New Poll Shocks CNN: Republicans Dominate Democrats on Economic Issues
A new poll released by CNN has sent shockwaves through the liberal media establishment: the Republican Party is decisively outperforming Democrats on the economy, a trend that appears to be strengthening under the leadership of President Donald Trump.
CNN’s own data analyst Harry Enten appeared visibly stunned while reviewing the numbers with anchor Kate Bolduan, openly questioning how months of fearmongering over President Trump’s economic agenda — particularly his unapologetic tariff policies — have failed to move the needle in the Democrats’ favor.
“You would think after all of the waves, Kate Bolduan, after the last few months, the first five months of the Donald Trump presidency, right, the first four months of the Donald Trump presidency, that you’d expect that Democrats would have this massive lead on the economy. It ain’t so. It ain’t so,” Enten said.
Despite endless media coverage warning Americans about supposed recession risks, fluctuating markets, and the left’s disapproval of Trump’s America First trade stance, voters continue to side with Republicans on the issues that hit their wallets.
Enten shared that in November 2023, the GOP held an 11-point lead as the party most aligned with voters’ economic views. As of the latest CNN poll, that lead still holds strong at eight points — firmly outside the range of statistical noise.
“How is that possible, Democrats? How is that possible after all the recession fears, after the stock market’s been doing all of this, after all the tariffs that Americans are against, and Republicans still hold an eight point lead on the economy. Are you kidding me?” he exclaimed.
Widening Advantage Confirmed by Multiple Polls
CNN isn’t alone in this finding. Enten pointed to Reuters/IPSOS data, which echoed the same story. In May 2024, just before Trump’s reelection, Republicans led by nine points on the question of who had the better economic plan. By May 2025, that lead had grown to 12 points.
“And again, this is after months of economic — supposed economic uncertainty in which the stock market’s been going bonkers, in which the tariff wars that Americans are against have been going on. And yet, despite all of that, the Democrats are down by 12 points on the economy. This speaks to Democratic problems on the economy better than basically anything that you could possibly look at,” Enten emphasized.
The implication is clear: voters are tuning out the noise and recognizing results. Trump’s economic policies — including his aggressive stance on tariffs and energy independence — continue to resonate with everyday Americans, particularly among the middle class.
Republicans Now Winning the Middle Class
Enten also addressed a major shift in the makeup of the Democratic base — or what’s left of it. Once the self-proclaimed “party of the middle class,” Democrats have now lost that title as well.
“We already started seeing declines back in 2022 where you saw that Democrats led, but only by four points, well within the margin of error. And now in our latest CNN poll, among registered voters, which is the party of the middle class, it is tied,” he noted.
Enten didn’t sugarcoat it:
“This, I think, speaks to Democratic ills more than anything else. They have traditionally been the party of the middle class. No more. Donald Trump and the Republican Party have taken that mantle away. And now a key advantage for Democrats historically has gone. Adios amigos. And now there is no party that is the party of the middle class. Republicans have completely closed the gap.”
The Takeaway
While the corporate press continues its crusade against President Trump’s populist economic vision, the numbers tell a different story. Americans aren’t buying the doom-and-gloom narrative. They're watching their industries return, their jobs stabilize, and their future look brighter — and they’re crediting the President who made it happen.