Soaring gas price is dino-mite, huh, Joe?
A seemingly out-of-touch President Biden celebrated recordhigh gas prices Monday, gushing that the pain at the pump was part of “an incredible transition” of the US economy away from fossil fuels.
“[When] it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over,” Biden said during a press conference in Japan following his meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The president then insisted that his administration’s actions, rather than increasing the price of gas, had actually been able to “keep it from getting worse — and it’s bad.”
Only then did Biden pay lip service to millions of Americans who have found themselves spending thousands of dollars more to fuel their vehicles.
“The price of gas at the pump is something that I told you — you heard me say before — it would be a matter of great discussion at my kitchen table when I was a kid growing up,” Biden said before admitting, “It’s affecting a lot of families.”
As Biden spoke, the average cost of a gallon of gas nationwide sat at $4.596 per gallon. Several states are seeing an average cost of more than $5, while California’s average cost sits just above $6, according to AAA.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the US and several of its Western allies cut off all imports of Russian oil and gas — a move that has contributed to soaring gas prices for Americans.
In an effort to counter that, Biden announced the release of 180 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which his administration claimed would cause prices at the pump to “come down fairly significantly.”
At the time, the average price of gas was $4.225 per gallon.
“It’s helped, but it’s not been enough,” Biden claimed Monday.
Elsewhere in the press conference, the president admitted the US economy has “problems,” warning that it will be “a haul” and “take some time” to recover.
Republicans blasted the president on social media, with many accusing Biden of celebrating the higher gas prices as Democrats continue to push a radical environmental agenda.
“Democrats are celebrating the higher gas prices Americans are paying,” the National Republican Congressional Committee tweeted.
“Biden refers to the skyrocketing gas prices as an ‘incredible transition.’ They’re saying the quiet part out loud now,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) wrote. “They’re causing you pain at the pump because it’s all part of their radical agenda.”
“Allow me to translate this: The Biden Administration is prepared to let your family suffer economically to advance their climate agenda,” Texas Republican congressional candidate Wesley Hunt posted. “It’s a ‘transition,’ alright. A transition into poverty. This is socialism.”