White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced criticism on Monday for touting that gas prices are below their peak in 2022, which is still above where they were when President Biden took office.
"Gas prices, they've been going up over the last month $0.20/gallon,” a reporter said. “Is president considering any new actions…?"
"I don’t have any new actions to read out. I will note, gas prices remain well below their peak back in 2022," she replied. "I think that’s important. And the average gas price right now is cheaper than this time last year and that’s because of what this president has been doing over the last three years, including the SPR [Strategic Petroleum Reserve].
"And, look, let’s not forget: Jobs are up, wages are up, clean energy manufacturing is up — all of these things are incredibly important — because of this president’s historic investment that he has made," she continued.
"And so — but I would — I think it’s important to note that it remains well below the 2020 peak," Jean-Pierre added.
But the reporter pushed back, pointing out “it’s only $0.03 lower than a year ago” and “up 52 percent from when President Biden came into office.”
REPORTER: "Gas prices, they've been going up over the last month $0.20/gallon...Is president considering any new actions?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 15, 2024
KJP: "I don’t have any new actions to read out. I will note, gas prices remain well below their peak back in 2022...The average gas price is cheaper than… pic.twitter.com/dxEkiTras1
According to the American Automobile Association, the national average price for a gallon of gas was $3.644 on Tuesday, whereas a year ago the national average was $3.669 per gallon. On Jan. 20, 2021, Biden's first day in office, the average price for a gallon of gas nationwide was about $2.39.