Biden Tells the Truth About High Gas Prices and the Energy Transition
President Joe Biden took some heat on Monday for saying the quiet part of the energy transition out loud. At a press conference following a meeting in Japan with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the President seemed to frankly admit that high gasoline and diesel prices are just part of the overall plan for the transition to renewables.
“[When] it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over,” Biden said. It was a mistake since, although running prices for fossil fuel-generated energy higher has always been part of the plan for Biden’s Green New Deal energy policies, admitting it was not supposed to be part of the public messaging.
The President’s latest gaffe comes as his polling numbers continue to plumb previously unseen depths as they proceed in their inverse relationship to the ever-rising price for gasoline at the pump. After admitting that high energy costs are an integral part of making the transition work, Mr. Biden then seemed to realize his rhetorical mistake, insisting that his administration’s policies have not made the problem of rising prices worse. Thus, he was back on message.