When Peter Doocy asked Karine Jean-Pierre about high gas prices, the White House press secretary appeared to not have any knowledge of President Joe Biden’s statements regarding the oil industry.
Jean-Pierre made these comments at Wednesday’s White House media briefing. This was after President Obama announced an additional release of Strategic Petroleum Reserves to help lower high gas prices in advance of the midterms.
“You ask oil companies to lower gas prices. What makes you believe they will listen to an administration trying to take them out of business?” Doocy asked.
Jean-Pierre replied, “How is the administration trying to put them out of work?”
He replied, “Well they make fossil fuels” and was referring to remarks made by the president during his 2020 presidential campaign.
Jean-Pierre continued to state that oil production is on track for a record high in 2023. He also stated that oil companies could lower gas prices by increasing their production, as they have done so before. Biden’s remarks about ending fossil fuel were not addressed by Jean-Pierre.
The Republican National Committee immediately responded by posting a video in which Biden’s comments promise to stop fracking within the U.S., and that he would eliminate fossil fuels.
More bizarre still was Jean-Pierre telling Doocy that the administration intended to end U.S. dependence on fossil fuels in June.
Although the Biden administration tried to put high gas prices and other rising costs on the war in Ukraine, and the pandemics, polls show that more Americans are blaming Biden’s policies for the problems than other causes. A New York Times poll shows that Republicans are growing in popularity due to weakness in the economy, according to Democrats.
Here’s the video:
Doocy: You’re asking oil companies to lower gas prices. What makes you think they will listen to an administration that is trying to put them out of business?
KJP: How are we trying to put them out of business?
Doocy: They produce fossil fuels, Biden wants to end fossil fuel pic.twitter.com/7W84qfajwg
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) October 19, 2022
