CNN’s Harry Enten says the president is facing a “rural revolt.”
The network’s chief data analyst told host John Berman on Friday that Republicans in Iowa who defied the 79-year-old president’s endorsed candidate for governor this week are part of a broader trend of rural voters breaking with him.
Enten described Iowa as a “field of dreams” turning into a “field of nightmares” for Donald Trump, citing a Fox News poll showing him holding a net approval rating of -14 points in the state as of May, compared to 18 points in 2024—what the data analyst described as a “near 40-point switcheroo.”
This sentiment was evident in Tuesday’s Republican gubernatorial primary, where Trump’s preferred candidate, Rep. Randy Feenstra, was defeated by farmer and businessman Zach Lahn.
Following the Iowa vote, a Trump strategist told NBC that the result was “clearly a Randy problem,” in an effort to avoid placing blame on the president. Before the election, Feenstra said in a statement that “President Trump is the greatest president of my lifetime” and pledged to work closely with him.
“It seemed to me that Iowa Republicans said, ‘You know what, we hear you, Donald Trump, but we’re dismissing that message,’” Enten said of the vote, adding that the trend is “part of a larger picture” of rural voters no longer responding to what Trump is “selling.”
The data analyst explained that rural voters are primarily focused on the economy and inflation, and that these are the areas where Trump is losing the most support.
“Rural voters, like the rest of the country, are turning against Trump on the key issues that helped secure his second term in 2024,” Enten said.
The data guru pointed to a poll showing that in 2024, Trump was trusted on the economy and inflation over Kamala Harris by 37 points, whereas his net approval on those issues is now -19 points, a staggering 56-point swing.
A new Edward Jones and Gallup survey found that just one in six Americans say they are financially fulfilled, and about a third of adults say they are financially stressed.
The war in Iran and the resulting disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have also driven gas prices higher, with some states now seeing averages above $5, according to AAA data. Experts have warned that grocery prices could be set to join the soaring costs.
Still, the Trump administration has maintained that the economy is not a problem, with the president’s top economic adviser going as far as to claim that Americans spending more is a sign that they are “optimistic about the future.”
The president entered office in January 2025 claiming he would “end inflation and make America affordable again” on day one. He also vowed to “supercharge our domestic industrial base,” relying on aggressive tariffs and pressure tactics to push companies into building plants on U.S. soil.
Yet, the Financial Times found that almost none of the promised factories are being built, while the president has dismissed concerns about the affordability crisis that Americans have complained about as a “hoax,” doubling down on his claim that the economy has remained fundamentally strong since he returned to office.
The lack of acknowledgment of Americans’ economic woes comes as the midterms approach, with Republican lawmakers sounding alarms that the party faces an uphill battle with independent voters.
“People will look at Iowa and see a red state because we have an all-red federal delegation. Iowa is a purple state. You scratch the surface of red Iowa, it is purple underneath,” a Republican Senator told The Hill.
Enten noted that the last Democrat to win a Senate race in Iowa was in 2008, while the last Democratic governor was elected in 2006.
The data analyst also pointed to polling showing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand now with a 60 percent chance of winning, while the Democratic Senate candidate stands at around 40 percent.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
