CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten warned Thursday that President Donald Trump must fix inflation in order to hold onto his current popularity with American voters.
Most Americans, 34%, believe Trump should focus on inflation in his first 100 days, while 31% and 21% said immigration and the “economy in general” should be the president’s priority, an Ipsos Knowledge panel found in December. Enten said that Trump must not go down the same path as former President Joe Biden by allowing inflation to “crush” his presidency.
“Let me be clear, inflation crushed the Joe Biden presidency. It ate it alive. If Donald Trump is not careful, inflation will crush his presidency and eat it alive because that is where Americans want him to be focused,” Enten said. “They want [Trump] focused on fixing the inflation problem and bringing prices down.”
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Inflation politically harmed Biden’s presidency throughout his whole term and played a key role in helping Trump defeat former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election. Prices rose more than 20% during Biden’s term in office, with inflation jumping from 1.4% at the beginning of Biden’s presidency to its peak of 9% in 2022. The consumer price index (CPI) fell below 3% for the first time in two years in July.
Many economists blamed the soaring inflation on the Biden administration’s spending spree, particularly relating to the $1.9 trillion and $750 billion on the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act at the beginning of the former president’s term.
Numerous polls leading up the election found Trump leading both Biden and Harris on the economy and inflation. Both of those issues remained a top issue for voters throughout the election, allowing Trump to make inroads with blue collar workers and Latino men.
A recent CBS News/YouGov poll found that 66% of voters believe Trump should focus more on inflation, Enten pointed out. Exit polls conducted by Marquette Law found that 27% of Americans currently believe the economy is “excellent or good.”
“So no, Donald Trump is not a magician. No president is a magician when it comes to the economy, but [I will] be very clear here, if this number does not go up, Donald Trump’s approval ratings will go down,” Enten said.
Enten, citing a CBS News/YouGov poll, found on Monday that 53% of voters approve of Trump’s leadership since the beginning of his second term and 70% said the president is upholding his campaign promises.
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