Government Shutdown Enters Fourth Week Amid Party Tensions
The government shutdown is now in its fourth week, with Republicans and Democrats increasingly at odds. Yet, analysts from CNN suggest that one party might hold a distinct edge in this situation.
According to CNN analyst Harry Enten, President Donald Trump seems to be distancing himself from accountability for this shutdown compared to the previous one during his first term. He noted that, “There’s no real reason for Donald Trump to say, ‘I want to get out of this shutdown,’ at least when it comes to public support.”
Enten remarked that the current government shutdown feels fundamentally different from the one in 2018-19. Trump appears to be in a stronger position now. Interestingly, his net approval rating has actually risen slightly during this shutdown, while it dropped during the previous one. He pointed out that “the number of people who largely blamed him for the shutdown is now significantly lower than in 2018-19.”
In a video he shared, Enten discussed polling data around the shutdown. He highlighted that during the last shutdown, Trump saw his approval ratings fall about 3 points after 20 days, whereas this time, there’s been a 1% increase in his approval.
He summarized it quite simply: the earlier shutdown negatively impacted Trump, but this one hasn’t affected him in the same way. He reiterated that many voters aren’t placing blame on Trump for the current impasse.
To put things into perspective, seven years ago, a significant 61% of those surveyed criticized Trump for the government shutdown; now, that figure stands at only 48% for the current circumstance.
Enten remarked, “This is a different world… It’s not surprising that Trump perceives the shutdown as not hurting him politically,” attributing this mainly to his perceived lack of responsibility in the current situation.
Furthermore, Enten observed that Trump has been able to sidestep the legislative gridlock by signing a notably high number of executive orders—210 in his first year alone—the most for any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
