CNN’s Harry Enten returned to the network’s big board Friday morning to deliver some stunning news about how Americans feel about the economy.
The data analyst went over a Gallup poll that asked Americans what they feel is the most important issue facing the country today. Just 24 percent of Americans picked “the economy,” down from 43 percent in October 2024—the month before the presidential election.
“It kind of pops off the screen,” Enten said. “We’re talking about 24 percent, we’re talking about a drop of near 20 points. And more than that, we’re talking about across all of the different political groups, right? Democrats, independents, Republicans, we see that the percentage who say the top problem is economic has been falling through the floor… Which is, I think, very much surprising given all the news that we are hearing about the economy.”
For context, Enten pointed out that in an average midterm election, the number of Americans who say the economy is the most important issue averages out to 35 percent.
On Thursday, Enten went over the latest polling on how Americans feel about President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy. The numbers were brutal for Trump, with the president hitting record low numbers not just for himself across two administrations, but record lows for any president since the number began being tracked in 1977.
The numbers reflect Americans’ frustration with Trump’s tariffs, which have raised grocery prices and stunted the labor market. A report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed Friday that inflation rose to 3 percent, its highest number since January, despite Trump bragging that he has “defeated inflation.”
While the apparent de-prioritization of the economy in American minds may sound surprising given Trump’s poor approval rating, the numbers may suggest the two issues are connected.
At 24 percent, the economy ranked as the second most important issue facing the country in Americans’ minds. The No. 1 issue at 28 percent was “The government/Poor leadership.”
The polling was done during the month of October, when headlines have been dominated by the government shutdown. Unsurprisingly, Congress’ approval rating in the poll was at a paltry 15 percent. Trump’s approval rating was also underwater, though at a much less dire 41 percent.
Other non-economic issues have risen in importance in American minds, including “Immigration,” which polled at 16 percent (up from 14 percent) and healthcare, which polled at 6 percent (up from 3 percent).
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