Americans blame Trump for shutdown, Fox News attacks Democrats collecting money for Puerto Rico
Staff Writer |
By a wide margin, more Americans blame President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress than congressional Democrats for the now record-breaking government shutdown.
Support for building a wall on the border, which is the principal sticking point in the stalemate between the President and Democrats, has increased over the past year.
Today, 42 percent say they support a wall, up from 34 percent in January last year. A slight majority of Americans (54 percent) oppose the idea, down from 63 percent a year ago.
The increase in support is sharpest among Republicans, whose backing for Mr Trump's longstanding campaign promise jumped 16 points in the past year, from 71 percent to 87 percent. Not only has GOP support increased, it has also hardened. Today, 70 percent of Republicans say they strongly support the wall, an increase of 12 points since January last year.
Concerning the allocation of blame, 53 percent say Mr Trump and the Republicans are mainly at fault, and 29 percent blame the Democrats in Congress. Thirteen percent say both sides bear equal responsibility for the shutdown. That is identical to the end of the 16-day shutdown in 2013, when 29 percent blamed then-president Barack Obama and 53 percent put the responsibility on congressional Republicans.
A predictable partisan divide shapes the blame game, with 85 percent of Democrats citing Mr Trump and Republicans as the cause and 68 percent of Republicans pointing the finger at congressional Democrats.
Independents fix the blame squarely on the President and his party rather than on the Democrats, by 53 percent to 23 percent.
"Despite a partial government shutdown with no end in sight, about 30 Democratic members of Congress traveled to Puerto Rico this weekend - with their families and lobbyists - for a winter retreat where they also planned to see a special performance of the hit Broadway show Hamilton," Fox News wrote.
"The junket is taking place at a seaside resort where rooms run around $429 a night. The participants paid for the "Hamilton" tickets with their own funds, the Washington Examiner reported."
"Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda began a two-week run of his hit play Friday in Puerto Rico to raise money for artists and cultural groups still struggling in wake of Hurricane Maria. Tickets for opening night ranged from $10 to $5,000, according to the Associated Press."
"Those attending the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC gathering in San Juan also planned to meet Saturday with Puerto Rican officials to discuss ongoing cleanup efforts from Hurricane Maria, according to a report." ■