US Gas Prices Have Doubled Since Biden Took Office: AAA Data

A U.S. postal worker puts his seatbelt on after filing up his vehicle at a gas station in Garden Grove, Calif., on March 29, 2022. Mike Blake/Reuters

The average U.S. price for a gallon of regular gasoline has more than doubled since President Joe Biden took over, based on data released this weekend.

When Biden took office on Jan. 20, 2021, the average price for a gallon of regular-grade gasoline stood at $2.39. But as of June 5, the price increased to about $4.85 per gallon, according to AAA.

No state averages less than $4 per gallon. California leads the way at $6.32 per gallon, followed by Hawaii and Nevada at $5.47.

As a result, demand for gasoline is dropping, according to GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan, who wrote on Twitter: “According to GasBuddy data, weekly US gasoline demand fell 2.3% from the prior week and was 1.5% below the rolling four-week average.

“Americans will be spending $94 million more on gasoline today compared to just a week ago. We’re spending $1.82 billion on gasoline every ~24 hours.”

Republicans responded to the ongoing surge in prices by highlighting the Biden administration’s and Democrats’ policies.

“Joe Biden’s war on American energy has forced families across the country to empty their wallets to fill their tanks,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox News on June 5. “Unfortunately, Biden is doubling down on his disastrous agenda because he’s not the one paying the price—the American people are.”

During a news conference late last week, Biden told reporters that Americans don’t really care why gas prices are elevated, and they just want them to drop.

White House officials, meanwhile, have taken a defensive stance, saying that the federal government isn’t responsible for the higher price. In recent months, Biden and other administration officials have blamed it on the Russia–Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Speaking in an ABC News interview, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed that rhetoric on June 5, saying: “We know that the price of gasoline is not set by a dial in the Oval Office.

“When an oil company is deciding, hour by hour, how much to charge you for a gallon of gas, they’re not calling the administration to ask what they should do. They’re doing it based on their goal on maximizing their profits.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre last week claimed that Biden’s policies have “helped the economy get back on its feet,” while again blaming the spike on Putin.

However, last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox Business that the Biden administration’s policies were designed to raise gas prices. He cited a statement that was recently made by Biden in which he said the rise in prices is “part of an incredible transition” to electric vehicles.

“I think that’s the main takeaway from his statement, that he is telling the American people they’re doing this to you on purpose, that the transition period is being imposed by policies coming from the Biden administration,” Graham said.

“This is a conscious effort by the Biden administration to destroy fossil fuel production in the United States, to get away from fossil fuels, and you’re living this experience. This is an irresponsible shutting down of oil and gas production in America, making us more dependent on oil and gas from bad actors, and it’s destroying the American economy.”