3 numbers to know from the new NBC News Decision Desk Poll: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, Scott Bland dives into a few of the most notable findings from our fresh NBC News Decision Desk Poll. Plus, Allan Smith explores how President Donald Trump is looming over the mayoral race in his native city.

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— Adam Wollner

3 numbers to know from the new NBC News Decision Desk Poll

By Scott Bland

The latest NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey is filled with insights about the state of politics and our divided country — and, critically, some of the deeper potential sources of that division.

Here are three key numbers from the poll:

78%. That’s the share of U.S. adults who said they strongly or somewhat support the use of vaccines to prevent disease. The poll was conducted before Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent, explosive Senate oversight hearing.

And while there are some signs of potential slippage on vaccines among key groups, the survey still shows strong bipartisan majorities backing them while President Donald Trump’s administration faces heat for hitting vaccine access and sowing doubt in their efficacy.

45%. A plurality of respondents said that inflation and the cost of living are the economic issues most important to them and their families right now — no other choice came even close in the poll. Inflation/cost of living was also where Trump got the lowest scores on how he’s handling the issue.

18 points. That’s the gap between Gen Z men and women on a cultural question: When it comes to getting ahead in the workplace, do they think it’s better to be a man, better to be a woman, or that it doesn’t make a difference?

While 69% of Gen Z men said it doesn’t make a difference, Gen Z women were closely divided on the question, with a bare majority (51%) saying gender doesn’t make a difference when it comes to getting ahead at work. It’s part of a slate of interesting cultural questions that divide Gen Z men and women and Gen Z Trump and Kamala Harris supporters — including the question of whether their definition of “success” includes having children.

Check out the links for more from the survey. And keep those numbers in mind as the news on the economy, vaccines and more continues to evolve in the coming weeks.

Big Apple brawl: How Trump is trying to influence the NYC mayoral race

By Allan Smith

President Donald Trump and his allies are eager to quickly consolidate the mayoral field in New York City from three major candidates running against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani to a one-on-one fight.

That effort, which spilled into public view last week, marks the latest episode in which the president has sought increased control and influence over the affairs of major U.S. cities — including Chicago and Washington, D.C.

But if the past week is any indication, it won’t come easily.

The New York Times and other outlets reported that close Trump advisers have contemplated how to get both New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa to abandon their bids, including by offering them jobs in the Trump administration. For Adams, opportunities under consideration included jobs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, while a specific post for Sliwa was not made clear, according to the reports. NBC News has not independently confirmed the effort.

Trump, a native New Yorker, recently told reporters that Mamdani, a state assemblyman who rose to prominence as an outer-borough democratic socialist, was more likely to win in November if the field against him did not shrink.

“I don’t think you can win unless you have one on one, because somehow he’s gotten a little bit of a lead,” Trump said. “I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one on one. I think that’s a race that could be won.”

Both Sliwa and Adams — who trail former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mamdani in polls — swatted away any suggestion that they’d end their candidacies. Sliwa — who founded the Guardian Angels, a volunteer safety patrol group, and has been a fixture in city politics for decades — said that he was uninterested in an administration position and is “committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day.” His campaign then announced the opening of new campaign offices in Brooklyn.

And on Friday, Adams addressed reporters outside of Gracie Mansion, delivering a blistering, five-minute statement excoriating his opponents and giving no indication that he’s considering an exit. He opened his statement by calling Cuomo “a snake.”

Read more from Allan →

That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

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