Eight days into the US shutdown, Trump’s approval rating remains stable; Republicans and Democrats blame each other.

The partial government shutdown in the US has been in effect for eight days since October 1st. This crisis arose because Congress failed to pass a new budget by the September 30th deadline. Democrats are refusing to cooperate in passing the budget unless health insurance subsidies are increased, while Republicans and President Donald Trump want the budget passed without these subsidies. So far, no concrete progress has been made toward ending this impasse. According to analyst G. Elliot Morris, opinion polls place Republicans and Trump at a 6- to 17-point greater level of blame for the shutdown than Democrats.

In a YouGov poll for CBS News, 40-28 percent said Democrats were in no position to force a shutdown, while 45-23 percent said the same for Republicans. According to analyst Nate Silver’s US national survey average, Trump’s approval rating is low at minus (-) 9.4 percent, with 52.7 percent disapproving of him and 43.3 percent approving of him. His approval rating dropped two points at the end of September, but the shutdown has not yet affected it.

Trump’s net approval ratings on various issues are: 4.7 on immigration, 15.3 on the economy, 15.6 on trade, and 27.4 on inflation. However, his approval ratings on trade and inflation have increased slightly in the past two weeks. All seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be at stake in the November 2026 midterm elections. Morris’s average survey shows Democrats leading Republicans 44.9-42.1. Democrats have been leading by a narrow margin since April.

In polls conducted before the shutdown began, Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer’s popularity was at -20.5, making him the least popular of the six major party leaders (behind Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and the House leaders of both parties). Schumer’s low popularity is due to his weak support among his own voters. Pressure is mounting within the party for him to take a tougher stance against Trump. If Democrats are seen as yielding, Schumer will be held responsible.