CNN's Harry Enten stunned his colleagues with a dizzying analysis of the "chaos" generated by the early days of Donald Trump's second presidency.
The president and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk have roiled the government with a series of executive orders, job cuts across federal agencies and on-again, off-again tariffs, and the political analyst presented data that showed Americans were confused and concerned about what they're seeing.
"Look, Google searches for Trump and chaos – look at this number, up 320 percent, this term's average week versus the first term this 46-day stretch that the Trump presidency has gone on, has the most number of searches for Trump and chaos on record," Enten said. "The American people are seeing this, they think that Donald Trump is like Butters in 'South Park,' he is 'Professor Chaos.' That is what is going on, the American people at this particular point are going, 'What is happening here?' They are seeing Trump and they are associating him with the word 'chaos,' and the markets, if there's one thing that stock markets investors don't like, what is that? Yeah, they do not like uncertainty. They don't like chaos."
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Enten then presented a chart measuring uncertainty in trade policy dating all the way back to 1960, and he said the first six weeks of Trump's presidency set a record.
"We are dealing with a record high," Enten said. "Get this – up 651 percent versus a year ago. One day Trump seems to be for tariffs, the next day he doesn't. One day he seems like he's backing off tariffs, then he's threatening to do it a month from now. What we're seeing is chaos play out in this trade, uncertainty that is playing out in the stock market, as well. Traders, investors, Americans are channeling their inner Vince Lombardi saying, 'What the hell is going on out there?' That's right, I mean, they may or may not like the tariff policy. What they like less, though, no matter what, is the wild reversal. They just need to know what's going on so that they can plan."
Wall Street is stressed out by the uncertainty, and Enten said polls show that everyday Americans on Main Street are, too.
"Do they think that all this chaos is good?" Enten said. "Is Trump making changes too quickly, [that is], rushing changes without considering their impact? You got it here folks: 56 percent, the majority say that Trump is making changes too quickly. They don't like what's going on. They don't like what 'The Rock' is cooking, compared to just 43 percent who say no. This Trump presidency, we were talking about this going back since Jan. 20, right, we said, 'Hey, maybe this Trump presidency with [chief of staff] Susan Wiles will be more on the tracks.' It seems to have gotten off the tracks as far as the American people are concerned, and they, simply put, do not like it."
CNN's John Berman marveled at Enten's rapid-fire pop cultural references to a minor "South Park" character, a legendary NFL coach and the pro wrestling alter ego of Dwayne Johnson, and co-host Sara Sidner commented on his seemingly over-caffeinated delivery.
"I want what he's drinking," she said.
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