CNN’s lead data analyst called a new Reuters/Ipsos poll “mind-blowing” after it showed President Trump with a net -49 rating on inflation, with 70% disapproving of his handling of rising prices and just 21% approving. Those figures are worse than Joe Biden’s Ipsos low of -43 and slightly below Jimmy Carter’s -46 in October 1980, despite much lower current inflation. The April poll also found 64% of Americans say the economy is off-course and put Trump’s overall approval at 34%.
Poll Shock: Trump 49 Points Underwater on Inflation — CNN Analyst Says He's 'Mind-Blown'
Harry Enten said President Donald Trump is polling worse than Joe Biden on inflation. / CNN
CNN’s lead data analyst expressed shock after a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found President Donald Trump deeply underwater on inflation — an issue that affects many Americans’ day-to-day finances.
The weekend survey shows the 79-year-old president with a net approval of -49 points on inflation: 70% of respondents disapproved of the way Trump is handling rising prices, while just 21% approved.
“Donald John Trump is in the worst position he has ever been on inflation, and more than that, these are the worst numbers I’ve ever seen for any president,” CNN analyst Nate Silver colleague and data analyst Nate Enten said Wednesday, calling the results “mind-blowing.”
Enten highlighted how striking the numbers are in historical context. According to Ipsos, Joe Biden’s worst net rating on inflation was -43 points — meaning Trump now rates worse on inflation than Biden ever did. Enten also noted that current inflation is roughly one-third of its June 2022 peak, yet public sentiment is markedly poorer toward Trump on this issue.
The poll also invites historical comparisons to the Jimmy Carter era: Enten cited Ipsos and the American National Election Studies showing Carter’s net approval on inflation was -46 points in October 1980, when inflation reached 12.8%. By contrast, Trump’s -49 comes at a time when inflation is around 3%.
The April Ipsos survey found broader economic pessimism: 64% of Americans said the U.S. economy is off-course, while only 19% said it was going in the right direction. The same poll put Trump’s overall approval at 34%.
When asked for comment, the White House defended the administration’s economic approach. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Trump is continuing “his proven, first-term economic agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance,” and added that improving conditions in global shipping lanes and the subsiding effects of recent military operations should lift prospects for the economy.
What This Means
Even with inflation lower than during the summer of 2022, public dissatisfaction with the president’s handling of prices is unusually high by modern standards. The gap between objective inflation measures and subjective voter sentiment is notable and could have political consequences as economic perceptions often shape approval and electoral dynamics.
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