CNN analyst Harry Enten highlighted a Reuters/Ipsos poll showing 56% of Americans now believe the country is on the wrong track economically, up from 43% in January, while those saying the country is on the right track fell to 29%. Enten said inflation is overwhelmingly the top concern (44%), with taxes/take-home pay a distant second (9%). Even pro-Trump surveys, such as a recent Fox News poll, show low approval (38%) for the president’s handling of the economy, underscoring a gap between White House messaging and public experience.
‘My Goodness’: Polls Show Majority Skeptical of Trump’s Economic Claims, CNN’s Harry Enten Says
CNN data analyst Harry Enten told viewers that new Reuters/Ipsos polling shows a growing number of Americans are unconvinced by President Donald Trump’s upbeat portrayal of the economy.
Trump campaigned on lowering prices after inflation reached a 40-year high under the prior administration. While some costs have eased, prices for many everyday items remain elevated — a situation the president has partly linked to tariffs he imposed in April. Multiple surveys continue to show broad public dissatisfaction with Trump’s overall job performance, including his handling of the economy.
On Monday’s CNN News Central, hosted by Kate Bolduan, Enten highlighted a Reuters/Ipsos poll showing a majority of Americans now say the country is on the wrong track economically.
“Donald Trump was elected to solve the economic crisis, to solve the pricing crisis. But at this particular point, these numbers are going in the complete wrong direction on the economy,” Enten said. “Go back to January — these numbers were pretty split: 43% said ‘wrong track,’ 36% said ‘right track’ when Donald Trump came into office. But that wrong-track number has skyrocketed up to 56% — my goodness gracious — and the right-track number has fallen to 29%.”
Enten noted that what had been a single-digit gap in January has widened to a 27-point deficit in public economic sentiment. He also emphasized what respondents identified as the main driver of that pessimism: inflation.
“We’ve said it over and over again: 44% say inflation is their top economic concern,” Enten said, adding that “taxes/take-home pay” was a distant second at just 9%. “Until the American people feel inflation is under control, they are likely to remain pessimistic about the economy.”
Even polls from outlets typically favorable to the president show weak results on economic approval: a recent Fox News survey found just 38% approve of Trump’s handling of the economy. The contrast between White House messaging — including the president’s repeated high self-grades for the economy — and voters’ lived experience of prices is a central theme of Enten’s analysis.
Bottom line: Polling indicates a clear shift toward economic pessimism among Americans, with inflation identified as the principal concern driving that sentiment.
