The United States has felt some high tension amid inflation and increasing gas prices, leaving everyone on edge. On Saturday, Jeff Bezos took to Twitter to slam President Joe Biden’s latest 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.”
The Amazon CEO & founder quote retweeted Biden’s tweet with a reply.
“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 White House later criticized Bezos after accusing Biden of missing the mark on the high gas prices.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre elaborated on Biden’s statement.
“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.”
The White House Press Secretary also criticized the Amazon CEO, telling him:
“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.”
John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, spoke on Fox News on Sunday, saying Bezos was wrong and that Biden “tells exactly what he’s thinking in terms that everybody can understand.”
Last June, Biden criticized Exxon Mobil’s record-breaking profits and “making more money than God this year” while Americans pay record-high prices at the pump. The President also met with the CEOs of several oil companies to encourage them to do more to lower gas prices.
The exchange on Twitter was not the first for the Amazon CEO as he has sparred with the White House multiple times, often regarding inflation.
Last May, Bezos accused Biden of “misdirection” when Biden said ensuring corporations pay their fair share of taxes should combat inflation.
Opinions expressed by NY Weekly contributors are their own.
