The White House is trying to blame record-high gas prices on Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.
"You may have noticed this week that your gas prices have gone up," says Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a widely viewed White House video. "A lot of it has to do with Vladimir Putin." During a press conference announcing sanctions on Russia, President Joe Biden quickly switched topics from rising costs to patriotic sacrifice, announcing, "I said defending freedom is going to cost. It's going to cost us as well in the United States." Facing collapsing approval ratings, Democratic lawmakers are echoing the same argument. New York Rep. Gregory Meeks announced that Americans should be happy to "make that kind of sacrifice because in the long run, democracy is at stake."
