Polling: Trump is winning the Schumer Shutdown

According to recent polling by multiple institutions, President Donald Trump's public perception has been unscathed by the shutdown despite Democratic Party messaging that he and his party are to blame. 

Data show Trump's approval ratings have either held steady or slightly improved during the ongoing government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history at over three weeks. 

Newsweek's tracker has Trump's approval at its highest point since August 21, at 45%, but that publication does not readily provide information about the number of people polled, by what means, and what the margin of error is. A Morning Consult poll from October 17-19 shows Trump's approval at its highest point since the end of August at 46% approval. That poll consisted of 1,984 registered voters online. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of registered voters based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Pollster: "Approval holding steady"

Just The News spoke with public opinion pollster Scott Rasmussen who said, "For 29 straight weeks, he [Trump] has been within two points of the 50% mark, sometimes in a low point, it slips down to 48%, sometimes up to 52%. Most of the time, right around 50%." 

Rasmussen, who is the President of RMG Research, spoke about the consistency of the ratings and added, "There was an initial honeymoon that faded, and nobody's really changed their mind. The President's job approval is almost identical to his share of the popular vote. He got just under 50% of the vote, and that's where his approval has been holding steady." 

This resilience, despite historical trends that typically hurt incumbents during shutdowns, is likely due to Trump's strong support among the Republican Party, cultural appeal, and a polarized electorate, with only 48% of Americans blaming him primarily compared to 61% in the 2018-19 shutdown. 

A YouGov/Economist poll last week also showed improvement in Trump's net approval with a bump of two points from -17 to -15. However, each of these polls was conducted prior to this week's controversy over the partial demolition of the White House's East Wing. That poll consisted of 1,648 U.S. adult citizens online from October 4–6, 2025, with a margin of error ±3.4%.

Successful messaging and the "Schumer Shutdown"

This time around, Trump's 2.0 White House is on offense in many areas, but most notably the recent shift of shutdown blame to Democrats, in particular, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Nearly every administration official and Trump ally refers to the "Schumer Shutdown," or the "Democrat-led shutdown" in public appearances.

The messaging is ubiquitous, and it's not only coming from human sources, but digital ones as well. When one calls the many White House phone lines, a message, voiced by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, says, "Hello, America, this is White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ... Democrats and Congress have shut down the federal government because they care more about funding healthcare for illegal immigrants than they care about serving you, the American people. Until Democrats vote for the clean Republican-backed continuing resolution to reopen the government, the White House is unable to answer your call. We look forward to hearing from you again very soon and in the meantime, please know President Trump will never stop fighting for you. Thank you and God bless you."

Furthermore, several federal agencies are issuing statements attributing the ongoing government shutdown to Democratic senators. For instance, the Department of Labor sent a message to its employees, suggesting wording for a potential out-of-office notification. It said the "template language" was provided by the Office of Management and Budget:

"Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate, which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations, I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume."

Sen: Clark was "saying the quiet part out loud"

The Democratic Party's responses have not met with a happy fate, and became the subject of derision and outrage almost as quickly as they were rolled out.

On Wednesday, a clip began circulating that showed House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the chamber, in a Fox News interview stating that while "shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will be... families that are going to suffer," the crisis represents "one of the few leverage times we have" for Democrats to push priorities like affordable healthcare. 

Clark's revelation was strongly rebuked on Tuesday by several congressional Republicans and also played in the White House press briefing room.

Clark framed the standoff as an "inflection point" where Republicans have refused to negotiate despite controlling Congress and the White House, allowing Democrats to use the economic hardship—impacting federal workers, troops, and essential services—as bargaining power to force concessions. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also made comments that stirred up controversy when he said that "every day [the government shutdown continues] gets better for Democrats." 

Both remarks drew sharp backlash from Republicans, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who accused Clark of saying "the quiet part out loud" by treating American suffering as a political tool, and from the White House, which labeled it a "sick" admission of weaponizing families' pain for partisan gain.