CNN’s Harry Enten Declares Trump Is ‘Completely Underwater’ With Independents: ‘Broken His Own Record Here!’
CNN’s Harry Enten reported on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is “completely underwater” with independent voters.
Enten, CNN’s senior data reporter, joined anchor Kate Bolduan on CNN News Central to explain that tariffs and more are driving independent voters away from Trump, leaving him in a worse position with centrists than in his first term.
Enten reported, based on aggregate polling, that Trump’s net approval rating among independents has gone from negative 16% in 2017 to negative 22% in 2025, meaning the president has “broken his own record.”
Enten said:
Independents feel that Donald Trump has vacated the center of the electric catering to his base. What are we talking about? Well, let’s talk about the overall net approval ratings. We’re going to look at the worst ever at this point in a presidency. The old record among independents for the worst-ever was Donald Trump back in 2016, a net approval rating of minus 16 points. While Donald Trump had broken his own record here, he now holds, in this particular term the worst ever net approval rating at this point in a presidency among independents at get this minus 22 points he is 22 points underwater with independents that breaks the old record that belonged to Trump he has set the new record he is completely underwater with the center of the electorate.
Independents are taking particular issue with Trump’s handing of the economy and tariffs, arguing there is no “clear plan” in his trade war with various countries.
According to aggregate polling, Trump has fallen from a positive net approval rating to negative 29% when it comes to approval on his handling of the economy.
A CBS News/YouGov poll released this month also showed that 57% of independents feel there is no clear plan on trade while 43% say there is. More than 60% also appose Trump imposing new tariffs. The president has paused many of his tariffs, while raising those on China, and he continues to insist this will lead to new, more beneficial trade deals, as well as a boost to American manufacturing.
“They don’t like anything that’s coming out of Donald Trump’s [mouth] right now, absent maybe immigration, but when it comes to the economy, when it come to overall, when it came to tariffs, it’s a threesome for negativity among independents,” Enten said. “They oppose, oppose, oppose. They, simply put, do not like the words that are coming out of Donald’s Trump’s mouth.”
Watch above via CNN.
