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Joe Biden’s Prayers Have Been Answered: Gas Prices Are Dropping

Joe Biden
Joe Biden at the White House, July 2022. Image Credit: White House Facebook.

Could Lower Gas Prices Helps the Democrats In November? – When the national average price for a gallon of gas at the pump surpassed $5 in June, analysts pondered just how high those prices could go. JPMorgan analysts predicted that prices could easily surpass $6 per gallon nationwide by August, warning that supplies would remain low and the international market would become even more turbulent as the war in Ukraine intensifies.

In recent weeks, however, those prices have begun to fall. While still historically high, the national average price of a gallon of fuel has fallen by more than 50 cents over the last month. According to the American Automobile Association, the price of gas has dropped below $4 in 10 states, and the national average now sits at $4.36.

Biden Touts Gas Price Drops As Midterms Approach

As Democrats face the very real possibility of losing control of at least one chamber of Congress in November, the Biden administration has spent the last several weeks touting the fall in gas prices.

“After five straight weeks of declining prices at the pump, the current drop in gas prices remains one of the fastest declines in over a decade,” the White House Twitter account said on July 24.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to lower costs for families is getting Americans some much-needed relief.”

In remarks made on July 22, the president also said that the recent price drops mean that the typical two-driver family will save more than $60 per month – assuming the prices don’t spike again.

The Biden administration’s cleverly-worded statements, however, gloss over the fact that gas prices remain historically high – and that it’s easier for gas prices to fall at record levels after they have already risen at a record pace.

Linguistic Tricks

The White House appears to be increasingly dependent on the use of linguistic tricks to paint a more positive picture of the national economy and the rising cost of fuel, food, and consumer goods. Even a CNN panel pushed back on the president’s insistence that the United States is not presently in a recession on Monday, after data was released on Thursday revealing that the U.S. economy shrank for two consecutive quarters.

For decades, top economists have defined a recession as at least two consecutive quarters of GDP shrinkage – however, White House officials have repeatedly claimed that other economic factors must be taken into consideration before coming to the conclusion that the U.S. is in a recession.

“I get that why they want to do it from a political perspective, but like, you can’t fake this!” CNN anchor Kasie Hunt said this week.

Ultimately, words only mean so much, and voters will be going to the polls in November with their real-world experiences in mind.

However much gas prices fall in the next four months – and those prices are not likely to fall back down to pre-Biden administration levels – the fact remains that President Joe Biden and his administration have repeatedly characterized the situation as a positive one. In May, the president called rising gas prices part of an “incredible transition” away from fossil fuel to electric vehicles.

Last week, U.S. State Department official Alan Eyre also drew criticism for tweeting at President Joe Biden with praise for rising gas prices.

“I prefer high gas prices – less driving, less CO2,” Eyre said in the since-deleted tweet.

If prices only come down marginally, and if the Biden administration continues to advocate for the more widespread adoption of electric vehicles, the price of gas at the pump may only serve to harm the Democrats in November.

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

Written By

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.