2022 has brought in a wide array of problems, and the United States is struggling to keep up with the burden of inflation and increasing gas prices. President Joe Biden has been addressing the problems, and he recently took to Twitter to discuss gas prices, attracting the attention of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who slammed his post.
“My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices at the pump is simple: this is a time of war and global peril,” tweeted the President. “Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product, and do it now.”
Bezos quote-retweeted Biden’s post with a few words of his own, slamming the President’s call.
“Ouch. Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this,” he said. “It’s either straight ahead misdirection or a deep understanding of basic market dynamics.”
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The Amazon founder’s accusation that Biden missed the mark on high gas prices earned him criticism from the White House.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, elaborated Biden’s statement on Twitter.
“Oil prices have dropped by about $15 over the past month, but prices at the pump have barely come down,” Jean-Pierre tweeted. “That’s not ‘basic market dynamics.’ It’s a market that is failing the American consumer.”
Jean-Pierre also took the time to take a dig at Jeff Bezos, saying:
“But I guess it’s not surprising that you think oil and gas companies using market power to reap record profits at the expense of the American people is the way our economy is supposed to work.”
Another White House official shot Bezos down on Sunday when John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said he was wrong and that Biden “tells exactly what he’s thinking in terms that everybody can understand.”
Last month, President Biden criticized Exxon Mobil for “making more money than God this year,” alluding to the company’s record-breaking profits while Americans are forced to pay record-high prices at the pump.
Biden also met with several executives and CEOs from oil companies, encouraging them to take action to lower gas prices.
Last Saturday was not the first time the Amazon founder butted heads with figures from the White House. He had already sparred with them various times, always regarding inflation.
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