CNN data guru Harry Enten has dubbed President Trump the “most influential president this century” while rattling off the major transformations he has ushered in on tariffs, immigration and other issues.
Enten argued that the president “has been tremendously influential to a historic degree” just over half a year into his second term.
“Love it, like it, lump it — Trump’s remaking the United States of America,” Enten said as he began a weekend segment on the cable news network. “I can’t think of a more influential president during this century.”
Enten noted that the highest average US tariff rate in effect on another country has jumped from 2% last year up to about 18%, which is the largest rate in America since the 1930s.
On immigration, the data buff noted that net migration into the US appears to be trending down sharply, by at least 60%, from 2.8 million last year.
“We may be dealing with — get this — negative net migration to the United States in 2025,” Enten said. “That would be the first time there is negative net migration in this country in at least 50 years.”
“Trump has always run on tariffs, and he’s running a hawkish line on immigration,” Enten said. “And on both of those issues — we are seeing record-high tariff rates for this century, and when it comes to immigration, net migration, we are seeing record low levels.”
Based on those two factors, Enten contended that Trump is the most influential president “probably dating a good [chunk back] into the 20th century.”
Another example Enten cited was Trump’s use of executive orders, having signed 180 of them halfway through his first year of his second term, surpassing all of his predecessors dating back to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Trump is one of two presidents to serve two nonconsecutive terms as president, alongside Grover Cleveland.
