Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris is sounding like a sputtering engine at a traffic light while former President Donald Trump is revving up like a finely tuned muscle car, according to insights from a CNN political analyst. The contrast between the two campaigns could not be more stark, with Trump soaring in popularity just as Harris’s approval plummets like a rock in a lake.
Harry Enten, a senior political data reporter at CNN, has taken to social media to lay out the numbers, painting a picture of divergent paths in the political landscape. Trump, a polarizing figure since he tossed his hat in the ring back in 2015, is reportedly more adored now than he was contemporaneously during either his 2016 or 2020 campaigns. With Harris in freefall, this begs the question: what kind of magic is Trump weaving that has the American public all revved up?
Why is Harris on the attack? Trump's more popular at this point in this campaign than at this point in either his 2016 or 2020 bids.
Harris's popularity rise, on the other hand, has crested, and she's fallen back (barely) into net negative favorability territory. pic.twitter.com/2hddgwc8Zq
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) October 18, 2024
While some might argue that Trump has become a lightning rod of controversy, it seems his supporters are undeterred. A whopping minus nine net favorability rating shows he has leveled up from a minus twelve back in 2020, and the data suggest he’s enduringly popular. Meanwhile, Harris’s rocket-like ascent to popularity has fizzled out, leaving her stuck in murky waters with a net favorability that’s dipped below neutral. It’s as if she thought she could coast on the fumes of political theater without realizing she was headed straight for a jam.
With criticism rising within Harris’s camp, the discomfort is palpable. Just a month ago, she enjoyed a small moment of positive terrain, but now she’s slumping back into negative territory, stirring speculation about her waning campaign steam. Harris reached a plus one approval rating in September, only to plummet back to minus one by October. Apparently, the winds of change aren’t favoring Kamala, and if anything, they’ve become a headwind.
Enten, sounding more like a political oracle than a CNN reporter, points out the unfortunate truth for Harris that being more popular than Trump could mean less than nothing come Election Day. A mountain of public approval won’t hold water when it’s time to cast real ballots, as seen in the past with candidates like Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, who both started with solid approval ratings but couldn’t clinch victory when it actually counted. The race isn’t won in the polls, it’s won at the ballot box, a detail that seems to escape the Democrats time and again.
To add a splash of humor to the situation, Trump has been throwing out some memorable campaign stunts, including a cameo at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s that has resulted in countless raised eyebrows and laughter. This unexpected display has endeared him to everyday Americans, a demographic Harris seems to have overlooked in her slick but ultimately empty campaign. The difference in approach showcases the divide between the two political figures: one relates to voters in everyday settings, while the other remains locked in a bubble of elite political maneuvering—perhaps explaining why the wheels are falling off Harris’s campaign bus even as Trump’s engine roars.
The broader lesson is clear: when a well-polished candidate like Harris flops under scrutiny, it reflects a failure of the liberal establishment to sell snake oil to a skeptical populace. As the election draws near, it appears Harris and her team are scrambling to find a coherent message, a feat that seems increasingly unlikely with each passing day. America is awake, and it’s clear they’re not buying what Harris is selling.
