Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:50 pm
The vast majority of Americans — including 42% of Donald Trump’s conservative base of voters — want the president to end the shutdown without a border wall according to a new INSIDER’s poll. These voters say that they want Trump to sign a bill passed by Congress that would reopen the parts of the U.S. government which he closed. They also said they do not want the bill he signs to include money he has demanded to start building a border wall with Mexico.
The new survey also shows that 52% of Americans blame Trump for the partial federal government shutdown. This is over three times the number (17%) who blame congressional Democrats for Trump’s shutdown.
At the same time, several polls taken this week have made very clear that the president’s disapproval ratings have skyrocketed to record high levels. Trump’s weakening poll numbers over time will significantly decrease the amount of leverage he brings to negotiations with Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats who want to end the shutdown as soon as possible.
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The INSIDER’s poll told participants about two bills being considered by the U.S. Senate which will be voted on today.
- The first bill “is backed by President Trump and includes $5.7 billion for a border wall.”
- The second bill “would simply extend funding for shuttered agencies through February 8 with no funding for a wall.”
Participants were then asked this question:
“Analysts say the wall bill will most likely fail. In the event the second passes, would you approve of the president signing it to reopen the government?”
Nearly 42% of voters who identify as “conservative” said they would approve of Trump signing the bill with no wall funding, and reopening the government. Nearly 70% of those who identify as liberal said they also would want Trump to sign the bill.
In the poll, 25% of all respondents identified themselves as being “very or somewhat conservative,” 27% identified themselves as being “very or somewhat liberal,” and 47% as either “slightly conservative or liberal,” or neither.
Neither bill being voted on today in the Senate is likely to gain the number of votes necessary to pass both chambers and make it to the president for signature. Although Republicans control the Senate, Democrats control the House, and the two sides have not reached agreement on anything.
So far Trump has said that he will refuse to sign any bill that comes to his desk without the $5.7 billion he has demanded to start construction of a border wall.
Recent polls have found that most Americans are tired of the president’s hardline tactics on the border wall issue and want him to re-open the government. A new CBS poll found that 70% of Americans said they didn’t think the fight over the wall is worth a government shutdown. That poll also found that 43% of Republican voters said they oppose keeping the government closed over the wall.
And a new Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 54% of Americans blame Trump and the GOP for the shutdown while just 32% blame Democrats.
The big news in this poll is that conservative and Republican voters are abandoning Trump and his GOP enablers in Congress. Every day that the shutdown continues more of these voters will agree that Trump should reopen the government without his border wall funding.
Trump is hurting America, and the American economy, and everybody knows it. The time has come for him to do the right thing and re-open the U.S. government.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
