A senior advisor to President Joe Biden admitted to CNN host Brian Stelter on Sunday he does not personally feel the pain at the gas pumps as prices are continuing to soar to all-time highs.
"Here’s what gnaws at me. Is part of the problem with coverage of the economy that people like White House aides, and yes, T.V. anchors, don't feel the pinch as much as the average American...do you feel the pinch? Do you feel the pain?" Stelter asked
"You know, I feel the pain for so many families in our lives," Gene Sperling began to respond.
"But for you...do you feel it," Stelter interjected.
"Look, we see, you know a gallon of milk go to $5. Everybody understands that that is a hit. I’m not going to try to say I feel that pain personally as much as so many families who make $50,000 or $60,000, but do we feel that pain, do we understand that frustration?" said Sperling. "This President said very clearly, he grew up in a family where, when gas prices went up, they felt it at their house and that leadership from him, that sense of empathy, the fact he grew up in that type of working-class family is exactly what we feel and what — and the leadership and message we get from the top down with this president."
Based on the background for Sperling's T.V. hit, he was doing it around the city of Los Angeles, which is among the top cities for having the highest gas prices in the country. For Los Angeles County, the average price for a gallon of regular gas is $6.36. The average price for gas nationwide stands at $4.86, a historic record. The Biden administration has encouraged Americans to buy electric vehicles, which costs tens of thousands of dollars more than the average car, as an alternative to the high gas prices.