Is the US on the wrong track? Harry Enten runs the numbers - CNN [View all]
Summary by Leo AI
Public Sentiment on Country's Direction
66% of Americans believe the country is on the "wrong track" according to recent polling (NBC, Ipsos, Gallup)
This represents a significant increase from earlier in the year (58% in April/May)
The numbers are comparable to pre-2024 election levels when Democrats lost power
Historically, when wrong-track numbers are this high, the president's party loses House seats in midterms
Republicans are projected to be at risk of losing the House if these trends continue
Economic Warning Signs
Unemployment rose to 4.6% in November, a 4-year high (up from 4.4% in September)
The economy added only 64,000 jobs in November after losing 105,000 in October
October's job losses were largely driven by federal workforce cuts
3 out of the last 6 months saw negative job growth
Manufacturing has lost jobs for 7 consecutive months
Wage growth slowed to 3.5%, a 4-year low, barely outpacing 3% inflation
Black unemployment at 8.3%; youth unemployment remains significantly higher
The White House maintains the economy deserves an "A+" grade and attributes concerns to delayed data from the government shutdown, promising improvement as policies take effect.