President Donald Trump could potentially win favor from younger voters with a particular policy decision, CNN data correspondent Harry Enten says.
Enten, the network’s chief data analyst, said on Tuesday that the president’s potential decision to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance “would be some of the best politics that Donald Trump has done in a long period of time.”
The data guru, citing Gallup polling, first shared a range of data showing the uptick in voters who believe marijuana should be legal, which has risen a whopping 52 percent since 1969.
“In 1969, it was just 12 percent. In ‘85, 23 percent. Twenty years ago, it was 36 percent,” Enten told anchor Kate Bolduan on CNN News Central. “Look at this—nearly double from where we were just 20 years ago, in terms of the percentage of Americans who say that marijuana should, in fact, be legalized in the country.”
“64 percent—two in three Americans,” Enten added. “You rarely get two in three Americans to agree on anything. But they do, in fact, agree that marijuana should be legal.”
Enten expressed that the usage of marijuana among Americans has seen a similar shift, as the number of people who have used the substance rose from four percent in 1969 to 47 percent over five decades later.
“In 2024, nearly half of Americans now have at least used marijuana one time, and the percentage who say they are using it right now is also near record highs,” Enten said.
Tying the issue to Trump, Enten noted that voters under 35 swung drastically between the 2020 and 2024 elections, primarily toward Trump’s favor. This voter demographic overwhelmingly supports marijuana legalization at 72 percent, and nearly half of them have used the substance before.
As polls continually show that faith in Trump is plummeting among his base, Enten believes the decision could reverse some of the frustration younger voters have with the administration.
“This could be an issue that can help, among other issues, help bring them back into the president’s camp,” Enten said.
“For me, this could be a wedge issue that the president could use, in fact, against his Democratic opposition and say, ‘Hey, you know what?’” Enten continued. “‘Democrats have talked the talk, but I’m actually going to walk the walk when it comes to legalizing marijuana.’”
Enten expressed that there’s a “pretty gosh darn good chance” the president will reclassify marijuana before his term’s end, citing prediction market odds at 88 percent, which are now at 91 percent.
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment.
Marijuana is legalized for medicinal use in 40 states and recreational use in 24, but is considered a Schedule I substance federally.
Trump said on Monday that the administration is considering an executive order to ease federal restrictions on the substance by rescheduling it to a lower drug classification.
“We are considering that because a lot of people want to see it — the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify,“ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. ”So, we are looking at that very strongly.”
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