November 12, 2025
Amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, President Trump’s approval ratings remain low. An AP-NORC poll, fielded just before several Senate Democrats moved to end the shutdown, finds that only three in ten adults approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, health care, or the federal government.
Overall, 62% disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president, while 36% approve. This is largely unchanged from October, when 61% disapproved and 36% approved.
Issue-specific approval ratings show a similar pattern, with disapproval outweighing approval and largely driven by partisan differences. While the public has consistently disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy and health care, disapproval of his management of the federal government has grown since March, when the AP-NORC Center last polled on the issue. At that time, 43% of adults approved of his performance compared with 33% this month.
This decline appears to be driven primarily by reduced approval among Republicans. In March, 81% of Republicans approved of Trump’s management of the federal government; that number has since fallen to 68%. Meanwhile, Democrats remain as opposed as ever, with 95% disapproving of his actions compared with 89% in March.
Trump’s approval ratings on the economy and health care have remained largely unchanged since October. Three in ten adults approve of his handling of health care (34% vs. 31% in October) and the economy (33% vs. 36% in October).
While Trump receives slightly higher marks for his handling of immigration, those ratings remain unchanged.
The nationwide poll was conducted November 6-10, 2025, using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,143 adults.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Trump’s approval rating remains low during government shutdown.” (November 2025). https://apnorc.org/projects/the-government-shutdown-has-had-little-effect-on-trumps-approval-rating/
