Trump, not Dems, owns the shutdown, poll says
President gets biggest blame, but 82 percent say they aren’t affected
By a wide margin, Americans blame the longest government shutdown in U.S. history on President Donald Trump, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll published Sunday.
The partial shutdown affects about a quarter of the U.S. government and approximately 800,000 federal workers. Now in its fourth week, the shutdown is the result of an impasse between the president and congressional Democrats over funding for a border wall, which Trump promised during the 2016 campaign.
When asked, “Who do you think is mainly responsible for this situation?” 53 percent of Americans told pollsters they blamed Trump and congressional Republicans. A much smaller 29 percent blamed Democrats and an additional 13 percent said both sides were equally responsible. Four percent had no opinion.
On Saturday, Trump indicated during a Fox News interview that he believed that he, not the Democrats, was winning the battle for public opinion over the shutdown and the wall.
“I’m ready, willing and able to get a deal done. But they don’t,” he said, referring to congressional Democrats. “They think it’s politics. I think it’s bad politics. This country wants to have protection at the border.”
Unsurprisingly, there was a wide partisan divide in opinion. While 85 percent of Democrats blamed Trump and congressional Republicans, 68 percent of Republican voters blamed
congressional Democrats. Among Republicans, 15 percent blamed Trump and their own party and another 15 percent blamed both sides equally. Independents blamed Trump and Republicans over Democrats by a 30point margin.
Respondents essentially were split on whether Democrats should reach a compromise that included funding of Trump’s wall in order to reopen the government. Forty-eight percent said to continue denying the president’s request, even if it extended the shutdown, while 45 percent said they should compromise to end it.
A majority, 54 percent, said they oppose the construction of a border wall, while 42 percent said they favor it. Among those who support the wall, 52 percent said the president should keep demanding the funds even if it prolongs the shutdown. Forty-one percent favored compromise.
Trump had floated using the powers granted to the president. Two-thirds of respondents said they opposed such a move. Twenty-four percent said the border amounts to a “crisis” while 47 percent said it is “a serious problem, but not a crisis” and 26 percent said it is not a serious problem.
Although 82 percent said the shutdown has not affected them, 38 percent said the shutdown would constitute a “crisis” if it continues and an additional 41 percent said it would be a serious problem but not a crisis. Eighteen percent said an ongoing shutdown would not be a serious problem.
The poll of 788 Americans was conducted Jan. 8-11 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.
Twenty-four percent said the border situation amounts to a “crisis” while 47 percent said it is “a serious problem, but not a crisis.”