The chart CNN put on screen showed Barack Obama and President Trump as near-opposites, and only one of them was above water.
CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten walked anchor John Berman through the comparison on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, on “News Central,” with the Nov. 3 midterms ahead. Obama’s net favorability came in at plus 20 points. Trump’s was 18 points underwater.
“I would just say that President Obama absolutely crushes President Trump when it comes to who is more liked by the American public,” Enten said.
Trump’s figure, Enten said, was “18 points under water, under Lake Michigan” — a nod to the state where both presidents had campaigned in the Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.
Why Red States Are in Play
The gap grew wider among independents. A University of Massachusetts Lowell/YouGov survey put Obama at plus 19 points with that group and Trump 38 points underwater.
Independents decide elections, Enten told Berman, and any campaign trying to reach them would rather have Obama out stumping than Trump. He described Trump’s standing with those voters as a serious drag through the latter part of his second term, and said it is the main reason a long list of red states is competitive this year — even where Republicans outnumber Democrats, independents have turned against the president and his party.
The Number Trump Won’t Like
Asked which of the two has been the better president, 55% of respondents chose Obama and 37% chose Trump in polling conducted earlier in 2026. Enten said he would not be surprised if the margin has grown since, pointing to the Iran war and a spike in gas prices earlier in the year that he said sent Trump’s approval ratings plunging.
“I don’t think that President Trump is going to like it,” Enten said.
Obama Taunted Trump From the Trail
Both presidents held campaign rallies in Michigan before the broadcast. Obama, back out for Democrats in the final stretch of the midterm campaign, aimed some of his sharpest material yet at the president. Trump falsely claimed Obama’s rally was “empty.”
Later in the program, anchor Kate Bolduan turned to new numbers in four battleground districts that could determine control of the House. A New York Times/Siena College poll showed Democrats with slight leads in three of them and a dead heat in the fourth. In Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District, in the Philadelphia suburbs, Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick trailed Democrat Bob Harvie by 2 points, within the margin of error.
Second Place, Behind Barack Obama
Berman reminded viewers that Enten had once put up a chart showing which president MAGA Republicans admire most, and the answer there was Trump. Enten agreed that Trump remains popular with Republicans, and very popular with MAGA Republicans.
The broader electorate answered differently. Asked which president they admire most, a plurality named Obama, and Enten noted that Trump landed in a spot he would not want: second place, at 19%.
Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan tied at 9%.
