Former President Donald Trump has declared that CNN is in a "death spiral," asserting that "literally nobody is watching" the network. However, in a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump identified CNN pollster Harry Enten as the network's "best person."
Trump's unusual praise for Enten stems from a segment where the CNN chief data analyst presented poll results indicating Trump's significant popularity within the Republican Party. The poll showed 53 percent of Republican respondents named Trump as the president they admire most, compared to 18 percent for Ronald Reagan and eight percent for Abraham Lincoln.
"The best person on CNN is Pollster Harry Enten, because he was willing to show that Donald J. Trump is six times more popular than Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, or any other President. He's got Credibility (Don't fire him!)," Trump wrote.
Despite this specific commendation, Trump reiterated his broad criticism of the network, stating that CNN "can be turned around with new leadership and anchors," unlike MSNBC, which he has rebranded as "MSNOW."
This specific praise for an on-air personality is a departure from Trump's frequent critiques of CNN. The former president has a history of clashing with CNN journalists. Notably, in August, Trump publicly admonished CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes at the White House, telling her to be quiet and calling her "fake news" after she attempted to ask a follow-up question.
Holmes's exchange occurred as Trump was speaking about his aide Natalie Harp and reacting to criticisms from Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Trump gestured to a 10-year-old boy recognized at the White House and stated Holmes was being "disrespectful" and was a "loud, boisterous person."
A CNN spokesperson responded to the incident, stating, "Public officials are free to challenge reporting they disagree with, but personal attacks on journalists for asking questions are beneath the office and inconsistent with the principles of a free press. We stand firmly behind Kristen and reject these attacks in the strongest possible terms."
Trump also has a long-standing feud with CNN's Kaitlan Collins. At the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Trump compared Collins to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney and criticized her for not smiling enough. The network defended Collins at the time, calling her an "exceptional, trusted journalist."
Enten, who has been with CNN for eight years, has frequently presented data that is not favorable to Trump. In May, he was overheard on a hot mic expressing dismay over a report showing inflation had risen six percent. He later discussed a CNN poll finding that 77 percent of Americans believed Trump's policies had increased their cost of living, describing the numbers as the "ugliest" he had ever seen regarding inflation.