EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump blows up his own approval ratings over embarrassing US government shutdown
Trump's administration is set to furlough 750,000 workers as government activities come to a standstill due to the inability of Republican and Democratic lawmakers to resolve a budget standoff
Donald Trump is blowing up his approval ratings after forcing a bizarre US government shutdown which will lead to mass layoffs.
Trump's administration is set to furlough 750,000 workers as government activities come to a standstill due to the inability of Republican and Democratic lawmakers to resolve a budget standoff.
This is expected to cause widespread disruption for Americans throughout October, affecting everything from air travel to park visits. While most employees of the Department of Homeland Security would continue to work, about 14,000 employees are likely to be furloughed.
The Medicare and Medicaid health care programmes are expected to continue, although staffing shortages could result in delays for some services.
READ MORE: Husband's desperate warning as wife dies after being electrocuted by phone in bathREAD MORE: World's biggest great white shark feasts on banquet before heading to tourist hotspotNational Parks have closed during previous shutdowns when staff were asked to stay at home. However, during the last shutdown, Trump kept them open with minimal staff. According to park employees, this led to vandalism and littering at historical sites.
"We don't leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers - and we should not leave our national parks open without National Park Service workers," stated Emily Thompson of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks.
Professor Natasha Lindstaed, from the University of Essex, said that "the government is shutting down because there is no more compromise in US politics."
"Although Trump's style of politics is to threaten and not negotiate, this is definitely a sign of how much more authoritarian he has become.
"This is an unusual feature of US politics, but one that is more likely to happen given how polarised US politics has become", Professor Lindstaed told the Mirror.
The expert revealed that although public opinion is inconsistent regarding views on the shutdown, a poll conducted by Morning Consult on Monday, indicated that 45% of voters would point the finger at Republicans for a shutdown, while 32% would lay the blame on the Democrats.
Inderjeet Parmar, professor of International Politics at City St George's, University of London, exclusively told The Mirror the reasons behind the shutdown.
Acceleration of federal workforce reduction
The reasoning behind the shutdown is to push through Trump's administration's promise to shrink the federal bureaucracy, according to experts.
Professor Parmar said: "The shutdown provides a window for the administration to execute mass layoffs and reductions-in-force across agencies, aligning with Trump's campaign promises to shrink the federal bureaucracy.
"The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued pre-shutdown guidance allowing HR staff to process firings using non-lapsed funds, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of civilian employees, for example, 334,904 in the Department of Defence alone.
"This could fulfil goals of the 'Department of Government Efficiency' previously led by Elon Musk, but it risks legal challenges from unions already suing over 'unlawful threats' and backpay disputes for furloughed workers."
Heightened political polarisation
The expert believes Trump is determined to frame the shutdown as the fault of the "radical left" Democrats.
He added: "Donald Trump and Republicans are framing the shutdown as Democrat-driven, for example, via agency memos and White House communications blaming 'radical left' demands, but this partisan rhetoric—unlike neutral language in prior shutdowns—may erode public trust. Democrats, unified in opposition, portray it as Trump's ploy to gut healthcare and entitlements, potentially rallying their base ahead of midterms.
"Polling from past shutdowns in 2018-2019 shows incumbents often bear blame, which could damage Trump's approval if economic pain mounts, though his base views it as leverage against 'wasteful' spending."
Economic disruptions
Although the shutdown is set to "exacerbate unemployment", Professor Parmar believes Trump will try to claim it as a victory in curbing "fraud and waste".
He said: "The immediate effects of the shutdown include unpaid federal workers, over 800,000 civilians, closed national parks, delayed passport processing, and halted Small Business Administration loans, with estimates of 0.2-0.5% GDP drag per week. This undermines Trump's 'greatest economy ever' narrative, exacerbating unemployment, already rising from early-term cuts and delaying key reports like the October jobs data.
"However, it could force Democrats to concede on Affordable Care subsidies, allowing Trump to claim victories in curbing 'waste, fraud, and abuse' in programmes like Medicaid, though prolonged chaos risks broader market volatility and voter backlash in Republican strongholds hit hardest by healthcare cost hikes."