‘X Isn’t Real Life’: CNN Data Guru Throws Wet Blanket On Dem Plans To Leverage Epstein Drama

CNN’s chief data analyst poured cold water over Democrat efforts to use division within the Republican Party — over the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — as leverage going into the 2026 midterm elections.

Harry Enten said on Thursday that despite some heated discussions in the media world — and on social media — over President Donald Trump and his administration’s handling of the Epstein case, Republican voters were not quite as divided as Democrats might have hoped.

“X isn’t real life. Post-Epstein saga, Trump’s approval with the GOP (~90%) may actually be slightly up,” Enten captioned a video of a recent broadcast. “He’s at/or near his apex w/ the GOP. How? Just 1 respondent said Epstein was the top problem facing the U.S. Cong Dems, OTOH, are at their worst standing with Dems ever.”

X isn’t real life. Post-Epstein saga, Trump’s approval with the GOP (~90%) may actually be slightly up. He’s at/or near his apex w/ the GOP.

How? Just 1 respondent said Epstein was the top problem facing the U.S.

Cong Dems, OTOH, are at their worst standing with Dems ever. pic.twitter.com/pSMH4BQ8Ou

— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) July 17, 2025

“Yeah, I mean, look, I think this one surprised me a bit because of all these complaints online going after Trump and the Epstein files, you might think his approval ratings were going down with Republicans. If anything, they’re going up!” Enten told host Sara Sidner. “Republicans who approve of Trump, look at our CNN poll, the prior one, 86%. The one out this week, 88% with Republicans. How about Quinnipiac? The prior poll, 87% approval for Republicans. This week out, 90% with Republicans. If anything, Donald Trump’s approval rating has gone up since this whole Epstein saga started. He is at the apex, or close there to, in terms of his popularity with Republican voters, Epstein files complaints or not.”

“Is there any reason that you can find that this hasn’t taken hold and hurt him?” Sidner asked.

“Yeah, I mean, on X, all you hear about is the Epstein files. But how about out in the real public? Republicans who said the top issue was Epstein case, the answer is one, one, and not 1%. One respondent. This is a great little finding that Ariel Edwards-Levy, who of course is part of our polling unit, found,” Enten continued. “Just one single Republican said that the nation’s top problem is, in fact, the Epstein case. Not much of a surprise that therefore Donald Trump’s approval rating has not suffered with Republicans because of the Epstein case, because the bottom line is most Americans say it’s not up high on their priority list.”

“Still, congressional Democrats have been trying to seize on this,” Sidner pointed out, noting that Democrats in office were going on and on about the Epstein files even though they couldn’t be bothered to vote even to subpoena his flight logs when former President Joe Biden was still in office. “You hear them also parroting what you’re hearing online, saying, ‘Release the files, this is terrible, blah, blah, blah.’ I mean, is that working for them?”

“No, I mean, look, here’s what’s so important,” Enten said, turning to the Democratic side of things. “You know, we talk about the potential of Republicans leaving Donald Trump. They’re not leaving him. But what about congressional Democrats and problems with their own base? Democrats’ net approval of congressional Democrats, according to Quinnipiac University, in June of 2025, it was their second worst ever at -12 points.”

“Is that not low enough for you? How about we go even lower? In July of 2025, -13 points, their worst net approval rating for congressional Democrats among Democrats ever,” Enten continued. “Donald Trump is not the one who has problems with this political base, it is congressional Democrats that are the ones who have problems with their own political base.”