Gas prices skyrocketed this week as President Donald Trump's war against Iran heated up, prompting CNN's Harry Enten to argue pain at the pump will put Republicans in political peril.
Prices for gasoline jumped 13 cents over last week to $4.11 a gallon, and Enten said roughly two in three Americans — 65 percent — said the war is not worth the resulting spike in fuel costs, according to a poll conducted within the last 24 hours.
"You know, this is where President Trump seems so politically tone deaf," Enten said. "I mean, this is what we're talking about, saying, 'Oh, you know, it's it's worth it to me, you know, I'm not actually taking part in the midterm elections.'"
Republicans are shouldering the blame among voters for the higher gas prices, Enten said. When asked which party they blame for higher fuel costs, just 27 percent of Americans pointed to Democrats, while roughly two in three blamed Republicans.
Enten argued this undercuts any assumption that dissatisfaction with the administration won't affect down-ballot races. With Republicans controlling the House, Senate and presidency, he said, voters have nowhere else to direct their frustration.
The numbers reflect a broader shift on inflation – the issue that fueled Trump's return to office in the first place. In October 2024, Trump held a six-point advantage over Kamala Harris on which candidate voters trusted more to handle inflation — a margin that helped power his win. Now, according to a recent Fox News poll, that dynamic has flipped entirely, with Democrats now trusted by 10 points on the cost of living, marking one of the largest leads Democrats have held on the issue in Fox News polling history.
"This is just nutter butter," Enten said. "This is movement that kills parties, that kills their electoral aspirations."
Enten described the reversal as historically significant, noting that inflation was the issue that cost Biden and Harris the White House — and could now do the same to Republicans in Congress.
"If these numbers hold, it's very hard to imagine that Republicans are able to hold onto the House of Representatives when the number one issue, the Democrats are trusted by 10 points in a complete switcheroo from where we were just a year and a half ago," he said.
"These are the numbers that Democrats absolutely love, and Republicans absolutely have to despise."
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