President Joe Biden’s lead pollster kept issuing warnings that immigration and inflation could cost the president deeply, The New York Times (NYT) reported Sunday.
John Anzalone, the president’s top pollster, and his team’s warnings came as Biden was enjoying higher approval ratings at the beginning of his presidency, according to the NYT. The Biden administration received these multiple warnings between April 2021 and January 2022, according to confidential polling data and weekly memos obtained by the NYT.
“Immigration is a growing vulnerability for the president,” Anzalone and his team reportedly warned in one confidential package put together for the administration. “Voters do not feel he has a plan to address the situation on the border, and it is starting to take a toll.”
Anzalone and his team soon issued another warning, according to the New York Times, noting that “nearly nine in 10 registered voters are also concerned about increasing inflation.”
News of these warnings coincides with growing concerns over immigration and inflation. It also serves as a reminder that the administration repeatedly downplayed inflation as temporary and have yet to take massive actions to stop the border crisis, as the NYT noted.
A Customs and Border Protection agent collects biographical information from a group of Venezuelan migrants before taking them into custody near the southern border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. April 25, 2022. Picture taken April 25, 2022. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
In a Washington Post–ABC News poll conducted April 24-28, just 28% of those polled approved of his handling of inflation. One memo obtained by the NYT reportedly warned that the Biden administration’s messaging on “temporary” inflation was not working with voters.
“The economy and inflation continue to dominate what is on the minds of voters — and their attitudes keep getting worse, which continues to impact the president’s job rating on the economy negatively,” that memo reportedly read. “And we should not expect positive movement in the short or mid-term as voters are not just feeling sour about the economy and inflation now, but voters also feel things are moving in the wrong direction for the future.”
Meanwhile, a recent Morning Consult/Politico poll published April 6 notes that the administration’s move to end Title 42 – which allows for the quick expulsion of migrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic – is its “most unpopular decision” since taking office. (RELATED: Biden Says He Guesses He Should Visit Southern Border, But Notes He’s Been Busy)
“President Biden continues to hold weaker, negative ratings on two hot-button issues that have been recently bubbling up,” a July 9 memo reportedly read, referring to both immigration and crime.
Biden met with current New York City mayor Eric Adams three days after this memo to discuss policing, according to the NYT.
The White House appears to maintain its stance that the administration is consistently working to improve the situation at the border. White House spokesman Chris Meagher told the NYT that the Biden administration has been “consistent in our efforts to secure our border and build a fair, orderly and humane immigration system,” according to the publication.
As for inflation, which recently reached a 40–year high, deputy director of the National Economic Council David Kamin says Biden is focused on fixing this problem, as well.
“The president has been focused on reducing costs for families and reducing the price of goods,” Kamin said according to the NYT.
