CNN data analyst Harry Enten warned Friday that President Donald Trump appears to be "so politically tone deaf" on issues including the economy and affordability, arguing that public frustration over rising costs could extend beyond the White House to Republicans on the ballot.

Speaking on CNN, Enten discussed rising fuel costs that he said are soaring as a result of renewed bombing in the Middle East. Although Trump is not on the ballot in 2026, Enten said his party and his policies are likely to be judged by voters. Gas prices are a particularly visible economic issue for households because they are posted publicly and can change quickly, making them a frequent political flashpoint when voters assess the party in power.

Enten cited polling showing that, when Americans were asked whether they believed the Iran war was worth the higher gas prices, 65 percent said "no." He added that those figures were recorded before the sharp increase in costs over the past few days.

Trump, Enten said, has responded by saying "it is what it is," while many Americans disagree with that position.

CNN host Sara Sidner asked whether the political impact would extend to Republicans more broadly.

"If there's any fantasy that is out there that somehow what is going on, the blame that's being put on the White House won't funnel its way down ballot? Well, I'm here to extinguish that false belief," Enten said.

According to polling conducted before the latest escalation of the Iran war, 27 percent of Americans blame Democrats for high fuel prices, while 65 percent blame Republicans.

"Look at this lion's share again, this two and three," Enten said, referring to the finding that about two in three Americans blame Republicans for high gas prices.

"So all that pain that Americans feel that they are putting ... on Donald Trump, that idea that it won't funnel its way down the ballot — as I said at the beginning, it is a false belief. It, simply put, isn't true. Republicans, it is quite unlikely that they will be able to escape the blame that is being put on the White House when it comes to the ballot box come this November if the gas prices remain where they are," Enten continued.

Sidner noted that Republicans hold all of the power in Washington, a point with which Enten agreed. Unified control can sharpen voter accountability arguments because the president's party has fewer institutional targets to blame when voters are dissatisfied with economic conditions.

Enten also said one of the main reasons Trump won the 2024 election was voter concern over high inflation. Inflation had been on a downward trajectory, he said, but decisions made under Trump's administration have contributed to higher inflation.

In 2024, Americans trusted Trump more than Democrats on handling inflation by six points. Enten said that measure has now more than reversed, with Americans trusting Democrats more by a ten-point margin.

Those figures came from a recent Fox News poll, and Enten said the result represented the largest advantage Democrats have held on inflation in a Fox News poll. The shift matters politically because inflation and fuel costs are both affordability issues that voters encounter directly in household budgets, keeping economic management central to the debate over Republican control.