Biden celebrates skyrocketing gas prices as an 'incredible transition' away from fossil fuels

As Americans continue to face increasingly prohibitive prices at the pump, President Joe Biden on Monday celebrated what he referred to as an “incredible transition” away from fossil fuels.

Speaking at a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, Biden told reporters that an “incredible transition is taking place” that could ultimately move the United States away from its dependence on fossil fuels, Fox News reported.  

"Here’s the situation.  And when it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over," Biden said, seeming to justify or praise those sky-high prices Americans face at the pump.

The comments were met with ire, however, as gas prices across the United States hit what the Automobile Association has called “unprecedented” levels. As of Monday, the national average for a gallon of regular gas is $4.56 – up more than $0.40 higher than the previous month.

In some Democratic states like California, however, the average hit $6.06 on Monday – with gas costing more than the minimum wage per gallon at some stations.

Biden, for his part, defended his approach to the energy crisis, claiming his administration has taken steps to prevent gas prices from rising any further – including the release of 1 million barrels of oil from the U.S.’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

"And what I’ve been able to do to keep it from getting even worse — and it’s bad.  The price of gas at the pump is something that I told you — you heard me say before — it would be a matter of great discussion at my kitchen table when I was a kid growing up.  It’s affecting a lot of families," Biden said.

"But we have released over two hundred and, I think, fifty-seven thousand — million barrels of oil, I should say. Us and the rest of the world we convinced to get involved. It’s helped, but it’s not been enough," he added.

But Biden has also attempted to shift blame away from his administration, instead blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine for increase in fuel prices – calling it a “Putin spike at the gas pump.”

"Let me first say that Americans are paying a higher price at the pump because of the actions of President Putin," then-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in March. "This is a Putin spike at the gas pump, not one prompted by our sanctions."