President Donald Trump is headed to Asia this weekend as the U.S government remains shut down for more than three weeks.While Congressional Democrats and Republicans have tried and failed repeatedly to pass a funding bill, Trump has started demolition at the White House for his $300 million ballroom, shocking preservationists when work expanded to the entire East Wing. Several Democrats are calling for Trump to cancel his trip to address the shutdown, but as of Oct. 23, his trip is still on his schedule. Reuters reported Trump heads first to Malaysia, then to Japan and South Korea. What do people here at home in the U.S. think of Trump and how he’s doing as president? Check out his latest approval ratings.

Shutdown week 3: More Americans blame Republicans

Reuters/Ipsos poll found Trump's approval rating was up to 42%, up slightly but within the poll's margin of error. Reuters reported it has hovered between 40% and 44% since early April. The poll was conducted Oct. 15-20, surveying 4,835 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Fifty percent of respondents found Republican congressional leadership should be to blame for the shutdown, while 43% see Democrats as being responsible.

The shutdown has been going on since Oct. 1, and is so far the second-longest in history.

YouGov: 53% disapprove of decision to demolish East Wing

The weekly Economist/YouGov poll found 39% approved of Trump's job performance and 56% disapproved. The poll was taken Oct. 17-20 among 1,621 citizens, with a margin of error of approximately 3.5 percentage points. His approval was down slightly from the previous week.

In another YouGov poll taken Oct. 23 of 2,326 U.S. adults, 53% disapproved of Trump's move to demolish the East Wing of the White House, compared to 28% who approve.

What is Trump's average approval rating overall?

Averages based on RealClearPolitics and New York Times aggregators show Trump's approval rating is net negative but relatively stable over the last few months.

As of Jan. 27, 50.5% approved, giving Trump a net positive rating until March 13, when it flipped to net negative with 47.8% approval, compared to 48.5% disapproval, RealClearPolitics graphics show. The approval rating reached a low on April 29 at 45.1% approval, which fell around Trump's 100-day mark. It reached a new low on Sept. 30, the day before the government shutdown started, at 44.8% approving.

The New York Times aggregator showed Trump's approval fell from 52% approval in January to 44% approval in April, and has mostly held steady since. According to the Times, Trump's term low is 43% approval, which he first reached on Aug. 21, about 10 days into Trump's federal takeover of Washington, DC.

As of Oct. 23, Trump's average approval is 45.3%, according to RealClearPolitics, and 43% on average, according to the New York Times.

Trump's approval rating is low compared to other presidents

In a Gallup poll conducted from Oct 1-16, 41% approved of Trump's job performance, up slightly from the previous month.

A historical analysis by Gallup shows Trump's approval ratings in October of his first years in office − both as the 45th and 47th presidents − are lower than any other modern president at the same time in their administrations. Here is how his October approval compares to other presidents in October of their first year of their term, according to Gallup:

  • Joe Biden (October 2021) - 42% approve
  • Trump (October 2017) - 37% approve
  • Barack Obama (October 2009) - 53% approve
  • George W. Bush (October 2001) - 88% approve
  • Bill Clinton (October 1993) - 48% approve
  • George H.W. Bush (September 1989) - 68% approve
  • Ronald Reagan (September 1981) - 55% approve

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is Trump's approval rating? See polls 3 weeks into government shutdown

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect