CNN host Manu Raju stopped mid-show on Inside Politics Sunday. That was the cue for analyst Harry Enten to walk viewers through the latest set of approval numbers for U.S. President Donald Trump.
The takeaway was that Trump’s standing with independent voters has cratered. Enten tracked the president’s approval ratings from early January 2025 through the end of the year. In January, his net approval with independents was around minus one, which was still manageable. But by December, that number had plunged to minus 43!
At one point, Enten joked that Trump was so far underwater that he was “hanging out with Jacques Cousteau.”
CNN: “Trump at -46 with young voters now, a deep dark black hole… -52 with young voters on the economy. It’s just stunning, you rarely ever see shifts like this.” pic.twitter.com/OP2gUVL38A
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) December 5, 2025
Overall Trump’s net approval has seen 18-point decline as it slid from plus six at the start of last year to minus 12 by December. This is the same 79-year-old president who clawed his way back into the White House with political muscle. Yet now, a live CNN breakdown shows him sinking with the voters who ultimately decide his fate.
The segment also walked us through why independents are peeling away at all. First, the economy was the spine of Trump’s second-term pitch. In January 2025, voters were still giving him decent marks for it. But, by December, his net approval on the economy has fallen by around 25 points, thanks to inflation and tariff-driven price hikes.
Immigration hasn’t rescued him either. Trump started the year six points above water on the issue, but now he’s six points below. That lines up with polling from the Associated Press and NORC, too. Only about one-quarter of U.S. adults say Trump’s policies helped them, while roughly half of them say those policies have actively hurt them.
Even Republicans admit they haven’t seen much real-world benefit.
Trump says if Republicans do not win the 2026 midterms, he will be impeached. #ImpeachTrumpNow
Raise your hand if you’re excited 🖐🏽 pic.twitter.com/rHRDyjosVe
— ᗰᗩƳᖇᗩ (@LePapillonBlu2) January 7, 2026
Just 43% approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, which is also down from 49% earlier in the year. Approval on government spending has slipped as well, after the budget bill that analysts believe will add trillions to the national debt and at the same time cut Medicaid coverage. This will actively make the economy worse.
Besides CNN’s breakdown, NPR’s polling explains the anxiety driving Trump’s approval rating on the economy is down at 36%. This dip is the lowest of his second term and the worst in six years of Marist polling. Overall job approval hovers around 38%, and only about 30% of independents approve of the job he’s doing.
While many voters still see Trump as capable of “getting things done,” a majority say he doesn’t understand ordinary people’s problems. CNN also noted that both Barack Obama and George W. Bush experienced negative net approval ratings.
So maybe these numbers aren’t all that exceptional after all?
