A full year in the red.
That is the milestone CNN data analyst Harry Enten highlighted this week while discussing President Donald Trump’s approval numbers.
Speaking on CNN News Central, Enten pointed out that Trump has now spent an entire year with a negative net approval rating.
“Trump has been swimming with the fishes for a year,” Enten said, explaining that the president’s approval numbers have remained underwater every single day since March 12, 2025.
In other words, this is not a short slump or a bad week of headlines. According to the numbers, Trump’s approval rating has stayed in negative territory for a full year. But the bigger concern may not be the overall approval rating. It is who is turning away from him.
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Independent voters, the largest voting bloc in the United States, appear to be abandoning the president at a striking rate. Those voters often decide close elections because they are not strongly tied to either political party. When independents shift heavily in one direction, it usually signals deeper political trouble.
And according to Enten, the numbers are rough for Trump.
“Independents, independents, independents,” he said during the segment, emphasizing where the biggest shift is happening. “Trump has been just downright awful with them.”
Compared to other second-term presidents, Trump’s numbers with independent voters look especially bleak. Enten explained that Trump currently sits 38% underwater with independents. That is roughly 20% worse than former President Barack Obama at the same point in his presidency.
It is also worse than George W. Bush’s second term numbers, a period Enten noted had already gone “way off the rails.”
Several major polls appear to back up the claim.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted between March 6 and March 8 found that only 28% of independent voters approve of Trump’s job performance. Meanwhile, 66% disapprove. That leaves Trump with a net approval rating of -38% among independents in that survey.
The shift becomes even more dramatic when looking at how the numbers changed over time.
In January 2025, independents were far more divided. About 41% approved of Trump’s performance while 46% disapproved. At that point, the net rating was only -5%.
Since then, the gap has widened sharply.
CNN polling shows a similar pattern.
In February 2025, Trump held a 43% approval rating among independent voters. One year later, that number had dropped to 26%. That puts him roughly 47% underwater with that group, a major swing in the wrong direction.
Even polls from conservative leaning outlets tell a similar story.
A Fox News poll found that 60% of Americans believe the Trump administration is focused on the wrong priorities. Among independent voters, that number rises to 78%.
“That’s a big frickin’ problem,” Enten said during the broadcast.
Harry Enten: “Every day since March 12th, 2025, Trump has been underwater.”
Among independents, -38. Compared to Bush -26, Obama -18.
Is Trump focused on the wrong things: Overall, 60%. Independents, 78%
Will Dems take back House and Senate: 46% chance (was 28% in January). pic.twitter.com/c0uXVohGt9
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) March 11, 2026
Featured image via X screengrab
