OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President Joe Biden caused another social media stir this week over what many claimed was a false statement about high gas prices in California.
“Have you seen gas prices around here in L.A.? It’s almost $7 bucks a gallon almost,” one person can be heard asking Biden.
“Well, that’s always been the case here,” Biden replied. “You know, it’s not — what — nationwide, [gas prices] came down about $1.35, and they’re still down over a dollar. But we’re going to work on, housing is the big, is the most important thing we have to do in terms of that.”
While gas prices are down from their highs earlier this year — thanks to Biden’s ordering a massive drawdown in the nation’s strategic oil reserves — prices have steadily increased over the past couple of weeks.
WATCH:
Joe Biden said the other day that “it’s always been the case” that gas in LA is $7 per gallon.
The average gas price in LA has never been $7 and was $3.15 when Trump left office.
pic.twitter.com/Ymhh5cyB93— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 17, 2022
Twitter users, meanwhile, lambasted Biden not only for his claim but also his quick pivot to the outrageous price of housing in California, which is nearly all due to policies and restrictions implemented by the state’s Democratic super-majority, critics contend.
“Bidenism at its finest in LA today. High gas prices is a housing problem?” James Gallagher, the GOP minority leader in the California Assembly, tweeted.
New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin offered a fact-check of the president, since the average gas price was $3.36 a gallon in California when Biden was sworn in as president: “False. When Biden was sworn in as President, gas in California was actually less than half what it is today.”
False. When Biden was sworn in as President, gas in California was actually less than half what it is today. https://t.co/azNvtqEwdJ
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) October 14, 2022
The reality of Joe Biden & the Democrats being in charge:
✈️Airline fares are up 42.9%
🥚Eggs are up 30.5%
⛽Gas is up 18.2%
🔌Electricity is up 15.5%
🥛Milk is up 15.2%
🛍️Groceries are up 13%
🍼Baby food is up 11.8%
🥩Meat, poultry, and fish are up 7.7%— GOP (@GOP) October 15, 2022
California Republican Senate candidate Mark Meuser also ripped Biden’s claim, writing on Twitter that the president was “out of touch” with the manner in which his policies are “destroying” the country.
“I’m sorry Mr. President but California does not usually have $7 gas. In fact, prior to you becoming president, $5 gas in California was considered extremely high. You clearly are out of touch with how your policies are destroying this nation,” he tweeted.
I'm sorry Mr. President but California does not usually have $7 gas. In fact, prior to you becoming president, $5 gas in California was considered extremely high. You clearly are out of touch with how your policies are destroying this nation.https://t.co/Dn4dakGl4Y
— Mark Meuser for U.S. Senate (@MarkMeuser) October 14, 2022
“AAA reported that the national average price of a gallon of #gas has climbed to $3.92 on Monday, however, in California it is up to $7! Biden has done nothing to stop this madness- in fact, his and Katie Porter’s out of control gov. spending is causing Americans to suffer more,” California GOP House candidate Scott Baugh noted.
“To be clear, Democrats in Sacramento AND Washington are committed to making sure California has the highest gas prices in the nation.Great work @JoeBiden at helping us hit all those record high prices in the last year,” California GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson sarcastically tweeted.
To be clear, Democrats in Sacramento AND Washington are committed to making sure California has the highest gas prices in the nation.
Great work @JoeBiden at helping us hit all those record high prices in the last year 🙄 https://t.co/d75Kcp1XkP
— Jessica Millan Patterson (@millanpatterson) October 15, 2022
The New York Post adds:
Gas prices historically are higher in California than other states because of relatively few local refineries and the highest state taxes and fees in the country for gasoline, at about 67 cents per gallon, according to the Tax Foundation.
The past-year hike in California gas prices was much steeper than the national rate, which increased less than 19% as of Thursday to $3.91 per gallon — falling from a politically bruising all-time high of over $5 per gallon in June, but inching higher recently as OPEC+ cuts production.
Fox News host Dan Bongino ripped into the president on Sunday over a claim that Republicans will make inflation worse if they win back control of Congress.
“There’s multiple universes there too, in the Biden White House. These guys are full of crap all the time. There’s the real universe and there’s the full-of-crap universe. That’s the Biden universe. Real, full of crap; real, full of crap. So they’re full of crap on inflation. You ever see this guy Biden? He’s always chatting about inflation as if he did something to stop it with the Inflation Reduction Act or whatever. So he gives a speech today talking about how Republicans, if they get in office, are going to make inflation worse, which is really weird because inflation was 1.2% year over year before this guy took office,” Bongino said.
“It’s now seven points higher. Does he ever tell the truth? The Wall Street Journal covered this. And then he said, ‘You know, we had to print a whole bunch of money to inflate and inflate away the dollar.’ Why? ‘Because the economy needed help.’ Actually, that’s not right either, there, Joe B. The economy was growing at about 6% GDP annualized before you got in office, and now we’re shrinking,” he added.
