The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a survey that found that most Americans believe President Biden has made the cost of living and illegal immigration worse during his term in office. 58% of respondents said Biden’s approach to the cost of living had either hurt a little or hurt a lot, while 56% said the same about his handling of immigration and border security. This is in contrast to just 18% who believe the president has helped ease the pressure on the cost of living and 16% who think he has improved the immigration issue.
A Gallup survey from the previous month found that 55% of Americans worry a great deal about inflation, while 52% express the same level of concern about the economy and 48% about illegal immigration. Comparatively, 40% of respondents believed that former President Donald Trump had helped with the cost of living during his tenure, giving him a 22 percentage-point lead over Biden, and 46% said he had bolstered border security – a 30-point advantage over his successor. Since Biden took office, consumer prices have increased by 19% and the annual inflation rate remains high at 3.5% as of March.
During fiscal year 2023, the US saw a record-breaking 2.5 million illegal immigrant apprehensions, followed by an all-time monthly record of nearly 302,000 in December. Most individuals illegally crossing the border are being released into the US to await asylum claim rulings due to backlogged proceedings. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that over 85% of those detained for illegally crossing the border were being released into the US, up from previous rates. Biden reversed Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which Republicans argue incentivized more migrants to cross illegally.
In the AP-NORC poll, 47% of Americans believe that Trump has made US relations with other countries and abortion laws worse. Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate the federal right to an abortion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Trump has sought to mitigate backlash by advocating for the allowance of certain abortions in cases of rape, incest, or medical conditions that endanger the life of the mother. Biden has focused on rallying voters on the abortion issue, particularly in response to an Arizona Supreme Court ruling criminalizing nearly all pregnancy terminations in that state.
The poll revealed that Trump faces challenges with voters on environmental and election-related issues, with 46% believing he worsened climate change and undermined voting rights and election security. In the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats defied expectations of a “red wave” by emphasizing abortion rights and highlighting Trump’s actions leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,204 adults in the US from April 4-8, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
