A CNN political analyst appeared visibly stunned after revealing the latest polling data showing former President Donald Trump with a widening lead over President Joe Biden.
Hours after longtime host Fareed Zakaria urged Biden on his Sunday show to “turn things around,” analyst Harry Enten analyzed the latest NYT/Siena poll numbers. These figures show the Democratic incumbent significantly trailing Trump in key swing states expected to be crucial in deciding the election. Among these states, Trump leads Biden by 9% in Georgia, a pivotal state from the contested 2020 presidential results and the location of two remarkable U.S. Senate victories for Democrats that year. In Arizona, where Trump narrowly lost four years ago, he now holds a 6% lead among likely voters.
“These numbers are an absolute disaster… 13 in Nevada? My goodness God!” said Enten. “No Democrat has lost that state since John Kerry lost it back in 2004. Results for Biden were no much better among the Great Lakes states where Trump leads Biden by 3% in Pennsylvania, 1% in Wisconsin, and remains just 1% behind in Michigan. However, “this they can work with,” he added before pointing back to the Sun Belt results. “This the Donald Trump campaign absolutely loves, and it looks like a lot of other polling.”
The shift in the composition of Trump’s coalition could account for these changes. In Sun Belt states, which have a more working-class and ethnically diverse population, particularly among Hispanic voters, Trump’s support has increased to 19% from 13% four years ago. Meanwhile, his support among white voters has decreased, moving from 84% to 78%.“Those Sun Belt battleground states are more diverse than the Great Lake battleground states,” explained the analyst.
Looking at the Electoral College math, the advantage goes to Trump, “but he’s not over the 270 mark just yet.” With several congressional districts in Maine and Nebraska, and Great Lakes battleground states all within the margin of error, Biden has a narrow path to victory, but all the chips must fall in his favor.
WATCH:
"Absolute Disaster" – CNN analyst Harry Enten sounds the alarm for the Biden campaign as Trump pulls farther ahead in battleground states. pic.twitter.com/5176s5Es6l
— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) May 13, 2024
The video, noted by Trump’s war room account on X, demonstrates his team’s keen awareness of the significant progress he has achieved since 2024. As highlighted by Zakaria on Sunday, Trump is currently seen as the more capable leader by a majority of voters, marking a remarkable 25-point shift from his standing four years ago. These findings underscore the deep frustration among Americans with issues like stagflation and seemingly endless overseas conflicts. Moreover, Biden’s age has emerged as a significant concern among poll participants, “and there’s very little Biden can do now to change that perception,” Zakaria said.
Moreover, Zakaria pointed out that each day the former president stays in the spotlight on the front pages of the nation’s newspapers throughout his ongoing criminal trial marks another victory for him. This ongoing visibility offers supporters a renewed chance to sympathize with his plight, while undecided voters might start to view the prosecution as “politically motivated,” a sentiment Zakaria confessed to sharing. Trump’s court appearance on Monday coincides with prosecutors presenting testimony from his former attorney and “fixer,” Michael Cohen.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.