CNN data analyst Harry Enten issued a stark warning on Monday that Donald Trump's approval ratings may have no discernible floor, as the president's support among voters collapses and even his core MAGA base appears to be losing momentum. This caution came as the White House marked President's Day with the lowest approval ratings of Trump's second term across four separate major polls.
Polling Data Reveals Significant Decline
According to Enten's analysis, Trump's political brand enters the 2026 campaign season at its weakest point in years, precisely when Republicans are depending on it to protect their narrow majorities in both the House and Senate. The data shows Trump nearly 20 points underwater in Quinnipiac University's tracking poll, with even more troubling numbers emerging from three additional surveys conducted by NBC News, Yahoo/YouGov, and AP-NORC.
"You know, Kate, there's this question that folks keep asking, 'Where is the floor for Donald Trump?'" Enten told CNN's Kate Bolduan. "And I'm not sure there is a floor, because if there is one, Donald Trump, at least in term number two, has just fallen through it to another low level!"
Comparative Analysis with Biden Administration
Enten further highlighted that former President Joe Biden's average approval rating across those same four polls, measured at the corresponding point in his presidency during February 2022, stood four points higher than Trump's current numbers. This comparative data suggests Trump faces unique challenges as he approaches midterm elections.
Economic and Immigration Concerns Drive Decline
This year, the president confronts growing American dissatisfaction with his handling of issues that previously represented his greatest polling strengths: economic management and immigration enforcement. The AP-NORC poll released last week revealed that six in ten Americans now hold unfavorable views of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while more than half believe Trump has gone too far in both deporting undocumented immigrants and restricting legal immigration.
On economic matters, Trump's net approval rating in a YouGov/Economist tracking poll this month stands at 23 points in the negative. Persistent concerns include inflation, consumer prices outpacing wage growth, and high housing costs. The situation worsened when Congress missed a December deadline to address spiking Obamacare health plan premiums, resulting in hundreds of thousands of Americans dropping off public health care exchanges in subsequent weeks.
Legislative Gridlock Compounds Problems
Trump's first year in office benefited from compliant Republican majorities in Congress that blocked Democratic attempts to address perceived self-dealing within Trump's inner circle, including family members. Congressional Republicans have also resisted efforts to rein in Trump's mass deportation agenda or the now-shuttered DOGE initiative, which hollowed out USAID in 2025 as part of government savings measures.
However, that same Congress has failed to pass substantial legislation requiring a filibuster-proof Senate majority, except for the president's "Big, Beautiful Bill" that extended tax cuts and increased ICE funding through reconciliation. The bill left many of Trump's other policy priorities unaddressed.
Republicans have made no progress in reaching agreements with Democrats on pressing issues like health care premium spikes, with negotiations collapsing in January after the White House proposed a plan widely viewed as unpassable in Congress.
Electoral Implications for 2026
In 2022, Democrats narrowly lost House control after a predicted "red wave" largely failed to materialize, allowing them to maintain Senate control and preventing unified Republican congressional control for another two years. Current electoral projections suggest Democrats are poised to make substantial gains in both chambers this year, partly due to Trump's unpopularity and dynamics instigated by the president himself.
With a competitive GOP primary approaching in Texas, Trump has declined to endorse vulnerable incumbent Senator John Cornyn, while endorsing against another GOP incumbent in a separate race. These actions further complicate Republican electoral strategies as they face challenging midterm elections with an increasingly unpopular standard-bearer.
