CNN's Harry Enten: Trump Is Totally 'Losing The Political Fight' Against Powell

CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten on Monday said a majority of Americans believe it’s “incredibly important” that the Federal Reserve acts independently of Donald Trump after the president’s apparent attempt to pressure Fed Chair Jerome Powell into lowering interest rates.

“The American people vigorously disagree with the President of the United States on this,” Enten said. “They want a Fed that acts independently of him because they think it’s best for the economy.”

On Sunday, Powell announced that the DOJ had issued subpoenas and threatened the U.S. central bank with a criminal indictment over his Senate testimony about planned renovations at the Federal Reserve building. Trump insisted that he didn’t have anything to do with the subpoenas despite feuding with Powell — whom he appointed to the post in 2017 — for months, and urging him to cut interest rates.

Former Fed chairs have gone to bat for Powell and blasted Trump’s “unprecedented” attack on the agency’s independence.

Enten, citing CBS News polling from September, noted that more than two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) said it was best for the U.S. economy if the Fed acted independently of Trump. A majority of Democrats (91%) and independents (75%) said the same, while over two-fifths of Republicans (41%) indicated that the Fed having the reins on the economy would be best.

Enten stressed that Trump was “losing the political fight” to Powell, citing a Gallup survey from December that showed Powell with a net approval rating (percent who approve minus those who disapprove) of -3 points compared with the president’s “way, way, way underwater” rating of -23.

“Jerome Powell, not the most popular guy in the world, but at -3 points, he’s actually the most popular guy that Gallup polled of any, any of the politicians, any of the folks in government,” Enten said. “He is far more popular than Donald Trump is.”

Trump’s net approval rating on the economy has also taken a nosedive since January 2025, dropping from +6 points a year ago to -19 points this month.