“Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary predicted immigration will be the “No. 1 issue” in the upcoming election for both the Republican and Democratic parties.
“Right now, on a bipartisan basis, this is the No. 1 issue,” O’Leary said Tuesday while appearing on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
O’Leary argued that immigration has changed a bit, as it is currently hitting hard at the state level. He pointed to New York City, which has seen a massive influx of migrants, and how the states are managing — and struggling — to accommodate them.
The investor argued that now, “it’s not just New York. Chicago’s got issues; many cities have issues.” He said that now, less than a year from the general election this fall, people “are realizing the impact of this unresolved 2016 issue” because it is affecting their “own jurisdiction.”
“And so, I predict this probably becomes the No. 1 [issue] and maintains that status as both sides turn this into a huge fight. But now, it’s hit home,” he said.
O’Leary argued that since immigration is becoming a key issue for New York, it is “really going to be a very interesting outcome in terms of a general election.”
The Senate recently failed to pass a bipartisan border deal. President Biden subsequently urged a group of governors to pressure their respective lawmakers to pass the security bill, saying it would help states in need of temporary workers and those dealing with an influx.
O’Leary, the chair of O’Leary Ventures, also recently weighed in on the $355 million New York business fraud judgment against former President Trump, saying he will no longer invest in “loser” New York after the verdict.