President Joe Biden’s latest comments on gas prices risk creating the perception he is out of touch with the economic pain felt by voters across the country and undermining support for his Ukraine policy.
Consumers are currently paying on average nearly $5 per gallon, with prices exceeding $7 in some parts of the country, due in part to the bans placed on Russian energy products by the United States and its allies. Gas prices are similarly elevated around the globe.
Biden was repeatedly pressed during a Thursday press conference about his sanctions strategy and was asked directly, “How long is it fair to expect American drivers and drivers around the world to pay that premium for this war?”
“As long as it takes so Russia cannot, in fact, defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine. This is a critical, critical position for the world,” Biden responded. “I think there’s a lot of things we can do and we will do, but the bottom line is: Ultimately, the reason why gas prices are up is because of Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia.”
The economy and inflation, specifically prices at the pump, consistently poll as the top issues for all voters ahead of the midterm elections. Democrats and Republicans alike think Biden has miscalculated the willingness of the public to continue personally paying for a war in Europe.
“Joe Biden doesn’t give a rip that families can’t afford gas prices. This is top of mind of voters everywhere, yet Biden and Democrats have taken steps to only make this issue worse,” Republican National Committee spokesman Nate Brand told the Washington Examiner. “Worse yet, Biden doesn’t want to fix the rising gas prices because this is part of his ‘incredible transition’ to ending fossil fuels.”
A number of Democratic officials have also told the Washington Examiner that they want him to focus directly on domestic solutions to inflation rather than blaming price hikes on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Most people aren’t tuned in to the everyday happenings in D.C., but they are understandably tuned in to what’s happening in their real-world lives,” one senior Democratic official previously told the Washington Examiner. “We’re talking about how everybody who wants a job can get a job right now, but the American people are frustrated — I don’t think anybody is denying that — with gas prices, with inflation.”
Biden did slightly alter his messaging on gas prices in mid-June and instead began attacking his critics rather than simply blaming the Russian invasion.
“The American people understood. The American people rose to the moment. The American people did what they always have done: defend freedom around the world. They chose to stand with the people of Ukraine,” Biden said during a speech calling for a three-month gas tax holiday. “So for all those Republicans in Congress criticizing me today for high gas prices in America, are you now saying we were wrong to support Ukraine? Are you saying we were wrong to stand up to Putin? Are you saying that we would rather have lower gas prices in America and Putin’s iron fist in Europe? I don’t believe that.”
Meanwhile, while the president has taken the limited action available to him to ease the war-related spikes, such as releasing barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, his efforts have placed very little downward pressure on prices.
In late June, he backed a plan first raised by Democrats in February to suspend federal gas taxes through the summer, yet congressional leadership less than enthusiastically received his proposal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would not tell reporters whether he supported Biden’s gas tax holiday and declined to commit to scheduling a vote on any of the multiple bills floated on the subject. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also did not say if she backed suspending gas taxes but said she would bring it to her caucus to be discussed.
Biden has also increased rhetoric on domestic oil companies to produce and refine more product while passing on savings to consumers. After months of aggressive comments, the White House hosted energy company executives for a meeting in June, but Biden himself did not attend, nor did the discussion yield any type of agreement on boosting output.
Finally, in line with his attempts to boost domestic production, Biden has been under pressure to ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC+, the world’s largest production group, similarly to increase its sales and boost international supply.
The group announced it would raise its output by 50% on June 1, but Biden oddly told reporters on Thursday that he would not press the issue during his trip to Saudi Arabia.
“That’s not the purpose of the trip,” the president flatly responded when asked if he would raise the issue with the Saudi government in July. “There’s no commitment that is being made or — I’m not even sure. I guess I will see the king and the crown prince, but that’s not the meeting I’m going to.”
Pressed a second time, Biden confirmed that “no, [he is] not going to ask them.”
