Prominent Twitters users attempted to fact-check Joe Biden after the president told a reporter that gas has “always” been $7 a gallon in California.
“The inflation report is out. Have you seen gas prices around here in LA? It’s 7 bucks a gallon almost,” a reporter asked Biden as he paid for food at a Los Angeles-based taco shop.
“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.”
Social media users rushed to criticize Biden for his claim about gas prices in The Golden State, making note of his attempt to pivot the conversation towards housing.
WHITE HOUSE CLAIMS BIDEN HAS ‘DONE THE WORK’ TO FIX INFLATION, DESPITE IT SITTING AT 40-YEAR HIGH
“Bidenism at its finest in LA today. High gas prices is a housing problem?,” James Gallagher, the Republican minority leader in the California Assembly, tweeted.
New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin offered up his own fact-check of Biden, given the fact that gas 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,” he tweeted.
California Republican Senate candidate Mark Meuser similarly criticized Biden’s claim and tweeted that the president was “out of touch” with how his policies are “destroying” the United States.
“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.
“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 Republican House candidate Scott Baugh chimed in.
“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.
Biden similarly came under fire for comments he made to reporters on Saturday.
During a conversation with a reporter at a Baskin-Robbins in Portland, Oregon, Biden was asked if he had any worry about the strength of the U.S. dollar amid rising inflation.
With a chocolate chip ice cream cone in his hand, Biden answered, “I’m not concerned about the strength of the dollar. I’m concerned about the rest of the world. Our economy is strong as hell.”
He added: “Inflation is worldwide. It’s worse off than it is in the United States. So the problem is the lack of economic growth and sound policy in other countries not so much ours. It’s worldwide inflation. It’s consequential.”
Fox News’ Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
