Post-tariff polling shows historic support for Republicans

CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said on Friday that Republicans are gaining more popularity with the American public following President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

New polling found that Democrats and Republicans are tied 33% to 33% on the question of who “cares more for the needs of people” for the first time in over 30 years, according to a post-tariff Quinnipiac poll. Democrats historically held a double digit lead over Republicans on that question going all the way back to 1994, when the party led on that question by 19 points.

“This to me is the most shocking pieces of poll data that I truthfully have seen this year, maybe in any prior year,” Enten said. “Because I want you to take a look, ‘cares more for the needs of people like you.’ You mention we’ve got a tie even after this whole tariff war had already started, split between Democrats and Republicans about people feel which party cares more for needs of people like you. And why is that so surprising? Because I want you to take a look at prior years. Democrats always lead on this question.”

“Back in 2017, before the 2018 midterms, a 13-point lead,” Enten continued. “[In] 2005, a 23-point lead for Democrats, [in] 1994 which was a big Republican year, a 19-point lead for Democrats and now all of a sudden a tie? All of a sudden the Democrats, who are the party of the people, no more! No more. We’ve got a tie on this question that has traditionally overwhelmingly been [a] Democratic advantage.”

Republicans have notably made inroads with Americans without a college degree from 2017 to the present, Enten noted. Though Democrats held a seven -point lead among those without a college education in 2017, the Republican Party now holds a nine-point advantage among the same demographic.

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Enten, citing his own aggregate polling, further suggested that Republicans may perform well in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, though traditionally the incumbent party loses ground in such elections. In April 2017, Democrats held a seven-point lead on a generic ballot margin, while both parties were tied in 2024. Currently, Democrats are leading on the ballot margin by one-point, which could potentially spell bad news for the party in the midterms.

“If Democrats think they automatically have a ticket back to control of the House, I’d say hold on a second, Republicans still have a shot at this despite all of Trump’s theatrics over the last month with this tariff war,” Enten said.

The polling has remained positive for Republicans after Trump imposed reciprocal tariffs to establish fairer trade and return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. The tariffs have caused some instability in the stock market, though it had a major rebound on Wednesday when the Dow soared 2,962 points.

The economy, particularly inflation, has improved since Trump reentered office after prices remained at record highs throughout former President Joe Biden’s administration. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 2.4% in March, the lowest growth since 2020, while the Producer Price Index fell 0.4%.

Trump also fulfilled his promise to execute mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Border Patrol agents counted roughly 7,180 crossings, breaking its all-time lowest border encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border in March.

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