Working-class voters were a "very important part" of the coalition that reelected President Donald Trump in 2024, but according to CNN's data guru Harry Enten, the latest numbers show a drastic drop in their support for him that could spell doom for the GOP in the future.
For the purposes of this latest polling, "working class" was defined as anyone making $50,000 or less a year. As Enten explained, these voters and their frustrations about the economy were key to pushing Trump over the electoral edge in 2024.
"You know, the working class... those making under $50K were a big swing vote in the 2024 election," Enten explained. "Trump was able to win them. That was a very important part of his coalition."
Now, however, the support Trump has from these voters has fallen off dramatically, with their approval rating of his job performance as president now deeply underwater. While Trump carried these voters by 2 percent over Kamala Harris, he now has a net disapproval from them by 24 percentage points, based on an average from several sources.
A similar trend has emerged across numerous voter demographics that broke for Trump in 2024, including young voters and Latino voters, casting major doubts on the GOP's ability to hang onto power in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential race.
"But now look at this now, look at the net approval rating he has with those making under [$50K]," Enten continued. "Down it goes. Look at that, that's a 26-point switcheroo in the latest average of polls. Look at that, minus 24 points. The working-class voters are abandoning Donald Trump, those who put him over the top in 2024 are saying, 'You know what? Not for me right now.'"
On a per-issue basis, Enten noted that Trump's approval over Harris on the economy was a major factor helping him secure working-class voters in 2024, but now, that rating has fallen even harder than his overall approval. While voters in 2024 gave him a 5-point edge on the economy, his current net approval is now underwater by a dysmal 31 points.
"They have completely, completely shifted away from the president of the United States," Enten said. "He is way underwater, we're talking way more than a 20-point shift away from the president of the United States. His net approval rating with them right now is absolutely atrocious when it comes to the economy. They have seen what has happened, they have seen what has happened with tariffs, they have seen what has happened with the war, they have seen the gas prices go up, and you just say to yourself if you're a voter making under $50K, the economy is not where we want it to be, and therefore we are turning against Trump on the economy, and we are turning against him overall."


