Klain predicts Biden’s poll numbers will rise as COVID-19, inflation fade

White House chief of staff Ron Klain on Wednesday said he expects President Biden will see his approval ratings start to tick up as the administration’s plans to address the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs start to take effect.

Klain, in an interview with the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., acknowledged Biden has faced headwinds because of inflation and the persistent nature of the pandemic. 

“Those things contribute to a mood in the country that’s not as upbeat or confident as we would like,” Klain said.

Biden’s approval numbers, which were above 50 percent for the first half of 2021, have steadily dropped since August, when he ordered the removal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and headlines were dominated by chaos and confusion over the withdrawal. The president’s approval rating currently sits at 40.7 percent, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls.

Klain predicted that figure would start to increase, however, as Biden’s economic strategy to combat inflation and the administration’s pandemic strategy to distribute vaccines and treatments goes into effect.

COVID-19 infection numbers have rapidly decreased in recent weeks as the nation overcomes the omicron variant surge. As of this week, wearing a mask is no longer recommended in much of the United States under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. 

And while Biden has limited tools to unilaterally address inflation, he outlined his vision during Tuesday’s State of the Union address for strengthening U.S. manufacturing and supply chains in an effort to lower costs for Americans.

“I fully accept the fact that the American people are more show me not tell me, and what they want to see is we really have reached a new way of managing COVID,” Klain said. “They want to see that the economic recovery is real and sustained. I think the political credit will follow from that.”

“I do think our approval rating will go up in the months ahead as the economic recovery and the progress on COVID become more permanent, more lasting and internalized more by the voters,” he added.

Klain said he expected life at the White House would return to more pre-pandemic routines in the coming weeks, with in-person visits for business matters and tours for the public resuming as early as next month.

“We’re looking forward to having more of the public back in the people’s house,” Klain said.