'The White House thinks voters are stupid': GOP slams Biden administration for 'gaslighting' Americans by blaming Putin for price hikes and recruiting TikTok stars in push to move to clean energy and stop fossil fuels being 'weaponized'
- GOP Senator Joni Ernst claim Biden is 'gaslighting' Americans by blaming soaring prices at the pump on Russian President Vladimir Putin
- 'He feels that if he says it enough, people are going to believe that fuel prices were Putin's fault. We know that's not true,' she said
- Republican Senator Ted Cruz also said Biden 'think the voters are stupid' after the White House recruited TikTok start to push the 'Putin Price Hike'
- Gas prices continue to surge in the U.S. following Russia's invasion of Ukraine
- But the hike was happening for months before the attack and Republicans claim is due to Biden's 'deranged' climate and energy policy
- Last week, The White House held a zoom briefing for about 30 social influencers
- Jen Psaki helped lead the White House message
- Ellie Zeiler, an 18-year-old who has more than 10 million followers, produced a video explaining why gas is so expensive
Joe Biden's Climate Task Force insists turning to clean energy is the best way to fight back against President Vladimir Putin 'weaponizing fossil fuels' as the White House continues to blame soaring gas prices on Russia and has recruited TikTok stars to push the narrative.
It comes as Republicans insist the president is 'gaslighting' Americans by trying to blame the massive price spike on Russia invading Ukraine, rather than a faulty climate policy that focuses on alternative energy and refuses to tap into resources on American soil.
'The president is literally gaslighting the American people,' Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst said at the Capitol on Tuesday, putting air quotes around the word 'gaslighting.'
'He feels that if he says it enough, people are going to believe that fuel prices were Putin's fault. We know that's not true,' she continued. 'So folks, let's all step up. Let's push this administration to get over their deranged climate policy and let's unleash American energy.'
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said during the press availability with a group of Republicans on Tuesday: 'I think it's perfectly clear that Vladimir Putin is not the cause of this rampant inflation that began at the beginning of the year.'
'Nobody buys Democrats' efforts to blame 14 months of failed policies on three weeks of crisis in Europe,' the Kentucky Republican tweeted. 'Inflation and gas prices were skyrocketing and hurting families long before late last month. The White House needs to stop trying to deny their mistakes and start fixing them.'
Biden has recruited and deployed TikTokers to blame soaring inflation on Putin – even though it was a serious issue for months before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz slammed Biden's strategy, claiming in a Monday tweet: 'The White House thinks the voters are stupid.'
The Climate Task Force meeting on Monday was aimed at lowering prices of gas as the Biden administration struggles with messaging the surges as Russia's fault and the average cost per gallon in the U.S. continues to linger in the mid $4.00 range – nearing $6.00 in the hardest-hit areas.
Republican Senator Joni Ernst claim President Joe Biden is 'gaslighting' Americans by blaming soaring prices at the pump on Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than faulty climate policy and refusal to use U.S. fossil fuels
The administration recruited TikTok start to push the 'Putin Price Hike', to which Senator Ted Cruz claimed proved Biden 'think the voters are stupid'
Gas prices continue to surge in the U.S. following Russia's invasion of Ukraine – but the hike was happening for months before the attack and Republicans claim is due to Biden's climate and energy policy
'The Task Force focused on how agencies can continue supporting the President's commitment to addressing Putin's Price Hike from his unprovoked war against Ukraine, minimizing pain at the pump here at home, continue rapidly deploying clean energy, and keep reducing emissions that cause climate change,' a Tuesday read out of the meeting states.
The meeting, convened by National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and including 23 other administration officials, was also aimed at strategizing how to get the U.S. secured in energy independence.
Conservatives claim that the country was on the track towards true energy independence under former President Donald Trump as he pushed forward with projects to use more natural resources within the U.S. rather than relying on other countries' resources.
On Day One of Biden's presidency, he put a stop to the Keystone XL pipeline project that was championed under Trump as a way to lower prices at the pump by more efficiently transporting oil from Canada.
Biden's task force, however, is pushing for a need to accelerate the U.S. transition to clean energy – a nonstarter for Republicans who shut down domestic agenda proposals because it included too many provisions disincentivizing the use of fossil fuels and incentivizing use of green energy like wind and solar.
'The Task Force echoed the President's belief that this moment underscores the need to accelerate – not slow down – our transition to a clean energy future that will strengthen U.S. energy independence,' the White House noted of the meeting. 'They noted when electric cars are powered by clean energy, homes run on clean electricity, and our grid is more resilient and reliable, autocrats like Putin won't be able to weaponize fossil fuels against other nations.'
The administration held a zoom briefing for about 30 popular internet figures, who promptly took to their social media accounts to talk about what the White House had briefed them on.
Among those invited to the meeting was Ellie Zeiler, an 18-year-old who has more than 10 million followers and who later posted a pro-Biden clip blaming the gas price crisis on Putin and defended the administration.
She posted a video on her profile entitled: 'Why is gas so expensive?' It is unclear if any of the influencers were paid for their services, although they were approached because of their work with a nonprofit called Gen Z for Change.
Ellie Zeiler, an 18-year-old TikToker who has more than 10 million followers, posted a video explaining why gas is so expensive after being requested to do so by The White House
Gas prices continue to rise in California as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.A Shell station in San Francisco is charging $6.29 for regular gasoline while a Valero station at the airport lists $6.99 for Diesel
Zeiler did not shy away from the fact she had been in contact with the Biden Administration over the course of making the video.
'Why is gas so expensive, and why is the United States inflation rate at a four-time decade high?' the video starts.
'I had the opportunity to ask the White House why gas down the street is $7 and here's what they said.'
'The first obvious reason is that we're getting out of a two year pandemic. When use goes up, the price goes up....
'But the call was predominantly about Ukraine and Russia, so how does that relate?' she asked.
The young TikTokers asked about inflation. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki blamed it on a number of issues including supply chain issues, the pandemic and the cost of energy which had been rising even before the Russian invasion
'Russia is one of the top three producers of oil and it is actually their No. 1 revenue source. Now, with Putin starting this horrific fight between Ukraine and Russia, nobody wants to work with him and do international trade.'
Zeller, who posted her one minute video on Sunday, was one of 30 TikTok stars in the Zoom meeting held last Thursday with White House officials and National Security Council staffers, the Washington Post reported.
They spread the Biden message after inflation was last week revealed to have increased by 7.9 per cent year-on-year, the highest jump in 40 years. The cost of living has been soaring for months, with the latest reporting period closing just four days after Putin invaded Ukraine - meaning Americans have been warned to brace for even worse increases in April.
The president is desperate to shift the blame for the tanking economy as his own approval ratings crumble, with this November's midterms currently predicted to spell grim news for his Democrat party.
The White House briefing was led by Matt Miller, a special adviser for communications at the White House National Security Council, and Psaki, the Post reported.
During the meeting, Zeiler, in audio sourced by the Post, could be heard asking about inflation and what it meant for the country and young people. Her video came out on Sunday
White House director of digital strategy, Rob Flaherty, told the TikTokers that he saw their reach and possible influence as 'a critically important avenue' to the American public.
During the meeting, Zeiler, in audio sourced by the Post, could be heard asking about inflation and what it meant for the country and young people.
Psaki placed the blame on a number of issues including supply chain issues, the pandemic and the cost of energy which had been rising even before the Russian invasion.
But speaking about gas prices in particular, she lay the blame squarely with President Putin.
Kahlil Greene, who calls himself a 'Gen Z historian,' posted about what he learned on a briefing call the White House held with social media influencers
Aaron Parnas, the son of Lev Parnas, was also on the call and praised the White House for the work it was doing to counter Russian propaganda
'It's his actions, President Putin, that is prompting the rising gas prices,' Psaki said. 'That is what is happening.'
Zeiler later told the Post that she was honored to take on the role of explaining complex situations to young people
'I'm here to relay the information in a more digestible manner to my followers,' she told the Post. 'I would consider myself a White House correspondent for Gen-Z.'
Other content on her TikTok page sees her on dancing in her house, sharing makeup tips or on vacation as well as pulling pranks on her family.
Gen Z For Change, a nonprofit advocacy group, helped identify the content creators invited to participate.
The information was targeted at the younger generation.
'We joined the White House for a briefing on the U.S. strategic goals in Ukraine so we're better able to debunk misinformation.
'As a coalition that reaches half a billion people, we are grateful that the White House chooses to work with us to keep people informed,' the group continued.
Gen Z For Change, a nonprofit advocacy group, helped identify the content creators invited to participate
Jules Terpak, an influencer who was on the briefing call, tweeted that 'TikTok is the media app that many young people click first after unlocking their phones.
Also on the call was Aaron Parnas, who has 1.2 million followers and is the son of Rudy Giuliani's indicted former associate Lev Parnas.
'I just got off of a zoom call with the White House about the situation in Ukraine,' Kahlil Greene, who calls himself a 'Gen Z historian' and has 540,000 followers, posted in a video to his social media accounts.
The administration's move comes as it battles a wave of misinformation out of Moscow where Vladimir Putin is justifying the invasion by making false claims about the Ukraine.
All the 'digital creators' on the White House briefing game a similar summary: that the administration was emphasizing its work with allies, the assistance it was offering the Ukraine and how it was trying to prevent a bigger war.
Marcus J. DiPaola tweeted about his experience on the White House briefing.
'The number one message the White House has is U.S. unity with partners & allies. The number two message is to prevent a more expansive war,' he noted.
National Security Council staffers and White House press secretary Jen Psaki conducted the briefing, according to the Washington Post.
Aaron Parnas, who said he has family in the Ukraine and whose father Lev assisted Trump's plan to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump's rivals, discussed the White House talking points on the call in a video he posted to his social media accounts.
'The United States has provided a significant amount of militaristic as well as humanitarian aid to Ukraine,' he said, citing White House officials.
'Next we are seeing the United States sanctions on Russia work. Russia's economy is in freefall, the ruble is at its lowest point in a very long time, and the country is on the brink of default. And finally, the United States is publishing a significant amount of previously classified information that was since declassified in order to debunk Russian misinformation and keep the public and Ukraine aware of what's happening.
Both sides have used social media to spread their messages in the Russian-Ukraine conflict: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted defiant videos on Facebook to counter Russia rumors he left Kyiv (above)
VICE News uncovered a coordinated campaign to pay Russian TikTok influencers to post videos pushing pro-Kremlin narratives about the war in Ukraine where popular social media influencers shared Moscow's propaganda even after TikTok banned new uploads from users located inside Russia.
Parnas noted on Twitter that 'Russia is literally paying people to make content on TikTok and elsewhere. Beware of the propaganda out there, and know that Russia is desperate because they are losing this war.'
Both sides have used social media to spread their messages.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted defiant videos on Facebook to counter Russia rumors he left Kyiv. Journalists and others in country have posted photos and video of the damage being done by Russian forces.
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'The WH thinks voters are stupid': GOP slams Biden for 'gaslighting' by blaming Putin for gas surge - Daily Mail
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