Harry Enten told CNN that record-high August gas prices are driving an unusually strong backlash against President Donald Trump. Enten’s Aggregate puts Trump’s disapproval on gas prices at 79%, higher than peaks recorded for Bush, Biden and Obama. The discontent cuts across party lines and is especially pronounced among voters earning under $50,000, a trend Enten warned could affect the midterms.
CNN Data Analyst: Soaring Gas Prices Drive Historic Unpopularity for Trump
Gas prices have hit a new high in August. / CNN
CNN data analyst Harry Enten argued that rising gasoline prices are fueling an unusually strong public backlash against President Donald Trump. Enten highlighted new polling data as the national average price for a gallon of gas reached $4.07 in August — the highest August average on record, according to AAA.
The broadcast linked the recent surge in pump prices to ongoing uncertainty around access to the Strait of Hormuz, a factor the segment attributed to heightened tensions involving the U.S. and Iran.
CNN data guru Harry Enten discusses a
"Americans just can't catch a break on gas prices," Enten said, summarizing the immediate economic pressure felt by many households.
"The American people very much dislike — dare I say, President Trump when it comes to gas prices," he added. "But it's to a historic degree, the hatred for President Trump on gas prices."
Trump is wildly unpopular due to gas prices. / Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS
To quantify public sentiment, Enten presented figures from his own "Enten's Aggregate" of polling data. He calculated that disapproval of Trump’s handling of gas prices stands at 79% this year — higher than George W. Bush's 75% peak in 2006, Joe Biden's 72% in 2022 and Barack Obama's 68% in 2011.
Who Is Driving the Discontent?
Enten emphasized that this level of disapproval is broad-based and not limited to one party. Citing a CNN/SSRS poll taken last month, he noted that 96% of Democrats, 85% of independents and 52% of Republicans disapproved of Trump's handling of gas prices. "That tried-and-true Republican base that has stuck with Donald Trump through thick and thin — even... a majority of them, 52 percent, disapprove," Enten observed.
CNN data guru Harry Enten finds disapproval of Trump crosses party lines. / CNN
Income appears to be an important driver. Enten found that voters earning under $50,000 a year were particularly dissatisfied: overall disapproval in that income group reached 86%, with 66% of Republicans in that bracket also expressing disapproval.
"You can't get 86% of Americans or even a subgroup of Americans who are not a partisan subgroup to agree on anything," Enten said. "But they do when it comes to gas prices."
CNN data guru Harry Enten discusses a
Pointing to possible political consequences, Enten warned that if these attitudes persist into the midterm elections, they could create headwinds for Republican candidates. "If these numbers hold for the midterm elections... I really don't understand how it's not going to be a very good night for Democrats indeed," he said.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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