STAT(S) of the Week

From Power Grabs to Program Cuts: Trump's Soft Underbelly

CNN/SSRS Poll

If you’re in the mood for some hopium, take a look at the CNN/SSRS poll released this week. It’s not just bad for Trump—it’s an indictment. A red, white, and bruised accounting of how the public actually feels about Trump’s leadership, his new “Big Beautiful Bill,” and his thirst for power. Spoiler alert: they’re not loving it.

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The Big Beautiful Disaster

Let’s start with the headline act: Trump’s economic centerpiece—his Big Beautiful Bill. This is the all-in-one combo platter of tax cuts for billionaires, program cuts for the poor, and golden bathtubs full of deregulation for polluters and profiteers. Trump promised it would make America great again (again). Voters… disagree.

• 61% of Americans oppose the bill.

• Only 39% support it.

• And just 29% think it will help the economy.

• Meanwhile, 51% say it will make things worse.

That’s not a mild “meh.” That’s a catastrophic net negative. Many Americans aren’t confused. They’re pissed. They see through the pitch. The public has connected the dots between Trump’s policies and their own lives—and what they see is Medicaid cuts, higher costs, and more wealth flowing to the top. If this bill was supposed to be the Trump economy’s “mission accomplished” banner moment, it’s quickly turning into his legislative Waterloo.

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Epstein Transparency: A Bipartisan Debacle

And then there’s the question that’s haunting the GOP like a half-redacted flight log: Jeffrey Epstein.

When asked whether the government has been transparent enough about what it knows regarding Epstein and his associates:

• Just 3% of Americans say yes.

• That includes only 4% of Republicans.

Let me repeat that: 4% of Republicans think the government has told the truth. That’s astonishing. In an age of polarization, this is one of the rare issues where the country is united—and that unity is screaming: cover-up! This is what happens when you make up a conspiracy theory!!

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The Power Grab Section: Has Trump Gone Too Far?

Now here’s where the poll starts to pick up steam—because it doesn’t just ask if people like Trump. It asks if they fear him.

1. Using the power of the presidency:

• 45% say he’s gone too far.

• Only 32% say he’s “about right.”

Translation? Almost half the country sees Trump as an abuser of presidential power. That’s not partisanship—that’s a perception of danger.

2. Cutting federal programs:

• 43% say too far.

• 29% about right.

Americans don’t want smaller government. They want effective government. You know—one that warns you about hurricanes, helps with hospital bills, and doesn’t gut SNAP so hedge fund CEOs can afford a third yacht.

3. Reducing prices:

• This is the only area where Trump gets a bit of breathing room:

  • 40% say he hasn’t gone far enough.

  • Only 26% say he’s gone too far.

But don’t confuse that for success. It’s not support—it’s desperation. People want prices down, and Trump hasn’t delivered. The lane is wide open for Democrats to hammer this home: Trump gave your paycheck to billionaires and called it inflation relief.

4. Pressuring colleges and universities:

• 42% say he’s gone too far.

The GOP is obsessed with “woke universities,” but voters aren’t. Outside of MAGA country, most people don’t want the federal government writing course syllabi or threatening DEI programs. This culture war is a loser—and it’s going to get worse once Project 2025 goes mainstream.

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Trump = National Security Threat?

Then comes the kicker. The poll asks a simple question:

Has Trump’s approach to the presidency put the country at risk?

And the answer?

• 52% say yes.

• Of course, 48% say no. They’re loving it.

Still, a majority of Americans believe the way Donald Trump operates as president is inherently dangerous to the nation. That’s not about policy, or tweets, or even criminal indictments. That’s about existential threat.

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The Strategic Takeaway

So here’s what Democrats—and democracy defenders—need to understand:

• The public thinks Trump goes too far and that’s without us reminding hem. Imagine if we came after them hard.

• He’s losing the economic narrative. Voters are underwater financially, and they know his policies won’t fix it. And that’s with most of his tariffs on an infinity TACO pause.

• Outside of the MAGA base, many voters voted for Trump to get cheaper shit and he is utterly failing to deliver on it

• He is perceived as a risk. Not a president. A risk.

• Democrats need to hit him as hard as possible on Epstein.

-Rachel