The Odds: Historic Low Approval Ratings Meet Soaring Gas Prices

When you flip on the evening news, you can’t help but notice the headlines screaming about record‑low approval numbers for President Donald Trump. It’s not just a blip; the latest polls suggest his rating is now the lowest of any modern president at this stage in their term.

John Berman of CNN’s News Central sat down with the network’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, to dig into what the numbers really mean. They pulled up a series of recent surveys, and the trend was unmistakable—a steady slide that dwarfs the mid‑term dips seen by past administrations.

But the conversation didn’t stop at politics. Across the country, drivers are feeling the pinch at the pump, and the question on everyone’s mind is whether that pressure will only get worse. To answer that, Berman and Enten turned to prediction‑market data—those platforms where traders literally put money on the line to forecast future events.

The odds, as it turns out, are tilting toward higher gasoline prices in the coming months. Markets like Kalshi and PredictIt are currently pricing in a roughly 60 % chance that the national average price per gallon will climb above $4.00 by the end of the year. That’s a steep jump from the $3.20 average we saw just a few weeks ago.

Why does this matter? For many Americans, a few extra cents per gallon translate into hundreds of dollars over a year—especially for commuters and delivery drivers who live and work on the road. The data suggests that, unless there’s a sudden shift in supply or a drastic policy move, the upward trend is likely to stick around.

Both Berman and Enten caution that these market signals are not gospel. They’re simply a snapshot of what informed traders think will happen, based on the information they have right now. Still, when you pair that with historically low approval ratings, you get a picture of a nation that’s simultaneously skeptical of its leader and nervous about its wallet.

So, what’s next? The duo says we’ll be watching two things closely: whether the administration can reverse the approval slide, and whether any legislative or strategic interventions can stabilize—or even lower—the price of gasoline. Until then, the odds remain stacked, and the conversation continues.