President Donald Trump remains the dominant political force inside the Republican Party, with a majority of GOP voters naming him the Republican president they admire most in American history, according to recent polling data highlighted by CNN.
Speaking on CNN with anchor John Berman, chief data analyst Harry Enten pointed to historical comparison surveys showing that 53% of Republicans selected Trump as the party’s most admired president.
That figure places him well ahead of Ronald Reagan at 18% and Abraham Lincoln at 8%.
“This is a reality check for you. That is, Donald Trump is still the sun on which the planets of the GOP revolve around,” Enten said during the broadcast. “Ronald Reagan, who traditionally has won that much, Donald Trump nearly triples up on this. Reagan at just 18 percent. And then Abraham Lincoln, who by most historic accounts is the greatest president of all time… Donald John Trump at 53 percent, easily crushing Abe Lincoln at 8 percent.”
Enten also cited an Elon University poll that similarly positioned Trump at the top of the list among Republican respondents.
The discussion followed the special primary runoff in South Carolina, where Darline Graham secured the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by her brother, the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
According to data from the Kalshi prediction market, Graham held a 14% chance of winning the primary prior to receiving Trump’s backing. Following an in-person appearance and endorsement from Trump, her projected odds jumped past 50% leading up to her victory.
“The reason why Darline Graham won that primary, won that nomination, is because of one name and one name only, Donald John Trump,” Enten said, describing the South Carolina race as the former president’s “most impressive endorsement to date.”
Enten noted that Trump’s track record in Republican Senate primaries has remained strong, with non-elected incumbents endorsed by Trump winning 100% of their primary contests during the current cycle, up slightly from roughly 95% in 2022.
Looking ahead to upcoming races, Enten referenced prediction market odds for the New Hampshire Republican Senate primary, where Trump-backed candidate John Sununu held a 97% chance of securing the nomination over former Senator Scott Brown at 3%.
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