President Donald Trump appears to be in no hurry to resolve the ongoing government shutdown, according to analysis by CNN’s Harry Enten.
That’s because, according to the CNN data analyst, it doesn’t seem to be hurting him politically as much as it is hurting Democrats. In fact, Enten says, Trump’s faring well.
Enten compared Trump’s current net approval rating to his standing during the 2018–2019 shutdown, noting that at a similar point in that earlier standoff, Trump’s approval had already declined by three percentage points and “would fall considerably more.”
In contrast, Enten said the current shutdown has so far had no measurable impact on Trump’s overall support and in fact, he’s even up by a point.
“This shutdown hasn’t eaten into Donald Trump support at all. His net approval rating is actually up a point in terms of his popular support,” Enten said. “So the bottom line is this: the first shutdown during Trump’s first term, 2018-2019, was hurting Donald Trump. This one is not hurting him at all. There’s no real reason Donald Trump might say, at least when it comes to popular support, ‘I want to get out of this shutdown.’”
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Enten said Trump’s approval ratings have remained stable because fewer Americans hold him responsible for the current government shutdown than during his first term. During the 2018–2019 shutdown, 61 percent of respondents blamed Trump for the impasse, compared with 48 percent now, according to Enten.
“Again, it’s no real wonder that Donald Trump, at this point, looking at the shutdown, says, ‘You know what? It’s not actually harming me politically,’ in large part, because he’s getting less of the blame,” Enten said.
It also needs to be noted that Congress is responsible for passing funding bills — not the president. So it’s unclear why he would ever get the blame.
Democrats have pledged to block any spending legislation that fails to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year’s end, while Republicans have so far declined to negotiate a bipartisan agreement to end the shutdown.
With only slim majorities in Congress, Republicans would need support from several Senate Democrats to pass a short-term funding measure to reopen the government — meaning they, not Republicans, are now responsible for the ongoing shutdown.
And it appears to be helping the GOP more than it is harming them.
House Republicans have reported record fundraising totals as the government shutdown continues, bringing in nearly $24 million between July and September, according to newly released figures.
More than half of that amount—about $13.95 million—was raised in September alone, as the GOP prepared for an intense political showdown over federal spending. That dispute has since deepened into a prolonged stalemate, leaving Washington at a standstill and the government closed for 20 days.
The National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) September fundraising surge marked its strongest performance for that month in a non-election year, increasing about 50 percent compared with September 2024.
According to a Fox News report, the committee now holds $46 million in cash on hand and has raised a total of $93 million so far in 2025.
NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) attributed the fundraising surge to strong grassroots enthusiasm and growing confidence in the Republican Party’s agenda as it heads into the 2026 midterm elections.
“House Republicans are firing on all cylinders,” Hudson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our majority funded the federal government, and we’re delivering for working families and building unstoppable momentum heading into 2026.”