CNN’s resident data expert has one word to describe President Donald Trump’s economic approval among Americans right now: “Yikes!”
Harry Enten, the network’s chief data correspondent, said during Sunday evening’s episode of CNN Newsroom that Trump, 79, is lagging behind his predecessors in a key metric. Particularly shocking, he added, was his approval rating in a key group of voters.
Citing a new CBS News/YouGov poll, Enten pointed out that more than half of Americans find that Trump’s second presidency has left them worse off financially.
“Look at this—up like a rocket from 38 percent in October of 2024, up there now to 53 percent of Americans saying Trump’s policies are making them worse off fiscally," he said.
The data expert added that there is now a 35-point margin between those who say they’re worse off and those who say they’re better off financially under Trump 2.0, while there was only a 6-point margin before in October 2024, calling it an “over 40-point switcheroo.”
Enten then dove into a particularly devastating statistical development for Trump.
“Among independents who, of course, ultimately usually decide the elections here in the United States of America, the numbers are even more troublesome for the White House,” he said. “Look at this—three in five Americans who are Independents say that Trump is making them worse off financially. Sixty percent."
“Now, just 13 percent of Independents say Trump is making them better off financially,” he continued. “That’s a 47-point margin in favor of worse off compared to a two-point margin in favor of better off just before Trump was reelected. That’s a nearly 50-point switcheroo.”
“Now, ultimately, this puts Trump in company—historic company—you don’t want to be. He’s the leader of the pack, or last in the pack, when it comes to 21st-century presidents and how Americans are viewing him on the economy, at least among Independents."
Enten added that Trump’s economic approval rating among Independents was nearly twice as bad as former President Barack Obama’s was at this point in his second term, and 16 points worse than former President George W. Bush.
Trump has frequently called affordability, one of Americans’ greatest concerns throughout his second administration, a “Democrat hoax.”
As of late, Americans have especially felt the rising cost of living at the pump, as Trump’s war on Iran has resulted in skyrocketing gas prices. The national average price for a gallon of gas has jumped by more than a dollar from a month ago, from $2.94 to $3.95 as of Sunday.
“Look, these are numbers that if I were a Republican running for Congress, I would be shaking in place because there’s really nowhere to hide,” Enten concluded.
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment.
