Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) offered some advice for President Biden in an opinion piece for The Atlantic as the president battles low approval ratings.
De Blasio, who served as mayor of the Big Apple until the end of 2021, wrote in the piece published Tuesday, “When it comes to being unpopular, I’m unfortunately somewhat of an expert.”
He added that he sees Biden “making the same mistakes” as him and raised the question of why the president wasn’t more popular.
According to the former New York city mayor, it’s because Biden is “handling crucial problems as they arise, yet without illustrating to the public what a better America looks like.”
De Blasio added that the president needs to use his platform and the White House stage to “show that he truly empathizes with everyday Americans on the issues they care most about, such as inflation, public safety, and affordable health care.”
The op-ed comes as a The Washington Post and ABC News poll found that 42 percent of those surveyed approved of the way Biden is handling his job as president. That number marked an increase of 5 percentage points from his 37 percent approval rating in February’s Post-ABC News poll, his low point in the survey.
De Blasio recommended in the op-ed that Biden present a “clear, sharp message” and then constantly reiterate it as a way to go on the offensive.
He added that the message shouldn’t be a “catchphrase,” but rather a clear “vision for the direction of the country under his administration.”
De Blasio, who mulled a congressional run at the end of his term as mayor before deciding against it, added that “the president’s voice will be the most important factor in the midterms.”
The former mayor further argued that if Democrats want to come out on top in November’s contest they have to complement Biden’s messaging with a “unified message and tangible new accomplishments.”
The recent Post-ABC News poll found that the two parties were on even footing on a generic midterm ballot, with 46 percent of respondents saying they were leaning toward voting for a Democrat and 45 percent toward a Republican if the election were held today.