CNN Anchor Shuts Frank Luntz Down After Pollster Takes Personal Shots at Harry Enten in Wild Moment

CNN anchor Laura Coates shut down pollster Frank Luntz’s dig at the network’s chief data analyst Harry Enten after the guest began his interview by shredding the journalist’s “Broadway”-style poll presentation as “not helpful.”

Enten had just completed a segment presenting data to Coates tracking President Donald Trump’s rating figures since before his election victory in November, complete with his signature enthusiasm, only for Luntz to take a shot in his follow-up appearance.

Asked by the host for his reaction to the information Enten showed, Luntz instead took patronizing aim at the journalist’s communication style:

Well, I first want to say to Harry, come on, you’re not on Broadway. Look, I used to do exactly what you just did, maybe ten years ago. But this stuff is very serious now, so: ‘Oh, my God!’ is not helpful as a pollster in providing information. It may get people to pay attention for a minute or two, but it doesn’t communicate what needs to be said.

Continuing, Luntz said Enten was “correct” in his analysis that key groups who hadn’t voted Republican before but voted Trump were appearing “to abandon the president” despite having been a source of support in winning the election. However, he did say that most people in those demographics would “tough it out” and remain in Trump’s camp.

He added: “In fact, I’m being criticized by some of those people for being too dramatic in [saying] that some of them are leaving because the vast majority are staying with the president at this moment.”

Coates, meanwhile, was not about to let Luntz trash Enten’s work or approach, and fired back at her guest’s take.

“Well, first, I love Broadway and I love Harry Enten,” she began, adding of Enten’s animated style: “I think that it helps people to be more included in the conversation.”

Defending Enten’s analysis, she added: “To the point you’ve raised about the dramatic nature of how serious the events are and how people are viewing this. I mean, our CNN poll asked how Trump’s tariff policies will affect people’s finances. Certainly very close to home for so many people, 86% of Democrats, 64% of independents say that it will hurt their finances, but just 28% of Republicans say that tariffs will hurt them.”

Watch above via CNN.