Former president Donald Trump hit President Joe Biden for gas prices being the highest they have been in years with a simple statement: “DO YOU MISS ME YET?”
The former president’s statement came as the Biden administration announced a ban on Russian-imported oil into the United States amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine and as gas prices skyrocket.
The average price of gas in the United States is $4.173 per gallon, according to AAA. A report from GasBuddy found that they hit an all-time-record high at $4.63 per gallon, with little signs of letting up.
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Later in the day, Mr Trump hit Mr Biden for the fact that Europe would not boycott Russian oil the same way the United States would.
“Just confirmed that most of Europe won’t go along with the United States in boycotting Russian oil and gas,” Mr Trump said in a statement. “As usual the United States will be left out there alone, being taken advantage of by Europe, as we defend them, while we read in the Fake News how everyone has come together under Biden to fight Russia.”
Gas prices last hit those heights in June 2008, when they averaged $4.114 per gallon, right ahead of the Great Recession, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Gas prices did indeed nosedive during the last year of the Trump presidency, mostly due to reduced demand because of the coronavirus pandemic, hitting a low of $1.938 per gallon in April 2020.
Republicans have criticised Mr Biden and Democrats for the high gas prices. Mr Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence’s group announced a $10m ad buy targeting Democrats Democrats in swing districts ahead of the midterm elections for Mr Biden revoked the presidential permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline which the ad says made the United States more dependent on Russian oil.
Sen Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the more hawkish Senators in the Republican caucus, said it was good that the Biden administration was seeking to ban Russian oil imports but added that it was too late. Mr Graham also assailed Mr Biden for reaching out to Iran and Venezuela for oil.
“If we seek to replace Russian oil by buying more oil from Venezuela and Iran, that would be the height of insanity,” he tweeted.
Sen Marco Rubio of Florida said that the United States should replace Russian oil with domestically-produced oil, noting how the United States consumes 200,000 barrels a day of Russian oil
“We don’t need oil from Iran, we don’t need oil from Venezuela, in fact Venezuela can’t even produce enough oii,” he said. “So, part one of the plan is in place. We’re not buying oil from Russia. Now we have to do part two, which is we should replace it with American oil, not Saudi oil, not Iranian oil, not Venezuelan oil.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticised Mr Biden’s policies on energy in an interview with Fox News.
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“We ought to be pivoting in the same direction the Germans went last week and they were the greenest country in Europe,” he said. “This doesn’t require any legislation at all. The President has to do is just change. Quit trying to it harder to produce on public lands. Quit making it harder to produce LNG.”