CNN’s audience is calling for the dismissal of Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten after he referred to President Donald Trump as “the most influential president this century” during a recent weekend broadcast. The segment, which aired on August 3, 2025, triggered swift backlash from viewers.
Enten made the remark while appearing on CNN’s “Run The Numbers” with anchor Omar Jimenez, examining the impact of Trump’s policies. He laid out how Trump is reshaping the country with new tariffs, stricter immigration rules, and a surge in executive orders.
The controversy began when Jimenez brought up the nickname “TACO”—an acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out”—in the context of Trump’s tariff pledges. Enten challenged this perception, offering detailed statistics to support his view.
“No tacos for Trump regarding effective tariffs. Listen to this: 18%—the highest rate since the 1930s, Omar. That’s up from just 2% a year ago,” Enten reported on air.
Enten also highlighted Trump’s immigration policies, noting another dramatic shift. He projected that net migration to the US could fall by at least 60% from last year’s 2.8 million people.
“We could actually experience negative net migration to the US in 2025,” Enten explained. “That would be the first time in at least fifty years the nation has seen this trend.”
He further discussed Trump’s unprecedented use of executive orders. Enten pointed out that Trump had already signed 180 executive orders just over halfway through 2025—significantly more than President Joe Biden’s 77 during his first year in office. This volume, he noted, hasn’t been seen since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency.
Enten wrapped up his analysis by stating that Trump’s influence is genuinely historic. He used the phrase “Love it, like it, lump it” to underline that, regardless of how anyone feels about Trump, the data clearly shows significant change.
The segment rapidly gained traction on social media, with many viewers voicing strong opinions. A sizable portion of CNN’s audience expressed outrage and called for Enten to be fired. Some wondered if he was endorsing Trump’s actions, particularly the increased tariffs, which could result in higher costs for Americans.
Yet, other viewers sided with Enten’s assessment. Some argued that the statistics tell an undeniable story, also pointing out that a majority of voters supported Trump. The varied responses underscore the deep divisions surrounding Trump’s presidency.
Enten’s situation is particularly notable given CNN’s generally critical stance toward Trump. Nonetheless, Enten focused strictly on data and concrete outcomes, not opinions. His expertise as a data analyst gave added credibility to his analysis.
At age 37, Enten is a Dartmouth College graduate who formerly worked for FiveThirtyEight before joining CNN in 2018. He currently hosts the network’s “Margins of Error” podcast, which emphasizes analysis through statistics rather than typical campaign coverage.
The Trump policies that Enten discussed are central to the president’s “America First” approach. Trump has introduced tariffs on imported goods and hiked rates for some countries. For instance, tariffs on Canadian imports rose from 25% to 35% as the administration argued Canada hasn’t done enough to stop fentanyl from reaching the US.
The immigration figures Enten referenced reflect Trump’s tougher border policies and enforcement efforts, marking some of the most significant migration shifts in decades.
This controversy highlights a clash between CNN’s usual editorial tone and the objectivity of data analysis. Despite the network’s critical approach to Trump, Enten’s segment stayed rooted in quantifiable policy results rather than political debate.
The segment’s widespread attention online demonstrates the enduring interest in Trump’s presidency and his policy effects. Clips and quotes from Enten’s analysis circulated rapidly, provoking a broad spectrum of responses across social platforms.
