As 2022 comes to a close, it’s worth taking a look back and revisiting some of the worst political predictions that were made this year.
The following are seven of the worst predictions that were made, according to an exhaustive list that was compiled by Politico:
1. Sam Bankman-Fried: “I don’t think I will be arrested”
Bankman-Fried, 30, made the prediction on December 12.
The disgraced founder of FTX was arrested later that same day after U.S. prosecutors charged him with wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy, and money laundering.
2. President Joe Biden on inflation at the end of 2021: “I think it’s the peak of the crisis.”
Biden predicted on December 10, 2021, that the inflation crisis had peaked and that things would get better from there. The 7% rate that month surged for many months after that, including to a staggering 9.1% in May 2022.
3. CNN Legal Analyst Joey Jackson: A federal indictment of Trump is “imminent.”
Jackson made the prediction on August 10, following the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago.
“I think the issue here is that indictment — and I’ll say it — I think it’s imminent as it relates to the president,” he said.
While it is certainly possible that Trump could still be indicted, it’s been four months and no indictment has happened.
4. Jack Dorsey: Elon Musk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal “will be an incredible team” at Twitter.
The former Twitter CEO predicted that the world’s richest man would work well with Dorsey’s successor. Agrawal was quickly fired after Musk took over the company in October.
5. Rebecca Kutler: CNN+ “will continue to grow and evolve in the months and years to come.”
Kutler, a veteran CNN talent and development executive who later bolted for MSNBC, predicted in late March that CNN+ would be a thriving streaming-service for the the left-wing network.
CNN+ was cancelled just a few weeks later.
6. Mark Herrmann: “Ron DeSantis will lose his race for governor of Florida”
Attorney and blogger Mark Herrmann predicted in early January that DeSantis would not win re-election.
DeSantis ended up winning in a massive blowout that has catapulted him to the top of the field of 2024 presidential contenders.
7. Nancy Pelosi: Democrats will “hold the House” and win “more seats”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who is retiring from her leadership position in a few days, predicted in early October that Democrats would win more seats in the House of Representatives during the midterm elections.
While Democrats did by most accounts outperform expectations, they did lose control of the House.