‘Historic’: CNN Data Guru Calls Trump ‘Most Influential President’ This Century — And Into the Last One Too

CNN data guru Harry Enten was all over social media throughout the weekend for his report saying President Donald Trump is “remaking the United States of America” with tariffs, immigration policy, and executive orders, to such a degree that he’s the “most influential president of this century” and back “into the 20th century as well.”

Enten, whose reports can draw huge buzz on both sides of the aisle, appeared on CNN Newsroom to talk with anchor Omar Jimenez about, among other things, Trump’s tariffs.

Despite the brief popularity on the left and in the mainstream media for the acronym TACO — meaning “Trump Always Chickens Out” — Enten told Jimenez it’s just not the case.

“I don’t think that’s true, Omar. And I think the theme of this segment is going to be, love it, like it, lump it, Trump’s remaking the United States of America,” he said. “No tacos for Trump, the effective tariff rate. Get this, 18%, it is the highest, Omar, the highest since the 1930s. Up from, get this, just 2% last year.”

Enten continued on tariffs, saying, “I can’t think of a more influential president during this century, and it starts here with tariffs. He said he was going to raise tariffs, and despite the claims otherwise, he is in fact doing that.”

He pointed out the rate is nine times as high as last year, and said you have to look back to the Franklin D. Roosevelt years for comparably high tariff rates.

When Jimenez prompted Enten for other areas in which Trump is “remaking” America, Enten explained the dramatic changes in immigration.

“The other big thing that Trump ran on, right, was immigration. How about net migration in the United States? Get this, it’s down. It’s gonna be down at least 60%,” he said. “We may be dealing with, get this, negative net migration to the United States in 2025. That would be the first time there is negative net migration in this country in at least 50 years.”

“That is a big reason why that I’m saying that Trump, at least in my mind, is the most influential president certainly this century and probably dating a good back chunk into the 20th century as well, Omar,” he said.

After they also briefly covered the massive number of Trump’s executive orders, Enten reiterated his point once more.

“Donald Trump is remaking the United States,” he said. “Love it, like it, or lump it. He has been tremendously influential to a historic degree.”

JIMENEZ: A lot of folks have claimed Trump always chickens out. TACO, when it comes to tariffs, is that true?

ENTEN: No, I don’t think that’s true, Omar. And I think the theme of this segment is going to be, love it, like it, lump it, Trump’s remaking the United States of America. We can start there with tariffs. What are we talking about? No tacos for Trump, the effective tariff rate. Get this, 18%, it is the highest, Omar, the highest since the 1930s. Up from, get this, just 2% last year.

As I’m gonna talk about in this segment, I can’t think of a more influential president during this century, and it starts here with tariffs. He said he was going to raise tariffs, and despite the claims otherwise, he is in fact doing that. The effective tariff rate at this point looks to be nine times as high as it was last you’re the highest since the 1930S and FDR, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And the effective tariff rate is up from 2% last year, for those that might see the banner there. Tariffs, though, aren’t the only way Trump’s remaking policy in America, right?

ENTEN: It is not the only way that Trump is remaking America. What are we talking about? Well, let’s jump. The other big thing that Trump ran on, right, was immigration. How about net migration in the United States? Get this, it’s down. It’s gonna be down at least 60%.

We may be dealing with, get this, negative net migration to the United states in 2025. That would be the first time there is negative net migration in this country in at least 50 years. We’re talking about down from 2.8 million in 2024.

So, Donald Trump ran, has always run on tariffs, and he’s run on a hawkish line on immigration. And on both of those issues we are seeing record high tariff rates for this century going all the way back, well back into the early part of the 20th century. And when it comes to immigration, net migration, we are seeing record low levels way down from where we were during the Biden administration.

We are potentially looking at negative net migration for the first time in at least 50 years. And that is a big reason why that I’m saying that Trump, at least in my mind, is the most influential president certainly this century and probably dating a good back chunk into the 20th century as well, Omar.

JIMENEZ: So when you say most influential, I mean, statistically, how much is Trump doing?

ENTEN: Yeah, okay, so let’s talk about this. How about executive orders? Already, 180 executive orders signed by Donald Trump this year. You have to go all the way back to the FDR administration once again to find a year in which there were as many executive orders sign as we have this year. To give you an idea, Biden during his first year signed 77. That’s the entire year. We’re only a little bit more than halfway through this year, Omar.

Again, this is why I’m saying: executive orders, immigration with net migration, and we’re talking about tariffs and the effective tariff rate. Donald Trump is remaking the United States. Love it, like it, or lump it. He has been tremendously influential to a historic degree, Omar.

Watch the clip above via CNN.