CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten has warned that new polling numbers on the economy could spell serious trouble for Republicans, describing the trend as “nightmare fuel” for the GOP.
President Donald Trump’s war in Iran has led to a spike in energy prices. According to AAA, the average price of gasoline across the U.S. has now passed $4.50 per gallon.
Although Trump has insisted fuel prices will plunge if a deal with Iran is reached, recent polling suggests that many Americans are losing confidence in his handling of the economy.
That could doom Republicans in November’s midterm elections, where the economy will be at the top of voters’ minds.
A new CNN/SSRS poll found that Trump’s net approval rating on the economy has plunged to -40, the worst level recorded for him on the issue.
The survey marks a dramatic reversal from May 2018, when his economic approval stood at a positive 10 points.
Still, Trump said Tuesday that concerns about Americans’ personal finances are not driving his approach to negotiations with Iran.
When asked how much Americans’ financial struggles factor into his push for a deal, the president dismissed the idea, replying: “Not even a little bit.”
“The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he continued.
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situations. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
Enten said voters are reacting sharply to that stance.
“The American people are hearing what he‘s saying about the cost of living and their finances, and they think it‘s one of the dopiest things they have ever heard come out of Donald Trump‘s mouth,” he said.
Enten noted that in Trump’s first term the economy was his strongest issue, with his approval “in positive territory at plus 10 points,” but said public sentiment has now swung in the opposite direction as voters increasingly reject his approach.
He said Americans are left confused by such comments, asking, “what the heck is going on in Washington, D.C.?”
He added that while Americans broadly agree Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, foreign policy is not a top voter priority compared to everyday economic concerns, particularly inflation and gas prices that people “see… every day at the gas pump.”
“There is a reason why Donald Trump‘s net approval rating on gas prices is something like, I think it was like -58 points or something like that, in our poll. I mean, this is just political nightmare fuel for Republicans, especially when Trump is making statements like he did today,” Enten said.
The CNN data guru’s assessment comes as multiple recent polls have shown that Americans are feeling the strain financially.
A recent Gallup survey found that 55 percent of respondents feel worse off financially, up from 53 percent last year and 47 percent the year before—the highest level recorded since the survey began in 2001, exceeding even peaks during the pandemic and global financial crisis.
