Cable news corporation CNN, which typically sides with Democrat President Joe Biden, fact-checked the administration’s “Putin Price Hike” slogan this week, noting that gas prices and inflation were already unusually high under the Biden administration’s policies.
During a segment highlighting 40-year-high rates of inflation, CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins said, “We should note that the White House had kind of been bracing for this report data, they had said that they believed these numbers were going to be extraordinarily elevated and certainly they are very elevated today.”
Collins continued, “And so, that is really going to be a focus of the White House, and I would expect to see the President say ‘Putin’s Price Hike’ once or twice during the speech, given that is the way they have been talking about this, since this invasion started.”
“Of course, gas prices had been going up before this,” Collins noted.
CNN fact checks Biden on the #BidenGasHike.
“Of course gas prices had been going up before [Putin’s invasion]” pic.twitter.com/aAUU8lerk7
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 12, 2022
During another segment on CNN’s newsroom, the topic of how long prices and inflation have been trending upwards also surfaced.
“The increase in prices obviously long predates the war,” a CNN contributor said. “We’ve been seeing inflation rise for most of the past year in fact for the past six months inflation has been above the Fed’s average target of two percent.”
“This is not just about the war, this is about persistent supply chain problems, and it’s about the fact that demand is really, really strong, in part because of policy choices that we’ve made,” she added.
CNN contributor: “The increase in prices obviously long predates the war.”
“We’ve been seeing inflation rise for most of the past year in fact for the past 6 months inflation has been above the Fed’s average target of 2 percent.” pic.twitter.com/9EskRyurMS
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 12, 2022
Democrat pundits such as CBS’ Stephen Colbert have come out in support of the rising gas prices.
“Since the invasion, oil prices have skyrocketed,” Colbert said in March. “Today, the average gas price in America hit an all-time record high of over $4 per gallon. Okay, that stings, but a clean conscience is worth a buck or two.”
“It’s important. I’m willing to pay $4 per gallon,” Colbert declared, then noted, “Hell, I’ll pay $15 a gallon, ’cause I drive a Tesla.”
