President Donald Trump is no stranger to political turbulence, but as October 2025 drew to a close, the headwinds facing his administration reached a new intensity. The government shutdown—already stretching into record territory—became the backdrop for a series of legal setbacks and mounting public scrutiny, all while Trump’s approval ratings fluctuated across the national landscape.
According to USA TODAY and The Commercial Appeal, two federal judges ruled in late October that the Trump administration must continue paying food stamp benefits to millions of families, despite a suspension announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The ruling came after 25 states, including Arizona, and Washington, D.C., sued the administration, arguing that freezing the aid was illegal. The judges also required the White House to notify the courts by Monday, November 3, whether it would authorize reduced SNAP benefits or shift other funding sources to meet the program’s needs.
The legal wrangling over food assistance was just one of several challenges confronting the president. Another federal judge partially blocked Trump’s executive order mandating that voters prove U.S. citizenship to participate in federal elections—a move his supporters claimed would protect against voter fraud, but which critics warned could disenfranchise eligible voters. At the same time, immigration enforcement was under a harsh spotlight after detainees at a Chicago ICE facility filed a lawsuit alleging “filthy” conditions and a lack of transparency, describing the center as a “black box” for civil rights violations.
All of this unfolded as the government shutdown dragged on. The U.S. Senate failed for the 14th time on November 4 to end the impasse, extending the shutdown to 35 days—matching the record set during Trump’s first term in 2019, according to The Commercial Appeal. With pressure mounting in Congress, Trump continued to blame Democrats for the budget stalemate and urged the Senate to scrap the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation. Yet, both Democrats and Republicans resisted this idea, leaving the president without an easy solution.
Against this backdrop, the public’s assessment of Trump’s performance became a subject of intense scrutiny. Approval ratings, those simple yet powerful barometers of presidential popularity, told a complicated story. The Real Clear Polling average, covering October 13 to October 30, put Trump’s approval at 44.6% and his disapproval at 52.2%. The most recent Gallup poll reported a 41% approval rating. Reuters/Ipsos, polling from October 24 to 26, found 40% of respondents approved of Trump’s performance, while 57% disapproved. The New York Times daily average as of October 31 showed a 43% approval and a 54% disapproval rating.
Other polls painted a similar picture. The Associated Press and NORC found just 37% approved of Trump, with 61% disapproving. The Economist’s late October update showed 39% favorable and 57% unfavorable. Rasmussen Reports, known for its slightly more positive numbers for the president, showed 45% approval and 53% disapproval as of October 31. Morning Consult, updating on October 27, found 46% of voters approved of Trump’s job performance, while 51% disapproved. The American Research Group’s October 21 poll showed 37% approval and 60% disapproval.
What does all this mean in context? Trump’s final approval rating when he left office in 2021 was 34%, with an average of 41% during his first term. For comparison, USA TODAY reported that Joe Biden’s approval rating was 40% at a similar point, Barack Obama’s was 59%, George W. Bush’s 34%, Bill Clinton’s 66%, George H.W. Bush’s 56%, Ronald Reagan’s 63%, Jimmy Carter’s 34%, Gerald Ford’s 53%, and Richard Nixon’s 24%. In short, Trump’s numbers remain stubbornly polarized.
But do these ratings still matter as much as they once did? According to Gallup, presidential approval ratings are “a simple measure, yet a very powerful one that has played a key role in politics for over 70 years.” They reflect the percentage of Americans who approve of the president’s performance, and can be influenced by everything from major legislation to scandals and elections. Yet, as Quorum and the Pew Research Center note, approval ratings have become less useful as indicators of political fate in an era of extreme partisanship. “Presidential approval ratings have always been partisan, with members of the president’s party offering more positive assessments than those in the opposing party,” Pew explains. “But the differences between Republicans and Democrats on views of the president have grown substantially in recent decades.”
This polarization is evident not just nationally, but at the state level. Take Tennessee, for example. According to Morning Consult, Tennessee ranked seventh among states in its approval of Trump as of October 2025, down from sixth in September and fifth in August. In July, 60% of Tennesseans approved of Trump and 37% disapproved. By August and September, approval held steady at 58%, but disapproval ticked up to 39%. While the approval rating did not decline, the increase in disapproval nudged Tennessee’s ranking downward.
Why do these numbers shift? Political scientists and pollsters say that events like government shutdowns, high-profile lawsuits, and controversial executive actions can move the needle, at least temporarily. The 35-day shutdown, tying the record set during Trump’s first term, was a particularly high-profile event—one that voters and lawmakers alike watched closely. Trump’s repeated calls to end the Senate filibuster in order to resolve the budget standoff were met with skepticism by both parties, revealing the depth of institutional resistance to changing the rules of the game, even in the face of gridlock.
Meanwhile, the legal battles over food assistance and voting rules underscored the stakes for millions of Americans. The judges’ rulings on SNAP benefits meant that families relying on food stamps would not be left in the lurch, at least for now. The partial block of the citizenship requirement for federal elections highlighted the ongoing debate over voter access and election integrity, a perennial flashpoint in American politics.
For Trump, the confluence of these legal, political, and public opinion challenges created a difficult environment as he sought to navigate the shutdown and defend his administration’s record. Approval ratings, while not the final word on presidential success, serve as a kind of running tally—a snapshot of how Americans are weighing the president’s actions in real time.
As November 2025 unfolds, Trump’s approval ratings remain a closely watched indicator, reflecting not just his political fortunes, but the deep divisions that define the current American political landscape. Whether these numbers will shift as the shutdown continues—and as legal and legislative battles play out—remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: for President Trump, the intersection of policy, politics, and public perception is as fraught as ever.
