CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten delivered a blunt assessment of President Donald Trump’s latest polling numbers after new figures showed another slide in public approval on a key issue.
The latest CBS News/YouGov survey of 2,064 U.S. adults conducted between May 13-15, showed that just 14 percent of voters think Trump’s policies are making them financially better off.
That is compared to 44 percent in October 2024. 57 percent also say Trump is making them worse off financially, up from 38 percent in October.
The same poll showed 35 percent saying Democrats have a better approach to the economy compared with 31 percent for Republicans and Trump.
“You know, back in 1980 Ronald Reagan asked, ‘Are you better off… than you were four years ago?’” Enten said.
“As Americans look back now, compared to a year and a half ago, their minds on Donald Trump are definitely saying he’s made them worse off.”
“If you think 14 percent is low, how low can you go?” he added.
Trump’s poll numbers have taken a massive hit since Trump launched his deeply unpopular war with Iran, which has seen energy prices spike after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to AAA, the national average for regular gasoline has risen above $4.50 a gallon, with prices topping $5 in seven states. Inflation also climbed to 3.8 percent in April—the highest in nearly three years.
As a result, polling has shown growing economic unease. A New York Times/Siena survey found just 28 percent approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while only 31 percent approve of his management of the war with Iran.
A CNN/SSRS poll also put his economic net approval at -40, his worst on record.
Warning signs are also emerging within Trump’s own coalition.
Recent CNN polling found that 56 percent of non-college white voters say his policies have worsened economic conditions, while 67 percent say the war with Iran has hurt their personal finances.
And according to the CBS poll, disapproval of his handling of inflation has risen 11 points since March to 37 percent among Republicans.
Trump is also losing support among independent voters, a crucial voter group that could determine control of the House and the Senate in the midterms.
But the CBS poll showed that just 8 percent of independents say Trump is making them better off, while 64 percent say Trump is making them worse off.
That marks a steep reversal from October 2024, when 40 percent of independents expected Trump would improve their finances and 38 percent believed he would make them worse off.
“These are numbers we’ve seen among independents over and over and over again. They have turned against Trump,” Enten said.
“The promise of a Trump presidency in the minds of the American people have turned into a reality, and a reality that for them is a nightmare,” Enten said.
