CNN’s latest coverage revealed a stunning change in public sentiment, revealing a significant turnaround in President Donald Trump’s approval ratings. CNN data analyst Harry Enten, known for his sharp insights, walked viewers through the numbers that left the network’s host visibly taken aback.
Enten pointed to data from Reuters/Ipsos showing Trump with a net approval rating of +6 in January 2025—an impressive nine-point increase from his position at the start of his first term in 2017. At that time, Trump made history by becoming the first president to enter office with a negative net approval rating. The latest figures, however, tell a different story.
“Look at where we are now,” Enten said. “Considerably better at plus six points—that’s up nine points. To borrow a Donald Trump phrase, this is ‘big league.’”
Trump’s approval rating during his first term never exceeded a net of +3, making this latest surge a milestone. Enten pointed out that, for the first time, more Americans approve of Trump’s job performance than disapprove, a development that seemed to catch the CNN panel off guard.
“He’s in a better position than he was at any point during his entire first term. Things have very much turned around.