Americans are placing blame on President Donald Trump and Republicans for the government shutdown, according to four independent, national polls, despite efforts by the GOP to blame Democrats.
However, polling also found that there is a significant share of voters who aren’t sure who to blame for the shutdown, which is now in its second day and has no end in sight, with both Republicans and Democrats sharpening their messaging.
A Washington Post poll conducted on Oct. 1 found that 47% of Americans blame Trump and Republicans in Congress, while 30% blame Democrats and 23% said they’re not sure.
The survey found that independents blamed Trump and Republicans over Democrats by a bigger margin of 50% to 22%. And a third of Republicans were either unsure who to blame at 25% or blamed their party (8%).
A New York Times/Siena poll taken in late September blamed both sides equally for a shutdown at 33%. 26% would blame Trump and Republicans, while 19% would blame Democrats, and 21% said they hadn’t heard enough about the shutdown to answer.
Polling from Marist, PBS News and NPR in late September found 38% blame Republicans, while 27% said they’d blame Democrats. Another 31% said they’d blame both parties equally.
A Morning Consult poll conducted in late September saw 45% of registered voters say they’d blame Republicans in Congress for a shutdown, while 32% said they’d blame Democrats. 16% had no opinion.
The new numbers come as Trump and the GOP sharpen their attacks, labeling the shutdown “the Democrat shutdown” on government websites. Meanwhile, the Democrats are labeling this the “Trump and Republican shutdown”.
Republicans say they won’t grant any concessions to Democrats simply to keep the government open, but are willing to discuss expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, which will cause health insurance premiums to go higher.
