Tipsheet

The Narrative Is Changing Again on Gas Prices

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 26, 2022 8:35 PM

For some time now, the Biden administration and their Democratic allies have been gleefully claiming that Americans have been able to save a pretty penny when it comes to gas prices falling. Missing from that narrative is that it's still much higher under the Trump administration. As Leah has highlighted in recent days, gas prices rose again last week. Even CNN is taking issue with President Joe Biden's claims. 

Florida is now expected to face Hurricane Ian, and along with that, so is the changing narrative on how the hurricane is to blame for those gas prices. As our friends at Twitchy highlighted, The Hill put out a Nexstar Media Wire piece on Monday afternoon, highlighting "Rising gas prices: Is Hurricane Ian to blame?"

As it turns out, though, the article mention it's not:

But don’t worry just yet. AAA told NewsNation that gas prices are going up slightly because of refinery issues on the West Coast and in the Midwest, not because of the hurricane headed toward Florida.

...

AAA said Hurricane Ian won’t have an impact on gas prices because the storm would have to head toward the refineries near Texas and Louisiana instead of Florida. 

For the people in the path of Hurricane Ian, GasBuddy launched a new app to help residents find fuel and power sources during the storm. Users of the app will also be able to report if a gas station is out of fuel.

Also mentioned is how "Gas prices also rose the same day as the Federal Reserve announced another interest rate hike as part of an effort to ease inflation and keep the nation from entering a recession," despite how by some definitions we already are in a recession, and multiple polls shows Americans believe that we are.

There's no mention of how the Biden administration has been taking credit for lowered gas prices but seeks to escape all blame when it comes to rising gas prices. There's also no mention of how Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has made it so that Floridians can easily receive supplies, including fuel.

Recommended

Pro-Hamas Supporters at LSU Didn't Know What to Do When the Fraternities Showed Up Matt Vespa
Watch Don Lemon Shut Down WaPo's Taylor Lorenz Over This Take About Gaza and Gay Rights Matt Vespa

As of Monday night, the tweet currently has 27 quote tweets, many of them pointing out the great lengths the outlet is going to so as to protect this administration. 

The Hill has done countless other pieces covering for the president in other ways, including and especially when it comes to Biden's poll numbers. Last month, The Hill was among those publications clamoring to celebrate how a Reuters/Ipsos poll from August 23-24, showed Biden with a 41 percent approval rating, his highest in some time. They failed to cover how the very next week, he was at his lowest at 38 percent. 

The outlet has been ramping up headlines on various polling benefits for Biden. On September 19, Max Greenwood wrote "Why Biden is seeing a rise in the polls" and Chloe Folmar on September 24 wrote "Support from women boosts Biden to another year-high approval rating: poll."

When it comes to the recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, which shows Biden at a 39 percent approval rating, the headline from Rachel Scully is that "Biden, Trump essentially tied in head-to-head rematch: survey."