White House Economic Advisor: Blaming Inflation on Biden Puts You in ‘Lock Step’ with Putin

Blaming President Joe Biden for record inflation puts one in “lock step” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, an economic advisor to the administration declared.

Jesse Lee, senior advisor for communications to the National Economic Council, tweeted on Tuesday that Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is parroting Putin talking points by blaming the actual U.S. president for inflation negatively hitting numerous products for Americans, like groceries and gas.

“Putin and @SenRickScott fully in lockstep in blaming Biden for Putin’s Price Hike. So surprising,” Lee tweeted.

Along with his tweet, Lee included a report about Putin saying record high prices in the U.S. will put “pressure” on U.S. politicians. He also added Scott reacting to the latest report that inflation soaring to 8.5 percent in March, marking a 40-year high.

“The @WhiteHouse REALLY doesn’t like it when you point out that @JoeBiden’s disastrous policies are causing skyrocketing inflation,” Scott tweeted in response to Lee.

“Putin’s Price Hike” is how the administration has framed inflation issues recently, though critics have pushed back, arguing that inflation was a problem before Putin shocked the world by launching a military invasion into Ukraine. Last month, Biden pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic and Putin as being behind inflation.

“Make no mistake, the current spike in gas prices is largely the fault of Vladimir Putin — it has nothing to do with the American Rescue Plan,” Biden said.

Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, and while inflation and supply chain issues have been exacerbated by the international crisis, Americans were seeing key markets hit with rising prices before Putin’s decision. The average price for gas stood at $3.34 in January, according to analysis by AAA. That was an increase from $2.86 in April of 2021. In January 0f 2020, the average price was $2.58.

No matter where one places the blame, the issue has undeniably been made worse as the U.S. and other countries prioritize Russian sanctions and support for Ukraine. The average prices for gas today stands at just over $4 a gallon.

Before the latest report on inflation for the month of March, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was already informing the press that numbers would once again be “extraordinarily elevated.” This, however, is “due to “Putin’s price hike,” she said this week.

Before “Putin’s price hike” became a regular White House phrase, Psaki did acknowledge that inflation is becoming a major issue impacting Americans, but blamed critics for using it as a “political cudgel.”

“It’s impacting … millions of Americans, no matter their political party, and that’s certainly of concern to the president,” she said in December, arguing that the administration was predicting a deceleration in the next year.

On gas prices continuously rising during Biden’s time in the White House, Psaki said long term price hikes showed a need for investment in clean energy alternatives and claimed a rise in demand had pushed prices higher.

“Our view is that the rise in gas prices over the long term makes an even stronger case for doubling down our investment and our focus on clean energy options so we are not relying on the fluctuations and OPEC and their willingness to put more supply and meet the demand in the market,” she said at the time.