CNN analyst Harry Enten says President Trump’s policies on tariffs, immigration and executive orders are reshaping the U.S. like no other leader in decades—calling him the “most influential president” in modern history.
This influence is particularly evident in recent trade shifts, according to Enten.
One of the most notable changes is the steep rise in tariffs. Enten noted that the effective U.S. tariff rate has climbed to 18 percent in 2025, the highest level since the Great Depression under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
This marks a significant increase from just 2 percent the previous year, signaling a broad change in U.S. trade policy with wide-ranging effects.
Tariffs are taxes on imported goods, intended to protect domestic industries but often leading to higher costs for consumers and strained trade partnerships.
Enten’s data highlights how the Trump administration’s expanded use of tariffs is reshaping economic dynamics both domestically and globally.
Immigration policy is another key area where the Trump administration has made historic shifts.
Enten pointed out that net migration to the U.S. fell by at least 60 percent compared to the prior year, a drop that could push the country toward net negative migration—the first time this would happen in over fifty years.
In 2024, net migration was around 2.8 million people, but that number is now declining rapidly under the current policies.
This shift carries wide-ranging implications for labor markets, social services and demographic trends across the nation.
It also reflects a continued emphasis by the administration on tightening borders and enforcing immigration laws more strictly than previous administrations.
In addition to tariffs and immigration, President Trump’s use of executive power has reached levels not seen since the mid-20th century.
In 2025 alone, Trump has signed 180 executive orders—an extraordinary volume that surpasses any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt, according to Enten.
For comparison, former President Joe Biden issued 77 executive orders in his first year.
Enten highlighted this aggressive use of executive authority as evidence of Trump’s determination to reshape government policy quickly and decisively, bypassing congressional gridlock in many cases.
“We’re witnessing a level of influence that few presidents have matched in recent memory,” Enten commented during the CNN segment, per The Gateway Pundit. “These policies on tariffs, immigration, and executive actions are reshaping the country in measurable ways.”
The rare praise from a CNN analyst stands out to many, given the network’s long history of critical and often biased coverage of the president.
CNN has repeatedly faced accusations of partisan bias, with numerous examples of negative framing and selective reporting.
During the 2016 and early 2020 elections, multiple studies found that CNN overwhelmingly focused on negative coverage of Donald Trump.
According to a 2017 report by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center, 93 percent of CNN’s coverage of Trump during his first 100 days in office carried a negative tone.
Additionally, CNN anchors and hosts have frequently expressed strong personal opinions about Trump on air, blurring the line between news reporting and commentary.
Enten’s acknowledgment of Trump’s historic impact thus breaks from CNN’s typical narrative and has drawn significant attention for its candidness.
He concluded the segment by saying, “Love it, like it, or lump it, it truly is history-making.”
Enten’s analysis provides a mainstream acknowledgment of President Trump’s profound and lasting impact on the U.S.
Enten’s analysis highlights how President Trump’s policies are leaving a significant mark on the U.S., with changes likely to influence the nation’s economic and social direction for years to come.
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