Critics will note that Hamas has not agreed to all of what Trump proposed, especially giving up involvement in the eventual Gaza government. But getting what’s left of the terrorist group to agree to hand over the remaining hostages is a very big deal after a two-year standoff.

Those same critics will also point to a handful of polls showing that the government shutdown is hurting Trump more than Democrats, but it’s really a draw, and that’s because, unlike any past shutdown, the Republicans are fighting back hard, both with headline-grabbing humor and facts.

Every day Democrats keep the government shut down, the sombrero gets 10x bigger. 🪇

DEMOCRAT SHUTDOWN™️ pic.twitter.com/WzfsvlgTDm

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 1, 2025

Conservative analyst Jed Babbin liked what he saw this week in grading Trump a B-plus. But Democratic pollster John Zogby said the memes rolling out of the White House mocking Democratic congressional leaders are no way to conduct serious budget business. “That is not an olive branch,” he said in grading the week with an F.

Jed Babbin

Grade: B+

It was another very good week for President Donald Trump and his team. His Israel-Gaza peace plan was blessed by several Arab states and partially by Hamas, the government shutdown is clearly the Democrat’s fault and he’s apparently given up on Ukraine peace because of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recalcitrance.

The Trump plan for peace in the Israel-Hamas war proves both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are on the same page. It would require the release of all hostages (and the bodies of those murdered in captivity), as well as Hamas disarmament, and no participation in the Gaza government. Hamas isn’t likely to accept all of those terms, but the agreement of Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, means they’re tired of the war and want it over.

The “Schumer Shutdown” is proving to be a great opportunity for Trump to cut the federal workforce. He’s also put on hold billions in aid for cities and states held by the Democrats, including about $18 billion for New York, where both Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries are from. The left’s demand for reinstated Obamacare subsidies and Medicaid for illegal aliens isn’t making them popular anywhere. If Trump holds on and doesn’t compromise, Schumer will have to very soon.

Ukraine may be receiving long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles soon, though Putin is dead set against them getting the American missiles. It’s one way to break the stalemate of the war, but it may not be enough. If Trump decides to give the Ukrainians the Tomahawks, it might be enough to put enough pressure on Putin to drive him to negotiations. Not that any Putin negotiations will be in good faith.

John Zogby

Grade: F

Consumer confidence weakened this week, according to The Conference Board. It went from an indexed score of 97.8 to 94.2, a substantial and larger drop than economists expected. How consumers feel about the overall economy fell by seven points, the largest drop in a year.

The federal government is officially on shutdown, and thousands of workers are either temporarily out of work or working without pay. There does not appear to be any movement by either Democrats or Republicans to compromise, and Congress is away until Oct. 13. Early polls indicate that Republicans are hurt more than Democrats.  Who will be hurt the most? That one is easy: us. I recall conducting a poll on a number of issues in Missouri two decades ago and found that Medicaid is a popular program, including throughout the conservative central region of that state. A majority, according to a poll by Pew Research Center, now feel President Donald Trump has hurt the economy.

Trump and his Secretary of Defense/War held a very weird meeting with 800 top military brass, and the reviews by those willing to share were not good. Many felt that both men embarrassed themselves. Later, Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy chief of staff Jon Harrison.

Meanwhile, the president has called the Democrats the party of “hate, evil, and Satan.” That is not an olive branch.

Hamas has agreed to Trump’s 20-point program for Gaza on some key points, but they want to negotiate on other points. This does not look promising, but I will save that review until I see where this is going.

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Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.

John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.