Pelosi Snipes at Fox News Reporter Suggesting Democrats are to Blame for High Gas Prices: You’re Not ‘Making Very Much Sense’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was taken aback at a Thursday press conference when it was suggested that the public could blame rising gas prices on Democrats.
At the press conference, Pelosi was joined by other Democrat lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who promised legislative action on gas prices and compared oil companies to “vultures,” blaming them entirely for the continuous rises at the pump. Schumer said oil companies are guilty of price gauging and market manipulation.
When Pelosi took questions at the end of the presser, she was asked by Fox News’ Chad Pergram whether she thinks the public is blaming Democrats for rising gas prices. The congresswoman completely dismissed the idea.
“No, I don’t think the public is blaming Democrats. I think they’re blaming the oil companies,” she said. “They will blame all of us if we don’t do something about fossil fuels.”
Asked by Pergram if the public will “take it out” on Democrats in the midterm elections if prices do not go down, Pelosi became more flabbergasted by the suggestion.
“I don’t think that what you’re saying is making very much sense, frankly,” she said, beginning to wave here hands. “In all fairness, we’re friends. Candor is part of our friendship.”
After some crosstalk, Pelosi blamed Republicans and oil companies if Democrats can not bring gas prices down.
“If the Republicans stand in the way of us freeing the consumer of the stranglehold of Big Oil, you think they’re going to blame that on the Democrats?” she asked Pergram. “You think that. You think that.”
The current average gas in the U.S. is just above $4 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. The average price a year ago, according to those same findings, was approximately $2.90. President Joe Biden and his administration have partly blamed recent rising costs on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but some polling has suggested a good portion of Americans place at least some blame for gas prices on Democrats and the administration.
In a Quinnipiac University poll released in March, over 40 percent blamed gas prices on Biden’s policies as president. Another 24 percent placed the most blame on Russian sanctions, and another 24% pointed blame towards oil companies. Another poll from earlier this month found that more people actually blamed the Russia situation and oil companies more for continuously ballooning gas prices, but 52 percent still placed a “good amount” of blame on Biden and the Democrats.
