Haberman: ‘No polling’ where Trump is popular

CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman said Monday that President Trump’s approval is sinking across nearly all polls as the midterm elections near.

“There is no polling where this president is popular. Let’s put it that way,” Haberman said during an appearance on CNN’s “The Source” with Kaitlan Collins.

“And there is no polling where he is not in trouble on the issue of affordability,” she added.

Collins had pointed to new CNN polling showing Trump with a net approval rating of negative 32 percentage points, compared with negative 21 points for the Republican Party overall.

New polling shows Trump’s approval rating has dipped to its lowest point between his two terms in office as the widely unpopular Iran war stretches into its sixth month and Americans remain concerned over rising prices .

Haberman, a reporter for The New York Times, cautioned that public surveys do not always line up with private polling she has seen, but said the broader picture remains difficult for Trump, particularly on the cost of living.

She pointed to an Oval Office event on healthcare earlier Monday, where administration officials repeatedly invoked “affordability” — an issue Trump has previously dismissed as a “hoax” perpetuated by Democrats.

“That is the kind of thing that Republicans who are in these districts that are embattled do not want to be dealing with,” Haberman said.

Trump and GOP leadership have sought to make the president a central figure in the party’s midterm strategy despite his weak approval ratings, in an effort to secure votes from his base.

The president urged voters ahead of the midterms to pretend he is “on the ballot” when they cast their votes in November, as the party looks to ramp up voter turnout.

Trump has publicly clashed with Haberman in the past over her coverage of his presidency, calling the Times reporter “Maggot Haberman” on several occasions during his critique of her writing.

He recently lashed out at her over a story about his plans for the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, where she and three other Times journalists reported that Trump plans to skip a ceremony in New York City commemorating the anniversary and instead attend the Irish Open after event organizers denied his request to speak.

Speeches from politicians at the ceremony have been banned by the National September 11 Memorial and Museum since 2012.

“She’s been falsely writing about me for years — She’s a stalker, and should be forced to turn over any and all money that she’s made through her fake reporting on me,” Trump wrote of Haberman.

Trump is expected to attend a memorial service at the Pentagon this month on the anniversary of the attack, and Vice President Vance will represent the White House at the New York event, according to the Times.