WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Approval of the way President Donald Trump is managing the government has dropped sharply since early in his second term, according to a new AP-NORC poll, with much of the rising discontent coming from fellow Republicans.<\/p>\n
The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research<\/a> was conducted after Democrats\u2019 recent victories in off-year elections<\/a> but before Congress took major steps to try to end the longest shutdown<\/a> in U.S. history. It shows that only 33% of U.S. adults approve of the way the Republican president is managing the government, down from 43% in an AP-NORC poll from March<\/a>.<\/p>\n That was driven in large part by a decline in approval among Republicans and independents. According to the survey, only about two-thirds of Republicans, 68%, said they approve of Trump\u2019s government management, down from 81% in March. Independents\u2019 approval dropped from 38% to 25%.<\/p>\n The results highlight the risks posed by the shutdown, which Trump and his administration have tried to pin squarely on Democrats, even as U.S. adults have cast blame on both parties<\/a> as the funding lapse has snarled air traffic, left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks and compromised food aid for some of the most vulnerable Americans. But it could also indicate broader discontent with Trump\u2019s other dramatic \u2014 and polarizing \u2014 changes to the federal government in recent months, including gutting agencies and directing waves of mass layoffs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s approval on government management erodes among Republicans <\/p>\n Republicans have generally been steadfast in their support for the president, making their growing displeasure particularly notable.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thoroughly disturbed by the government shutdown for 40-something days,\u201d said Beverly Lucas, 78, a Republican and retired educator who lives in Ormond Beach, Florida, and compared Trump\u2019s second term to \u201chaving a petulant child in the White House, with unmitigated power.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people are hungry, he had a party,\u201d she said, referring to a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party held at Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. \u201cI thought he seems callous.\u201d<\/p>\n The survey found an overwhelming majority of Democrats, 95%, continue to disapprove of Trump\u2019s management of the federal government, compared with 89% in March.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s overall approval holds steady<\/p>\n Even with the decline in support for his management of the government, Trump\u2019s overall approval rating has remained steady in the new poll. About one-third of U.S. adults, 36%, approve of his overall handling of the presidency, roughly in line with 37% in an October AP-NORC poll. Approval of his handling of key issues like immigration and the economy have also barely changed since last month.<\/p>\n Health care emerged as a key issue in the shutdown debate as Democrats demanded<\/a> that Republicans negotiate with them to extend tax credits that expire Jan. 1. But Trump\u2019s approval on the issue, which was already fairly low, has barely changed.<\/p>\n About one-third, 34%, of Americans said they approved of Trump\u2019s handling of health care in the November poll, compared with 31% in October. <\/p>\n And many of his supporters are still behind him. Susan McDuffie, 74, a Republican who lives in Carson City, Nevada, and retired several years ago, said she has \u201cgreat confidence in Trump\u201d and thinks the country is on the right track. She blames Democrats for the shutdown and the suffering it\u2019s caused.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t understand how the Democrats can care so little about the people,\u201d she said, scoffing at the idea that Democrats were trying to use the shutdown to force Republicans to address soon-to-skyrocket health care costs.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have any patience for the Democrats and their lame excuses,\u201d she said, arguing that people who are scared about SNAP benefits<\/a> expiring and struggling to put food on the table are a more pressing issue. <\/p>\n Plenty of blame to go around <\/p>\n