CNN isn’t a friendly news network to Trump. They usually spend most of their time bashing him.
But CNN just said the unthinkable about President Trump.
In the heart of Middle America, the Republican faithful have once again delivered a crystal-clear message to the political class: Donald Trump isn’t just leading the party—he owns its soul. While coastal media pundits desperately push narratives of fading loyalty, fresh data shatters those illusions.
President Trump commands the respect and devotion of Republican voters like few leaders before him, and any challenger foolish enough to cross him pays the ultimate price at the ballot box.
This reality hit home in Indiana, where voters sent a powerful warning shot to anyone thinking about defying the America First agenda.
The results weren’t subtle. They exposed the emptiness of claims that Trump’s influence is slipping among the rank-and-file conservatives who decide primaries and power the movement.
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten cut through the noise on News Central Thursday, declaring the notion of eroding support a complete myth.
Enten said, “As Indiana goes, so goes the nation when it comes to Republican voters and Donald John Trump. He absolutely still has the juice. And when you’re a Republican and you go against Trump, you get voted off the island.”
“I always love Survivor. And in this particular case, what we saw in Indiana was you go adios amigos, goodbye, see you later. And to me, that is emblematic of what we see nationwide with Republicans.”
The numbers back up this unfiltered truth, according to Enten. Trump’s current approval rating among Republicans sits at a commanding 84 percent nationally. Compare that to previous cycles, and the strength becomes obvious.
In 2022, out of office, it was only 76 percent. During his first term in 2018, it hovered at 85 percent—nearly identical to today’s figure. The base hasn’t wavered; if anything, loyalty has hardened.
Enten drove the point home clearly:
“I think there’s this myth that’s going on right now that, ‘Oh, Trump is really losing support among Republicans.’ But compared to other midterm cycles, he’s just as popular with Republicans as he has ever been at this point in midterm cycles. Right now, nationally, we’re talking about an approval rating on average of 84 percent. In 2022, his popularity rating was 76 percent, actually lower, right, when he wasn’t in the presidency.”
“In 2018, the last time he was president, 85 percent. That 85 percent looks a whole heck of a lot like this 84 percent right here. The bottom line is this. Donald Trump still absolutely has juice with Republican voters. You saw it in Indiana. And I think that you’ll see it down the line as well if any Republicans try and go against the president of the United States, who is still very much beloved by Republican voters nationwide.”
Even legacy outlets like CNN can’t fully ignore the data anymore. When their own numbers guy admits the obvious, it forces a reckoning with reality.
Republican voters aren’t drifting away—they’re doubling down.
