Americans blame Trump and GOP more than Democrats for shutdown, poll finds

[Zorro]

Independents hold Trump and Republicans responsible for the shutdown by a 2-1 margin, according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos.

More Americans blame President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress than Democrats for the nearly month-long government shutdown, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.

More than 4 in 10 U.S. adults — 45 percent — say Trump and the GOP are mainly responsible for the shutdown that may lead the government to cut off anti-hunger benefits, has caused air traffic delays and has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

Yet the share saying Democrats are at fault has grown slightly, from 30 percent in a Post flash poll when the shutdown began to 33 percent in the latest poll. Among registered voters, 37 percent now blame Democrats, while 46 percent blame Republicans.

Americans are generally worried about shuttered government agencies, the poll found. Three-quarters of U.S. adults say they are “very” or “somewhat concerned” about the shutdown, including 87 percent of voters who described themselves as “liberal” and 62 percent of those who said they are “conservative.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/30/trump-shutdown-blame-poll/