Have you noticed how Democrats and their media allies have been working overtime to turn Operation Epic Fury into a political liability for President Trump? The rhetoric was nonstop about how Trump was starting an “endless war” and that things weren’t going well. Well, the public isn’t buying it. Just over two weeks in, the attacks just aren’t landing, and even CNN’s own data analyst is admitting it.
CNN anchor Sara Sidner and chief data analyst Harry Enten took a look at the numbers Monday morning, and what they found wasn’t exactly the anti-Trump bombshell the left has been hoping for. The American public, it turns out, is largely tuning out the Democrats’ rhetoric on Iran.
“There’s kind of been a little bit of a collective shrug from the American public,” Enten said. Only 45% of Americans say they care a lot about the situation in Iran — a number that, as Enten pointed out, falls below the majority threshold. Meanwhile, 84% of Americans say they care a lot about the U.S. economy. That’s nearly double the number for Iran, and it tells you everything you need to know about where people’s heads are at right now.
It gets worse for the anti-Trump crowd.
Google search data shows Americans’ interest in Iran is actually collapsing. Searches are down 84% compared to Feb. 28, when the initial strikes began. And over the weekend? Americans were (surprisingly) far more interested in the Academy Awards. I didn’t even realize they were on, but apparently, searches for the Oscars ran three to four times as high as searches for Iran. That’s a brutal number if you’re a Democrat trying to make this a liability for the GOP before the midterms.
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“At this point, outside of the situation in Iran perhaps affecting the U.S. economy, which of course is the number one issue, is what Americans are focusing on,” Enten said, “I’m just not thinking that this is necessarily going to be the big political mover and shaker that you might expect, given that this has kind of been a pretty gosh darn big deal, at least globally speaking.”
And then there’s the approval rating data. Oh boy, is that a gut punch for Democrats.
Trump’s overall approval rating stands at 41% — the same as before Operation Epic Fury began. All the breathless media coverage, all the Democratic messaging, all the hand-wringing about escalation and consequences, and none of it moved the needle. Not a single point.
“Despite all the hubbub, despite all the critics of the president of the United States, what we are seeing right now is a president whose approval rating is steady,” Enten said. He added bluntly, “This has been politically a big ball of nothing.”
Harry Enten devastates CNN viewers when he reveals Democrats have gained NO GROUND on Trump following the war with Iran.
“What we are seeing right now is a president whose approval rating is steady.”
“This has NOT been a big deal politically.”
“Americans who say they care a… pic.twitter.com/p2SVC10EBU
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) March 16, 2026
Enten did leave the door open for things to shift if gas prices climb significantly or broader economic pain sets in. But, of course, the opposite is also true. The war in Iran is not expected to last long. This means that the increase in gas prices will be temporary, and when it’s over, they’ll come down, and Trump will get the credit for finally ending the Iran problem that so many presidents have avoided.
Editor’s Note: Donald Trump is finally eliminating the threat posed by Iran once and for all after decades of inaction by presidents from both parties.
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