Whether elected officials and media personalities are crediting a President with low gas prices or decrying another for high ones, the Commander in Chief's control over oil and gas prices is often overblown.
Such is the case as Conservatives blame President Joe Biden for higher prices at the pump.
Though retail gas prices vary across regions, the U.S. has seen a steady increase in gas prices since 2021 due to a number of factors. With Americans across the country no longer in quarantine in this latest stage of the pandemic, demand for retail gasoline skyrocketed last year, while U.S. gasoline production failed to meet that threshold, according to research from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia, one of the largest natural gas producers in the world, have only exacerbated the problem.
Recently, far-right Senator from Tennessee, Marsha Blackburn, tried to credit Trump for the low gas prices of 2020.
Under President Trump, gas was about $2.17 in 2020.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) March 6, 2022
What Blackburn forgot is that, for the vast majority of 2020, Americans were quarantining in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has gone on to kill nearly one million Americans. Demand for retail gasoline plummeted during 2020 and prices soon reflected that.
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, known colloquially as "AOC," was there to remind her.
Maybe that has something to do with the fact that everyone in the country was quarantining while 350,000 people died and COVID vaccines weren’t out yet https://t.co/QJkeCM88bB
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 8, 2022
Unemployment also hit 14.8% in 2020, the highest rate ever seen in the US since data collection began.
Does the Senator want to jump to claim that as Trump’s legacy too? Or would we rather examine context and data like adults? 👩🏽🏫
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 8, 2022
The Congresswoman encouraged the Senator to "examine context and data" when crediting Trump with low gas prices during the pandemic, just as conservatives emphasize the COVID-19 context for the widespread unemployment that resulted from the pandemic under Trump.
Blackburn responded by praising Trump for the vaccines.
And you can thank President Trump and Operation Warp Speed for your vaccine, @AOC. https://t.co/KglmiCHerD
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) March 8, 2022
Other social media users, however, sided with AOC.
It’s 2022. Can we please stop thinking the president has anything to do with gas prices? https://t.co/pQWQQ96sbY
— LaughingFoxCreates (@FoxCreates) March 8, 2022
They conveniently forget that part, don’t they? 🤦♀️🤢 https://t.co/F0J7GIgZkx
— woman nation🌊🌊🇺🇦✊🌻 (@woman_debbie) March 8, 2022
Here I am retweeting @AOC because I agree with her. This has been an odd week to say the least https://t.co/HZ6nTH4EYw
— Travis McColley (@tm3716) March 8, 2022
I mean, they ALL cherry-pick the figures they like … but AOC taking Blackburn to the intellectual woodshed is still pretty satisfying. https://t.co/gdmxzX2jWg
— Jeremy St.Louis 🇨🇦 (@jrstlouis) March 8, 2022
But the Congresswoman wasn't the only one pushing back against Blackburn's tweet.
Yes! Low gas prices was a nice upside consequence of the cataclysmic 2020 economic meltdown where 20% of Americans had no job, all the stores were closed, and 380,000 of us died. https://t.co/aB9izKeaIo
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 8, 2022
Hey genius, was anyone driving in 2020? Trump doesn’t get to simultaneously worsen a global pandemic and take credit for the lower gas prices as result of his pandemic. #TrumpSlump https://t.co/iLCw3cwerM
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) March 8, 2022
What else was happening in 2020, Senator, that made people less likely to use gas? https://t.co/dg4x2CvqFF
— Pé🌻 (@4everNeverTrump) March 8, 2022
The entire country was also shut down because a deadly virus was spreading that he pretended didn’t exist. https://t.co/9rXQQPN7LU
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 8, 2022
While we’re at it, under President Trump, the unemployment rate was about 15% in 2020. https://t.co/1xhjZYPQyu
— Rep. Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) March 8, 2022
Context aside, it doesn't look like conservatives plan to stop employing this talking point any time soon.
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
@CNN/Instagram
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images