President Joe Biden's been doing pretty poorly on just about every issue polled. Even those where he's supposedly polling better than former and potentially future President Donald Trump, his lead often isn't that great. No matter what poll you look to, though, the American people do not give the president high marks on his handling of crime. Yet just as the Biden administration tends to gaslight on everything else, they've gaslit the American people on crime as well.
On Monday, it was a major news story that the Secret Service had to shoot at attempted carjackers who tried to target the unmarked car that the president's granddaughter, Naomi, was assigned to. The bullets didn't hit anyone, and the three people fled in a red car.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the incident during that day's press briefing, and her response was exactly what you'd expect. "This year, auto thefts are way up. Carjackings are way up. Violent crime is way up here in D.C. A couple of members of Congress were attacked. Now this overnight," a reporter pointed out. "How concerned is the President about the increase of crime in this city where so many government workers live?"
Jean-Pierre offered that "we are definitely concerned about what we’re seeing," acknowledging herself that it's "not just here, across the country, obviously." What did she then do? She spoke to the president's supposed accomplishments, in this case passing the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), as she threw in some partisan politics, too, pointing out Biden "did that with Democrats and not one Republican vote."
The press secretary spoke specifically to how "there was billions of dollars that were provided to local cities to make sure that they were able to hire police officers," as she tried to speak about "police accountability." There was no mention of the massive inflation that came about as a result of ARPA.
The bill passed over two years ago now, and again, crime is getting worse. Many cities are facing police shortages as well. "Police shortages reported nationwide amid record-low morale and recruitment," read a Fox News headline from September.
Jean-Pierre also referenced the Safer America Plan that the administration is trying to get passed to speak to what else the president has supposedly done, while also taking a shot at Republicans.
"And so, the president has taken actions. He would like to do this in a bipartisan way with Republicans on the other--clearly, in Congress. And they haven’t done that. And they’ve used this as a political weapon, as a political talking point, while the president has taken action to make sure our communities are safer," she claimed.
Jean-Pierre went to say they're "obviously" concerned and "obviously, we want to make sure Americans and their families feel safe in--not just here in D.C. but across communities. She went on to complain "but we can’t do this alone" and continued to call on Congress to fix the problem.
KJP says that Joe Biden is "definitely concerned" about rising crime in D.C. and across the United States. pic.twitter.com/CFBZSpFALx
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 13, 2023
It's worth reminding that Congress has acted, in that they used a disapproval resolution to block a D.C. crime bill that actually would have lessened penalities on certain crimes, including carjackings.
This came after Biden caused considerable confusion in that he indicated after the House had already voted, that he would not veto the bill. The timing of his announcement drew the ire of many Democrats who might have voted differently. It still passed the Republican-controlled House, though, and passed the Democratic-controlled Senate.
What makes Jean-Pierre's remarks even more unbelievable is the release of a Gallup poll. "More Americans See U.S. Crime Problem as Serious," read the headline for Thursday's write-up. The current level of those Americans who say crime is "extremely" or "very serious," which is 63 percent, is the highest in Gallup's trend. It had been at 60 percent in 2000 and in 2010 and 2016. It was at 54 percent in 2021.
And people have reason to be concerned. There's sections in the poll indicating that "Americans Also See Crime Increasing" and "Crime Victimization Rates Also Going Up."
The poll found that 77 percent of Americans say there is more crime in the country than a year ago, with 55 percent saying the same about their local area.
More than three-quarters of Americans, 77%, believe there is more crime in the U.S. than a year ago, and a majority, 55%, say the same about crime in their local area. "Both figures are similar to what Gallup measured last year and rank among the most pessimistic readings in the respective trends," the poll's write-up noted.
"Americans’ deteriorating perceptions of the crime problem correspond with a recent spike in the percentage reporting that crime has affected their household," the write-up continued. "Overall, a combined 28% say they or someone in their household has been victimized in the past year by one of seven different crimes asked about in the survey, including vandalism, car theft, burglary, robbery, armed robbery, sexual assault and battery." The composite figure is up from 23% when the question was last asked in 2021 and from 20% -- the low point in the trend -- in 2020.
Later on, when going over the takeaways, it was also noted that "Gallup trends indicate there has been an increase in crime victimization since 2020, according to Americans’ reports of their own experiences in the past year."
The poll was conducted October 2-23 with a sample of 1,009 adults and a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The write-up closes out with an interesting observation, which is to say that crime isn't the most important issue for Americans:
Still, crime does not appear to be a top-of-mind concern for Americans, as just 3% name it as the most important problem facing the country, far behind other issues, including the government (19%), the economy (14%), inflation (14%) and immigration (13%). In 1994, an average of 42% of Americans across four separate surveys named crime as the most important problem facing the U.S., making it the top overall problem that year, and leading to major anti-crime legislation being passed by Congress. Crime stayed a prominent issue in ensuing years, with no less than 10% mentioning it between 1995 and mid-2000. It has not exceeded 10% since that time, typically, as now, registering in the low single digits.
Even if Americans are more concerned about those other issues than crime, those are still issues where Biden is failing and where he's managed to transform the country, for the worse.
In addition to tracking Biden's approval rating--currently at 40.9 percent--RealClearPolitics (RCP) also shows Biden's approval rating on various specific issues. He's at a 36.8 percent approval rating on crime, and does just slightly better on the economy, at 38.2 percent. On inflation he's at just a 33.6 percent approval rating, and the same goes for his approval rating on immigration.
Fittingly enough, RCP featured commentary by Jessica Anderson in their Friday edition, "The Crime Crisis Destroying America’s Cities," which started off by noting "American cities are becoming emblematic of our national decline." As she also noted, about D.C. but elsewhere in America:
Perhaps even more troubling, Metropolitan America has become a hotbed for the mentally ill and drug-addicted population. Violent criminals are now emboldened by soft-on-crime policies that tell a new generation of offenders there are no consequences for their actions.
...
Union Station, a long-time city landmark and travel hub, has instead become a hub for crime and homelessness, only to be cleaned up when President Biden wants a speaking venue. Our businesses have suffered so many losses due to theft that some drug stores have begun putting pictures of their products on the shelves instead of the products themselves. Other small businesses have closed their doors altogether.
Most notable here in D.C. is the worsening juvenile crime crisis. Politicians like Mayor Muriel Bowser and Attorney General Brian Schwalb have worked alongside the liberal city council to push a radical “ignore crime" agenda that undercuts law enforcement agencies and continues the mantra of “defund the police.” As a result, carjackings alone in D.C. have jumped 250% since 2018. Very few have been arrested for these crimes thanks to the city’s policies, but of those arrested, 64% are juveniles.
D.C. residents deserve to feel safe in their city, but the juvenile crime crisis suggests a deeper problem that will become harder to solve the longer our leaders let it go on. Last month, a 12-year-old was charged in a failed carjacking attempt in Northwest D.C. In 2021, two teenage girls attempted to carjack a food delivery driver in a popular D.C. neighborhood, killing the driver in the process. And the problem is only getting worse.
Despite the skyrocketing crime statistics, many Democratic politicians still refuse to take responsibility for carjackings, robberies, and homicides made worse by their own policies. In fact, some even refuse to acknowledge there is a problem. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has said there “is not a crime crisis” in Washington, D.C., but merely a widespread 'perception' of unsafety in the city. Others, while acknowledging the rising crime, have offered weak solutions like enforcing curfews for teens in certain neighborhoods or offering AirTags for citizens to help recover vehicles when they are stolen.
The tragic uptick in brutality stems in large part from Democratic prosecutors who refuse to do their jobs and prosecute crime. Rogue prosecutors, including the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, send a dangerous message to anyone with criminal intentions: There is no punishment for breaking the law. Attorney General Schwalb, who is the person responsible for getting juvenile crime under control, spends his time pursuing politically driven investigations instead of addressing surging crime. As a result, there is little stopping offenders from committing heinous acts.
It doesn't look like the Biden administration is "very concerned" after all. If they are, their efforts certainly aren't working.
