CNN host drops unexpected bombshell - and it's good news for Donald Trump

CNN host Michael Smerconish surprised viewers with his glowing review of Donald Trump's recent accomplishments, declaring the President is "on a roll."

The radio host and TV presenter highlighted the administration's recent successes, including Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, which has garnered both praise and criticism. He also commended Trump's deal-making efforts at the NATO Summit.

Additionally, Michael, 63, touched on border and immigration issues, citing new analysis that suggests Trump "won a bigger percentage of the Latino vote than previously believed."

• JK Rowling takes swipe at Pedro Pascal after he addresses 'heinous loser' remark
• Antiques Roadshow guest found centuries-old gold ring in badger hole

At the start of his show, Michael acknowledged, "Donald Trump is having a moment."

Although he has not hesitated to express his disagreements with Trump in the past, the host noted that "viewed objectively," the past 10 days or so have been the most successful period of Trump's second term in office.

"President Trump is having a moment. I'm Michael Smerconish in New York City," he began. "The first five months of Trump 2.0 are now behind us.

"I've never shied away from voicing my disagreements with President Trump, whether on radio or here, particularly regarding trade, border control, and Iran. While I often agree with the goal, I frequently disagree with the approach.

"But viewed objectively, I have to say that Donald Trump has just had the best week or best 10 days of his second term."

DON'T MISS...

CNN cuts to Donald Trump's press conference moments before he labels them 'fake news'

Donald Trump goes on scathing rant against CNN as he delivers specific demand for coverage

CNN interrupted for breaking news announcement - and it's a huge win for Trump

Specifically regarding Trump's choice to attack Iran's nuclear infrastructure, he noted, "I'm still not sure bombing Iran was warranted, as I said last week, I'd have liked to have seen the evidence of Iran being on the nuclear doorstep rather than take Prime Minister Netanyahu's word for it, especially in the face of what DNI Tulsi Gabbard had testified in March and what Trump himself was saying right up until Israel launched its strike against Iran."

Michael recognized the operation "was carried out with stealth and with precision" and highlighted that it resulted in no American casualties.

Despite the controversy in Congress over how much damage was inflicted, the airstrike has impeded Iran's nuclear ambitions "at least temporarily," the host said.

Reflecting on Trump's statements, the TV host brought up the blunt criticism from Trump directed at both Israel and Iran, as the President said they "have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f--- they're doing."

Michael believed the President's language was "the most unfiltered, noncontroversial, direct word" ever uttered about the conflict in the Middle East.

On his program, Michael discussed Trump's visit to The Hague in the Netherlands for the NATO Summit, where he engaged with other global leaders. Michael reported that Trump "was able to wrangle an agreement from our allies to more than double their defense spending target, from two percent of gross domestic product to five percent by 2035."

Michael also commented on the President's display of "showed empathy" during a conversation with a Ukrainian journalist whose husband is a soldier. When she inquired about the US providing Ukraine with Patriot missiles, Trump responded that he would "see if we can make some available."

In the same episode, Michael touched upon Trump's domestic economic strategies and his Big Beautiful Bill. He mentioned, "Back at home, Trump claimed that he's reached a trade deal with China and soon expects the same with India. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg that the deal was signed earlier this week.

"China's Commerce Ministry said Friday the two sides had further confirmed the details of the framework. Of course, Trump's initial imposition of tariffs wreaked havoc on American markets back in the spring. But now the markets have rebounded and grown.

"The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached record highs just yesterday. And it's not just the stock market, inflation, the great economic fear of recent times seems to be tamed. The rate is now reported at 2.4 percent, down from a high of seven percent just four years ago. Meanwhile, blue collar workers have seen real wage growth of 1.7 percent in Trump's first five months. This is the largest such increase in nearly three generations.

"Notwithstanding its impact on our national debt, there's also hope among some that Trump's Big Beautiful Bill will give further financial relief to blue collar workers, as well as create incentives to build more factories in the US Some already see this happening. For instance, General Electric has just announced that it will invest almost half a billion dollars in moving production of washing machines from China to Kentucky."

The host then pointed out that border crossings have recently slowed due to Trump's immigration policies - and noted that even though it sounds counterintuitive, the President actually received a large percentage of the Latino vote, based on new analysis by Pew Research. Michael stated, "President Trump won a bigger percentage of the Latino vote than previously believed.

"Hillary Clinton had a 38 percent lead over Trump among Hispanics in 2016. Joe Biden beat Trump in this demo by 25 percentage points. Kamala Harris' margin among these same voters over Trump just three points. Even more surprising, perhaps, Pew Research concludes that if everyone had voted in 2024, contrary to the widely held belief that higher turnout helps Democrats, Trump would still have won.

"The data show 44 percent of non-voters said that they would have gone for Trump, compared to 40 percent of non-voters who would have gone for Harris. So if more had voted, his margin would have grown."

He elaborated, "Yesterday came a huge decision from the Supreme Court, the high court declared that federal district judges exceeded their authority when issuing nationwide injunctions against Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. This will, of course, strengthen executive power, both for Trump and for his successors."

The television anchor also mentioned the victory of Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani in securing the nomination for mayor of New York City, which could be a strategic advantage for Trump to garner more supporters who are against far-left policies.

Concluding his remarks, Michael compared Trump's initial term to his second, noting that his strategy appears more cautious and better planned now than before.

Michael remarked, "Winning became a punchline that Trump's opponents used to lampoon him in his first administration. He was a political novice then, surrounded by a team with which he was unfamiliar, and he was probably as surprised as the rest of us were that he won the election."

He continued, shedding light on present dynamics, "This time is different. This time he came with a plan and a cabinet with senior advisers comprised of loyalists, all well known to the President. And recently, he's exhibited a more layered approach to governing on both the domestic and international front, no longer solely guided by winning each day's news cycle.

"By any objective measure, President Trump has his opponents on the run."

These observations come as a notable swing in sentiment from Michael, especially within a media landscape where CNN figures often critique the administration, an outlet Trump frequently deems "fake news."