CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten stated on Monday that President Donald Trump has some of the “best political instincts” he has ever seen from a politician as it relates to public opinion.
Google searches for sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have currently fallen 89% in comparison to three weeks ago, proving that Americans have moved on from caring about the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files, Enten said. The CNN reporter stated that Trump has proven to have powerful “political instincts” as he continues to hold a high approval rating.
“I would just say this, Donald Trump has some of the best political instincts of any politician I’ve seen and on this particular issue, you see it full well and clear because he has been saying ‘ you know what, [the Epstein files] is not an issue’ and it turns out a lot of the American public actually seem to agree with him,” Enten said.
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Trump’s approval rating stands at 44% as of Monday, which is seven points higher than it was during his first term in August 2017. One Republican voter stated in a CNN/SSRS poll in July that Epstein is their top issue, while not a single Democrat or Independent identified the high profile case as being a political priority.
“[Trump’s approval] is still well within that margin of error here of 44% and you compare that to where he was in his first term at this point, he was 37%,” Enten said. “So he’s seven points higher, very much in a different political universe now. It’s significantly higher in terms of his overall approval rating than he was at this point in his first term … So no, he hasn’t lost any of that base and when it comes to that center of the electorate, he’s basically holding on there and his overall approval rating, 44%, is pretty darn gosh good for him considering where he was at this point in term number one.”
The media spotlight around the Epstein files and Trump’s association with the disgraced sex offender arose after the administration’s conclusion on July 6 that Epstein committed suicide and did not possess a so-called “client list.” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News in February that she had the client list sitting on her desk, though the Department of Justice (DOJ) and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that she referred to several different documents relating to multiple cases.
Trump continuously criticized reporters and the public for repeatedly narrowing in on the Epstein story. He also filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on July 18 after the outlet alleged that he drew a picture of a naked woman and sent it to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003.
The Daily Beast and Democratic strategist James Carville both had to retract allegations that first lady Melania Trump had strong ties to Epstein.
The president told reporters on July 29 that he removed Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after he learned that the sex offender was hiring his female spa workers, which included then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was recruited to perform sex acts for Epstein.
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