“CNN NewsNight” host Abby Phillip quickly changed the subject to polling about President Donald Trump Monday night after Republican strategist Scott Jennings asked the show’s panel to name a Democrat “more popular” than the president.
Media outlets have seized on protests over Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts at Republican town halls, attempting to paint the president’s agenda as being unpopular with GOP voters and the public at large. After panelist Alencia Johnson, a former Biden campaign staffer, claimed angry Republicans “shut down” the constituent events Jennings asked the panel to name a Democrat who was more popular than Trump after clashing with Puck Senior Political Correspondent Tara Palmeri.
“You guys keep trying to create this fantasyland where Donald Trump is not popular or Republicans are mad,” Jennings said. “Can you can you name a single Democrat in Congress who is more popular than Donald Trump right now? Answer: No. The reality is, Republicans are so happy with this, they‘re not upset about it.”
“The American people are happy about what‘s going on right now because for the first time in a long time, a president said, ‘I‘m actually going to reduce the size of the government,’” Jennings continued.
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Rather than naming a popular Democrat, Phillip instead cited a CNN poll saying 52% of Americans felt Trump was focusing on the wrong issues.
“Scott, I know you like numbers and you like polls. So, let’s put the poll up. The question is, ‘Has Trump had the right priorities since he’s been in office?’ 52% say no and just 40% say yes. So —” Phillip said before Jennings responded, “His job approval is roughly 50%. Congressional Democrats, 21%.”
“Okay. He is underwater. And yes, he’s —” Phillip said before Jennings said, “According to us, but not according to the averages.”
DOGE has conducted mass layoffs and has identified roughly $105 billion in savings, according to its website. The executive actions to reduce the size and scope of the federal government have been challenged in court, with a federal judge recently blocking a memo sent to federal agencies instructing them to dismiss thousands of probationary workers, but other courts have allowed DOGE to carry out its activities.
Trump has an average approval rating of 48.6% compared to a 47.4% disapproval rating in the Real Clear Polling average of polls from Feb. 13 to March 3, with only CNN, NPR/Marist and Quinnipiac showing Trump’s disapproval rating exceeding his approval rating.
“He’s more popular than the Democrats, but if you‘re claiming that everything that he‘s doing is popular, it‘s actually very clear in the polling that specifically the DOGE stuff is not popular,” Phillip said.
“I don’t think that’s clear-cut. I don’t agree,” Jennings said.
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