Willie Geist Challenges White House on Blaming Russia For Gas Prices: People Filling Up Aren’t Saying ‘Damn You, Putin’

MSNBC’s Willie Geist challenged White House advisor Brian Deese over the Biden administration’s penchant for blaming Vladimir Putin for record gas prices.

Prices at the pump have reached record highs every day throughout the past week. As of Friday, the average price for a gallon of regular is $4.99, according to GasBuddy.

Deese joined Morning Joe Friday  to discuss May’s consumer price index report. Inflation rose 8.6% in last month compared to last year. That is the highest such increase in 41 years.

Deese told MSNBC President Joe Biden is doing everything possible to ease the financial burden of higher costs for consumers. He discussed both fuel and food costs.

Co-host Joe Scarborough asked him if he believes Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell should raise interest rates to counteract the record inflation. He said,

What about the Fed chairman? At some point, as we would say in northwest Florida, the horse is already out of the barn and the horse isn’t transitory. The horse is here to stay. We’re up to 8.6%. That 8.6% can become 10, it can become 12 if the Fed doesn’t start acting aggressively. Does chairman Powell and the Fed, do they need to jack rates up at a faster clip?

Deese said Fed has “the space to do everything it needs to take on inflation,” and added Biden will not intervene in order to “politicize” the issue.

Geist then invoked previous statements made by the administration which have blamed Russia for fuel costs here in the U.S. Geist said,

Brian, it’s true of course that Russia’s war in Ukraine is impacting oil prices, yes, but I promise you the landscaper two days ago at I talked to at the gas pump who was trying to fill up two cans and backpack blowers, and mowers and his truck, was not going, “Damn you, Putin.”

He asked, “What do you say to him, what do you say to families who can’t afford all their groceries right now?”

Deese said the White House empathizes with Americans who are struggling. He added gas prices are up roughly $1.70 on average per gallon since Russian troops began to amass on Ukraine’s border.

Watch above, via MSNBC.