In a moment of rare candor on CNN, data analyst Harry Enten acknowledged Thursday morning that the Make America Great Again movement shows no signs of fading — even beyond President Donald Trump himself. Appearing on-air, Enten pointed to polling data that, by his own assessment, undercuts a frequent narrative pushed by critics on the Left that Trump’s influence over the Republican Party is weakening.
According to Enten, the MAGA movement is not only intact but stronger than it was just a few years ago. He cited statistics showing that two years ago, 74 percent of Republicans viewed MAGA favorably. Today, that number has climbed to 78 percent. Far from being a passing political moment tied to a single figure, Enten argued the movement has become a durable force within the GOP.
“It is as powerful as it has ever been,” Enten said, adding that MAGA is something he believes “will very much be able to outlast Donald Trump.” That conclusion, he explained, is reinforced by growing support for Vice President JD Vance, who Enten described as a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.
When asked by CNN host Sara Sidner about Vance’s political standing, Enten said the vice president “looks like a favorite” among Republican voters. He emphasized that the Republican base “loves JD Vance” and views him as someone who authentically represents the Make America Great Again movement. In Enten’s telling, Vance is not a departure from Trump’s political legacy but a continuation of it.
Polling data appears to back that up. Enten highlighted numbers showing that Vance’s favorability among Republicans has risen over the past year, increasing from 81 percent to 84 percent. He also referenced separate polling that reflects a growing belief among Republicans that Trump’s influence on the GOP has been positive. While only 62 percent of Republicans said Trump had a good effect on the party in 2023, that figure has now risen to 71 percent.
Enten used the data to push back on claims, common among Democrats and media critics, that Trump and MAGA are losing their grip on Republican voters. He said that argument simply doesn’t match what the numbers show. Even in the wake of controversial events that have drawn criticism outside the GOP, Republican voters remain firmly aligned with Trump, MAGA, and figures like Vance.
“I know that there are a lot of people out there, especially on the Left, who say there’s weakness in Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP, weakness in MAGA’s grip on the GOP,” Enten said. “It just, simply put, isn’t there.”
He noted that recent violence by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis may not have been popular with the broader electorate, but stressed that Republican voters continue to stand by Trump and the movement he leads.
Enten concluded bluntly that the political reality is clear. Republicans continue to support Trump, embrace MAGA, and rally behind JD Vance as a standard-bearer for the future. “Donald Trump, MAGA, JD Vance — they ain’t going nowhere when it comes to the GOP,” he said.
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