Can the GOP survive soaring gas prices? Enten & panel unpack

President Trump's approval numbers are  historically low and a key reason is gas prices, an issue that polling suggests is clearly pushing  voters toward Democrats one week out from the. midterms. Let's go to CNN chief data analyst Harry  Anton. So Harry, just how historic is it for the. president on gas prices? Uh, you know what? I  feel like we're dealing with Bizarro Babe Ruth. That's what we're dealing with because President  Trump keeps breaking records but in the wrong way, the wrong direction. I mean, just take a look at  this. Okay, I want you to take a look at the worst. net approval rating on gas prices going into  a midterm election this century. Who holds it?

It's Donald John Trump. 49 points under one.  That's deep under the oil fields. My goodness. gracious. No other president is even close, Boris.  I mean, the closest one is about 20 points. Has a. 20 point higher net approval rating. Donald Trump  49 points underwater. Setting records you simply. put do not want to be setting. for us. I think  we all know why, right, Harry? I think we do know.

why. I I think our audience is pretty gosh darn  smart. They are going to the gas pumps. They are. seeing how much it cost to fill up versus what  it was at the beginning of the year. And I mean, just look at this. I mean, look, your wallets  ain't lying to you. They ain't lying. Take a look. at this. 2026 gas prices from the beginning  of the year to now. Look at this. Up like a. rocket. Up 51%. I went back and found every single  midterm year I possibly could. And this 51% rise, Boris, is higher than any midterm year dating  back at least half a century. And none of the.

other midterm years were particularly close. That  is why President Trump is doing so poorly on gas. prices. It is because people simply put are paying  a lot more at the pump than they did just at the. beginning of the year. And so what does this  mean for Republicans running for Congress? Okay, that's the key question, right? And I dare  say whoever wrote those questions really, really smart. Uh it was it was it was me. It  was me. I'm leading. You're leading the witness. Anyway, I I would just say this. You know, if  you're a Republican who's running for Congress,

uh you might have this idea. Oh, no. You know,  I could escape President Trump's unpopularity. gas prices. It's reality check time, Boris. It's  reality check time. Look at this. Dem's best issue. in the swing house districts. It's this one. It's  gas and energy prices. Democrats lead by 12 points. on this issue. Among independents, the lead that  they have is more than double it. So, Republicans. should definitely be scared as we near Halloween  when it comes to gas and energy prices and how. that could affect their chances of winning uh just  a week from now. I can't believe it. Just a week.

from now. Between the shivers and the rocket,  Harry, you've got the sound effects down. I I. have one more question for you. This one was not  provided. Where did the bow tie go? You had this. American flag bow tie just a couple days ago. It's  disappeared. I'm sad to see it gone. Harry, you. know what the bottom line is? This. I think that  the bow tie was a one-day phenomenon. But maybe on. Friday as we near Halloween, I may pull it out for  you, but I will tell you this much. You are going. to be happy about that bow tie if it makes an  appearance. But I don't think voters are going to.

be happy with the gas prices come Halloween. Why  do I say why do I say look at that? Look at that. Look how I I wrapped up in a nice bow like yes,  I did it. Chance that gas prices on election day. are above $4 a gallon. Of course, according to the  couch prediction markets, it's now a 98% chance. That's way up from the 30% chance just two months  ago. So, I don't think that Americans, at least. according to those who are putting their money  where their mouth is, are really going to find.

any real relief uh come election time. And we'll  see if it ultimately is the determining factor, but it's certainly one I don't think Republicans  very much like at all. Again, we're one week out. from election night and gas prices have hit a new  milestone. According to new analysis of the data. from AAA, the average daily price of gas during  Trump's second term is now more expensive than the. daily average during Biden's term. Vice President  Vance says he knows who's at fault. They skyrocket.

every time some tinpot dictator decides to throw a  tantrum. But it's also true that the price of gas. goes up each time a foreign leader in the Middle  East throws a tantrum. But over the weekend, President Trump didn't seem so concerned. So  we're making hundreds and hundreds of billions, trillions of dollars. But my people said, "Please  don't mention that, sir, because people are paying. a little higher. That number is going to come way  down." No, I could just see the fake headlines.

President Trump is talking about all the money  they're making while people are suffering at the. pump. That'll be the headline. But I said, I don't  give a damn. I'm going to say it. We're making a. freaking fortune. Group chat is back. Um, I always  appreciate when Trump tells us here's what my. people told me not to say. Can you talk about that  dynamic of like how he's messaging versus how all. other Republicans are trying to or like what are  we seeing? He predicted the headline and that in.

fact became the headline. Um so here's the thing  about Trump rallies. Uh his closing argument if. you watch the 2-hour rally is pure chaos. But  that rally isn't for us. That rally isn't for. clips. That rally is to put on a big old show for  the people in the arena. He's on tour and he's. giving them what they want, which is the hits.  It's a show. It's like, "Hey, look what I they. told me not to say. I'm going to say it anyway."  That is the show. Um, but it makes for some really.

unfortunate clips for Republicans who are out  there saying, "I care about prices, you know, standing in a grocery store talking about how  the war needs to end." Like, it's it's a little. discordant. Well, and it also hands Democrats  a talking point. So, here's Scott Colam of. Mississippi, um, who actually went around talking  to Trump rally attendees outside the arena. whenever they're talking about the candidate and  they aren't talking about you, the voters or the.

issues that are affecting you, then you know  they're lying. And this guy said, "Man, he's. right about that." And he was like, "Listen, can I  take a selfie with you cuz you're my type of guy.". Took the selfie with him. And you know, the voters  out there, they want a fighter on the issues. They. were talking about gas. They were talking about  groceries. There was a farm out there. They said. the tariffs have been terrible. And you know, they  just want somebody that's going to look out for. America first. Now, this is a candidate reporting  live about good interactions he had with voters. So, I'm going take it with a grain of salt, but  the idea is Democrats sound very empowered on this.

topic. Let me explain those gas prices for all  of you out there that are Democrat or Republican. Those gas prices were horrible for Joe Biden and  Joe Biden lost. These gas prices are going to be. bad for Republicans and they're going to lose.  The other thing that I would tell you about is. when you go out and you actually talk to folks in  these when when Tamara was talking about it's bad. for Republicans. It's not bad for all Republicans.  It's only bad for about 40 Republicans running in. House races and about six Republicans running in  Senate races because they have to defend them.

Go back to the Chuck Roachcher philosophy of the  midterms. They have to get out those voters. And. I think that's what these rallies are for so  they can clip it and try to get these voters. out. So then help me understand why Kevin Hassid  is going on Fox Business. He's the US director. of the National Economic Council and saying this.  The amount of consumption per household has gone. up maybe around $5,000 per household. That's  after inflation because of the income boom, the. capital spending boom, the fact that people aren't  losing their jobs, all the things that have made.

the economy great means that affordability crisis,  it's it's a myth. The bottom line is if you adjust. for inflation, you adjust for changes in prices  that Americans are a trillion dollars better off. than they were when President Trump took office.  And and so this whole idea about affordability, the way they're presenting it is inconsistent  with the data. Well, he's trying to explain, which is hard to explain to everyday people, just  the broader economy. I mean, this is his job, but yes, it's hard in regards to your literal job  is to explain it to everyday people. But his um.

his the gas prices in my mind and the grocery  prices are baked in. I think Joe Biden lost for. a lot more reasons than just gas prices there,  Chucky. But also um I I think that what what. um the vice president was trying to do and I think  what the president's trying to do is make go back. to this national security issue especially for  our base that's a major issue in regards to what. we care about that without telling people who  when we look at consumer sentiment that arrow.

goes down. Can you say this is about national  security without admitting that they're in pain? Do you keep telling them that it's a myth, it's  a hoax? Your experiences with the the economy are. not real because that's what we hear. But  they know that they they know it. I mean, they can't obviously explain it. That's just  something that's unrealistic. But what they're. trying to say is make it a broader message.  I'm not saying it's going to work. I'm just. trying to tell you the strategy. I'll tell you  this is that when Joe Biden was the president,

I stood at this seat and said, "Y'all don't  worry about it. The stock market's all-time high. and unemployment is at an all-time low. Go vote  for Joe Biden." And guess what? Folks did not.