White House Credits Biden’s Jawboning for ‘Historic Decline’ in Gas Prices That Remain 84 Cents Higher Than a Year Ago

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain took a victory lap on behalf of President Joe Biden for what Klain described as a “historic decline” in gasoline prices to around $4 per gallon, crediting the president’s get-tough attitude toward U.S. oil producers for the multi-week fall of pump prices.

Klain made the remarks in an interview on CNN on Aug. 8, in which the White House official said that prices dropped after Biden demanded oil refiners bring them down in line with falling crude prices.

“I remember at the start of the summer, the president said, as the price of oil goes down, the price of gas needs to go down. He put it right to the oil companies,” Klain said.

“Every single day this summer, the price of gas is down. It’s down well over a dollar. We’re going to see today, the average price of gas fall to $3.99. The most common price of gas in America now is $3.79. So, by taking on these special interests, taking on these powerful interests, we’re making progress on inflation,” he added.

“The president’s having victories over those special interests. That’s going to bring prices down,” Klain said, adding, “we’ve brought it down every single day this summer in [a] historic decline.”

Biden has criticized large oil corporations, accusing them of price gouging American consumers.

The heads of ExxonMobil and Chevron have pushed back on Biden’s claims and argued that the administration has maintained a relatively hostile environment for fossil fuel companies to do business.

High prices at the pump—and soaring inflation more broadly—have been problematic for the Biden administration, which has sought to capitalize on marginal drops in gasoline prices.

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as he delivers remarks on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 at the White House

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