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Harry Enten: 'Donald Trump, MAGA, JD Vance, They Ain't Going Nowhere'

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  February 05, 2026 4:15 PM

CNN's Harry Enten, a senior writer and analyst, explained on air that "Donald Trump, MAGA, JD Vance, they ain't going nowhere" when it comes to their influence on the Republican Party, even as Democrats remain hopeful that the influence of President Trump will die as he concludes his second term.

"So how much power, and we're talking about influence here, do they have on the GOP, especially over the long run?" CNN anchor asked Enten.

"Yeah, over the long run. That's what I think is so important here, and it's not just about Donald Trump. It's about the Make America Movement. Again, that's what we're talking about. Make America Great Again movement. And it is as powerful as it has ever been," Enten said. "Because I want you to take a look here, the GOP who view MAGA favorably. Two years ago, when Donald Trump was running for term number two, it was 74 percent. Today, look at this, it's 78 percent of Republicans who view the Make America Great Again movement favorably."

"So we're talking about something that, in my opinion, will very much be able to outlast Donald Trump," he emphasized. "Trump is in term number two. He can't run for a term number three. But the bottom line is this. What he brought into the GOP looks like it's going to last long beyond him."

Democrats have long tried to push the president out of politics, betting that his influence would fade once he left center stage. But CNN’s own polling suggests otherwise. As Trump’s second term hits the one-year mark, Enten explained that Vice President JD Vance is only growing more popular, as both the GOP and Trump look ahead to who will carry the president’s legacy forward.

"It's a very populist movement," the anchor said. "I am curious, because J.D. Vance would then be the next standard-bearer of this movement. Where is the GOP on how they feel about him?"

"Yeah, OK. So, you know, obviously, J.D. Vance, the vice president of the United States, at this point, looks like a favorite for the Republican nomination come 2028. And one of the reasons why he looks like a favorite is because the Republican base loves J.D. Vance."

What are we talking about here? Someone who really represents the Make America Great Again movement. This is somebody a year ago is favoring among Republicans, 81 percent. Latest Marquette University Law School poll, look at this, 84 percent. 84 percent. So if anything, its favorable rating is somewhat up from where it was a year ago after a year of Trump.

"And of course, that matches what we see when it comes to MAGA, right?" he continued. "It matches what we see come to MAGA, whereby it was 74, and now it's 78 percent. If anything, MAGA's grip on the GOP. dnd it seems like the next in line to be the next standard bearer of MAGA. Both of them, their favorable ratings are actually up after a year of Donald Trump's second term."

Enten went on to explain that not only is Trump’s influence not going anywhere, but that the vast majority of Republicans believe he has been a positive force within the party, with his favorability rating actually increasing among Republicans after the first year of his second term.

"What about the idea, essentially not just that Republicans like or love Donald Trump, but believe he has been a good influence on the party?" Enten asked. "And here it is, just look at this, say Trump's had a good effect on the GOP among Republicans. When he left after term number one, it was 71 percent. Just before he was running for that second term, right, it was 62 percent, now it's again 71 percent of Republicans who say that Donald Trump has had a good effect on the Republican Party."

I know that there are a lot of people out there, especially on the left, who say: 'Oh my god, we just want to grant that one little thing that you know all there's weakness and Donald Trump's grip on the GOP weakness on MAGA's grip on the GOP.' It just simply put, isn't there even after this whole stuff that's been going on in Minnesota, which obviously hasn't necessarily been popular with the general electorate. But among Republicans, they liked Donald Trump, they like MAGA they like JD Vance, and they believe that Donald Trump's had a good effect on the GOP as much as it has ever been.

"It's as strong as it's ever been, not with independents, not with, like you said, the general electorate, but with Republicans, pretty clear they're not going anywhere," the CNN anchor admitted.

"That's correct," Enten emphasized, "Donald Trump, MAGA, JD Vance, they ain't going nowhere when it comes to the GOP."