Donald Trump has seen his approval rating slump after a "huge blunder" during the government shutdown.
Pollster Nate Silver believes there's a clear reason behind the new low. RealClearPolling recorded a -8.9% drop in approval, while the Newsweek Tracker shows a 43% approval rating, down from 44% this time last month.
The government shutdown, which began on October 1 and appears to be coming to a close after a 60-40 vote in the Senate yesterday, has left Trump ordering air traffic controllers back to work and offering thousands of dollars to the public in a wild $300 billion proposal.
Neither issue is the lead cause of the "huge blunder" and drop in approval ratings, according to Silver. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are the lead problem.
He wrote, "It seems very likely that threatening SNAP benefits was the primary cause of the big downshift in Trump's approval ratings beginning ~3 weeks ago."
Silver would also suggest Democrats had "more leverage" on the government shutdown than they first thought. He added, "You'd think that downturn, plus the elections last Tuesday, would give Democrats considerably more leverage on the shutdown. But instead, they elected to punt."
The "huge blunder" may also be a reason for recent Democrat victories in the New York mayoral election and governor races in Virginia and New Jersey. Silver suggested the fears of benefits cuts, ongoing healthcare concerns and SNAP benefits were issues that are "real enough to contribute to Democrats absolutely crushing Republicans".
Republican senators made it clear that they disagreed with an order for states to undo previously awarded SNAP benefits for low-income Americans. Senator Lisa Murkowski called the instruction "shockingly wrong," according to Semafor's Eleanor Mueller.
The Trump administration had just last week appealed a court ruling requiring SNAP payments to be made. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed to states that payments would be fulfilled just hours later.
According to Newsweek, the administration had claimed they "lacked resources to maintain full payments". Donald Trump also claimed SNAP payments were being affected by "radical left Democrats".