians being paid is the wrong way to deal with an ideological conflict.
“Air traffic controllers, do you really want to not pay people whose lives you live in your hands every day?” she said. “We need to deal with these conflicts like smart people. Not thugs and thugs on the playground.”
___ Colvin reported from New York.
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,143 adults was conducted Nov. 6-10 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.