The White House insists President Joe Biden is doing everything he can to elevate alleviate price increases at the gas pump.
As of Wednesday, the average price for a regular gallon of gas is $4.95. Normally, when the president wants to tackle an issue, you would expect them to pick up the phone or get the relevant parties in a room and try to hammer out an agreement to solve the issue.
Not so with Biden.
Instead, he has decided that this strategy to help bring down gas prices includes asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate them, sending the companies a lengthy letter accusing them of “worsening the pain” Americans are feeling, and — checks notes — mocking them.
Chevron CEO Mike Wirth published a letter Wednesday accusing the Biden administration of criticizing and vilifying the industry, which he wrote, is “not beneficial to meeting the challenges we face and are not what the American people deserve.”
During an event at the White House, Biden was asked about Wirth’s letter.
Rather than considering that maybe using the industry as a punching bag to deflect blame as his poll numbers sag is not productive, the president decided to act like a child.
“He’s mildly sensitive,” Biden quipped. “I didn’t know they get their feelings hurt that quickly.”
He went on, “Look, we need more refining capacity. This idea that they don’t have oil to drill and to bring up is simply not true.”
Watch the video below:
President Biden responds to Chevron CEO Michael Wirth complaining about the Biden administration criticizing oil companies:
— The Recount (@therecount) June 21, 2022
“He’s mildly sensitive. I didn’t know they get their feelings hurt that quickly.” pic.twitter.com/a6ga4KKCn7
There is not much evidence that Biden’s policies have limited domestic oil production.
However, the country’s refining capabilities remain significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels. As The Associated Press notes, some companies are not ramping up their capabilities because they are concerned that a transition to electric vehicles will lead to a decreased demand for gas, which would hurt their bottom line.
And this administration has made a big deal talking about a transition away from fossil fuels and to electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Biden has previously made clear that he believes the industry “pollutes significantly” and should be “replaced by renewable energy over time.”
You don’t want the President of the United States to have to beg and plead with companies to ramp up their capabilities to help Americans and give them some kind of special treatment. But Biden is going way in the other direction of vilifying them and acting like sitting down to talk to them would be unspeakable.
It’s one thing to try to make a transition to renewable energy to better steward the planet’s resources and its environment. However, saying to the companies we want to kill your industry and on the way to its grave you need to be good patriots and lower your prices, is not a good strategy to accomplish anything.
