Copyright Staten Island Advance
President Donald Trump’s approval rating is immune to the blame Americans put on the Republican Party for the federal government shutdown, according to a new poll. Trump’s approval rating, which stands at 42%, improved by 2 percentage points in the Reuters/Ipsos poll. The survey, which was conducted over six days and completed on Monday, had Trump’s approval rating at 40% earlier this month. Since early April, the president’s approval rating has hovered between 40% and 44% in the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Trump’s improvement in the poll came as Americans cast the most blame over the government shutdown at the GOP. Half of respondents blamed the Republican Party for the shutdown, followed by the Democratic Party at 43%. Seven percent did not answer the question. The shutdown, which began Oct. 1 after Congress could not approve a spending plan on that date, entered its third week on Tuesday with no end in sight. Senate Republicans arrived at the White House on Tuesday — not for urgent talks on how to end the shutdown, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands, the Associated Press reported. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the White House meeting a “pep rally” and said it’s “shameful” that House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the House out of town during the shutdown. Schumer says his side wants to end the shutdown and fix the health care premium crisis that “looms over 20 million hardworking Americans.” The meeting at the White House appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution, with Senate Republicans dug in and Senate Democrats insistent on voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans engage them.
