President Donald Trump’s approval rating has cratered to the lowest point of his second term, prompting CNN’s chief data analyst to suggest taking “the L.” As polls reveal immense dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy and the Iran war, the analyst also pointed to the turning point that started it all.
CNN data analyst has a message for Donald Trump amid new poll
On CNN News Central, Harry Enten pointed to the Liberation Day tariffs announced last spring as the singular event that sent Donald Trump’s approval rating plummeting. “Dude, just take the L, man. Just take the L,” Enten said, addressing the president.
Further explaining, “The tariffs were the biggest unforced political error that I can recall in a long period of time, because if you’re looking for just one turning point in terms of when Donald Trump went underwater, it was right around Liberation Day, man.”
Analyst noted that Trump has maintained a negative net approval rating since March 29, 2025, just days before the April 2 announcement that roiled global markets. During the 2024 campaign, voters trusted Trump more than Kamala Harris on the issue of tariffs. Now, he finds himself 30 points less overall on the issue and a staggering 48 points less with independent voters.
“This is just a political disaster,” Enten added. “And the longer he drags it out, the more and more it can hurt his political standing.” Meanwhile, Enten shared that world leaders who have pushed back against Trump’s tariffs are faring much better at home (via the Daily Beast).
The latest NBC News Decision Desk Poll confirms the downward trend. Just 37% of adults approve of Trump’s performance, while 63% disapprove. Half of all respondents indicated they disapprove strongly. These numbers are the lowest approval rating recorded for Trump’s second term in this polling series.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
