'Whoo!' CNN host astonished by bracing poll numbers showing Trump as an 'anchor' for GOP

A new polling analysis suggests Democrats' uphill battle to flip the four seats needed for Senate control may be more winnable than previously thought — thanks largely to a dramatic drop in President Donald Trump's popularity in the states that matter most.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten examined six pivotal Senate battlegrounds — Alaska, Maine, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas — and found Trump's net approval rating has swung nearly 20 points in the negative direction since 2024, when he carried these states by an average of eight points, and some by double digits.

"Down, down, he goes into the Ohio River," Enten said. "Look at this, he's at minus-11 points. It's a nearly 20-point switcheroo in the negative direction. Donald Trump, now underwater by double digits."

Trump's net approval ranges from minus-1 in Alaska to minus-21 in Maine, with Texas at minus-9, Iowa at minus-10, Ohio at minus-10, and North Carolina at minus-14. Notably, Ohio, Iowa, and Texas — all states Trump won by double digits in 2024 — have seen the sharpest reversals.

The primary driver, according to the analysis, is cost of living and affordability. Trump's approval on handling the cost of living is significantly worse than his overall numbers across all six states: minus-22 in Alaska, minus-21 in Texas, minus-24 in Iowa, minus-26 in Ohio, minus-29 in North Carolina, and minus-36 in Maine. In every key Senate race, his net approval on affordability is underwater by more than 20 points.

"What are we seeing under the hood [is] if Democrats are going to take back control of the United States Senate," Enten said, "it will be in large part because of one man and one man alone, and it is this man right here, Donald John Trump, because he is an anchor, he is an anchor."

"If they lose the Senate, it will be because of Donald Trump becoming so unpopular, especially on the cost of living," he concluded.

"CNN News Central" anchor John Berman marveled at his findings.

"Look, if affordability is still the same issue in November that it is now, these numbers – whoo," Berman said.

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