Inflation will be the central issue of the 2026 midterm elections in just over two weeks’ time, according to CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.
And that exact issue is “what is so debilitating to this president of the United States, Donald John Trump, and could be debilitating to Republicans’ hopes,” Enten said on Sunday’s broadcast of “Laura Coates Live.”
Enten noted that Trump was reelected in 2024 in large part because of concerns over inflation, with voters trusting him more to tackle rising costs than his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, over whom he enjoyed a 7-percentage-point advantage on the issue.
But Trump’s net approval rating on inflation in a new ABC News-Washington Post poll showed him 52 percentage points underwater, Enten said.
“That is deeper than the East River, Hudson River, Harlem River, all combined. My goodness gracious,” he explained. “We are talking about a 59-point swing in the wrong direction for the president of the United States. On the most important issue of the day. “
Trump’s net approval rating on inflation is “history-making,” Enten added. “Go back to all the history books. Has any president ever been this bad? The answer is no, not at all.”
Enten said “the 25 worst net approval ratings ever on inflation” all belong to Trump and have all been recorded since the start of the Iran war, which Trump launched in February.
“In some polls we’re talking about -60 points or worse. My goodness gracious,” he added. “And in this case, the voters, the Americans, well, they are following what their pocketbooks are telling them when they go and try and get groceries, or when they try and go fill up their tanks at the gas station.”
Watch Enten’s full analysis here: