THAT SINKING FEELING

CNN Data Guru Floored by Trump’s ‘Laughably Bad’ Crisis

The president’s plunging popularity heading into the midterm elections has fallen to historic depths.

President Donald Trump’s approval numbers are “laughably bad,” according to CNN data analyst Harry Enten, who warned that no president in modern history has faced a worse position this close to Election Day.

New polling from the Pew Research Center shows Trump’s net approval rating is an astonishing 38 points underwater. The figures triggered disbelief on air as analysts examined the mounting electoral crisis threatening the administration’s legislative agenda and the Republican Party’s congressional majorities.

DESPERATE TIMES

Panicked Trump Loses It at Dem Star After Explosive Debate

Leigh Kimmins

“No president I’ve ever seen is in a worse position before a midterm election than President Trump,” Enten said. “You go all the way back. You go back to Harry S. Truman, FDR. At this point before a midterm, ever, ever, ever... the worst I’ve ever seen is Donald John Trump, 38 points underwater.”

Enten stressed that the Pew figures are not an outlier, pointing to a string of major national surveys showing virtually identical results.

Trump is 33 points underwater according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, following an earlier Ipsos survey that placed him at a 34-point deficit. Matching Pew’s record-low benchmark, an Associated Press survey and a CNN poll also show the president 38 points and 34 points underwater, respectively.

“No other president before a midterm election was even at minus 31,” Enten noted. “We are looking at history in the making here for the unpopularity of President Trump.”

The historical comparison underscores the severe political friction awaiting Republicans down the ballot. “It’s historic headwinds in which you are essentially going, ‘Oh my God, how am I supposed to win with numbers from a president this bad?’” Enten said.

The sharpest decline for the administration comes from independent voters, who split evenly between Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential contest. Current survey data shows Trump’s standing with independents has plummeted to 57 points underwater.

“You just never see numbers” like that, Enten said, adding that he struggled to find adjectives adequate to describe the plunge.

The analyst also pointed to Trump’s explicit push for supporters to “vote like I’m on the ballot” during midterm campaigning.

“Democrats, please, pretty, pretty, please, with a cherry on top, they are saying, yes, vote as if President Trump is on the ballot,” Enten said. “Because if he is on the ballot, you can pretty much guarantee that Democrats will take back the United States House.”

He added that the president’s low standing directly explains why Democratic prospects for capturing the United States Senate have continued to climb.

“This president, as unpopular as he is, is dragging Republicans underwater,” Enten said.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Leigh KimminsReporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.