Opinion Weekend
October 18-19, 2025
Trump’s approval rating on the economy takes hit because of shutdown, inflation, CNBC survey finds Steve Liesman, CNBC Americans’ views on the economy turned more negative in the third quarter with deepening concerns about jobs, inflation and the outlook, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey. Together with blame for the shutdown aimed at the president and congressional Republicans, those views dragged down President Donald Trump’s net approval rating on the economy to 42% approving and 55% disapproving. The -13 net approval on the economy is the lowest of any CNBC survey during either of Trump’s two terms.
Increased approval of Trump’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research With a U.S. brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas negotiated, more adults approve of President Trump’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict now than a month ago. However, approval on that issue has not translated into higher overall support for the president.
How Trump’s approval shifted after the ceasefire in Gaza, according to a new AP-NORC poll Steve Peoples and Linley Sanders, Associated Press About half of U.S. adults, 47%, approve of how Trump is handling the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That’s an increase from 37% in September, and it’s driven primarily by Democrats viewing Trump more positively on this issue. On domestic issues, Americans don’t believe that Trump is doing particularly well — even on immigration, a signature issue for the Republican president.
Is there a war in American cities? Alexander Rossell Hayes, YouGov A recent YouGov poll found that about one-quarter (27%) of Americans say that there is currently a war happening in any U.S. cities. About half (52%) say there is not.
How Americans are approaching the holiday season Clifford Young, Ipsos Five charts on when Americans plan to start their holiday shopping, the emotions Americans are feeling about the holidays, and how Americans are feeling about shopping and prices this holiday season
Voters Think Furloughed Government Workers Should Receive Back Pay Data for Progress In a new survey, Data for Progress finds that a strong majority of voters (71%) think that federal government employees should receive compensation for their required time off during a shutdown, while only 21% think they should not receive compensation.
