"Disguise the crisis": how Biden continues to blame Russia for provoking inflation in the United States

The words of US President Joe Biden about the "tax" of Russian President Vladimir Putin on food and gasoline, which the Americans allegedly pay, were called in Moscow "a lame and futile attempt" to blame others for their own failures.

This was stated by the First Deputy Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Dmitry Polyansky.

“It seems that President Putin also rules the US, since he can impose taxes on food and gasoline.

This is a flimsy and futile attempt by the American President to shift the blame to someone else and walk away from his duties!”

Polansky wrote.

Earlier, Biden, speaking in Los Angeles after the release of May inflation figures, which were the highest in more than 40 years, said that the United States "has never seen anything like Putin's tax on both food and gasoline."

“So, today I would like to talk about my main economic priority - the fight against inflation.

I understand that Americans are anxious, and for good reason.

When I was growing up, in our house the skyrocketing price of gasoline was a topic of discussion at the family table.

When food prices rose, it significantly affected (life.

).

But we have never seen anything like Putin's tax on both food and gasoline,” Biden said.

According to him, since May, half of the monthly price increase has been accounted for by the cost of energy and food products.

He also stressed that "Putin's price hike is hitting America hard."

Meanwhile, the Republicans lay the blame for the galloping inflation on the Democratic president and his entourage.

As Republican Senator Ted Cruz noted, price increases are going through the roof due to the actions of Biden and representatives of the Democratic Party in the US administration.

“Over the past year, it (inflation.

) rose to 8.6%.

This is the highest figure in the last four decades.

No wonder the Democrats are trying to divert attention from their miserable failures through political ploys broadcast on prime time television, ”he wrote on Twitter.

Cruz previously made the claim that under Biden, natural gas prices doubled in the United States precisely because of the Green New Deal measures.

In turn, the head of the National Committee of the Republican Party, Ronna McDaniel, recalled that Biden always "intended to get rid of oil and gas."

“High prices were part of his plan from the start,” she tweeted.

McDaniel added that, according to GasBuddy, which analyzes gas station prices, for the first time in history, the average cost of gasoline exceeded $5 per gallon.

• Gasoline prices in the US

• AP

• © Rick Bowmer

In addition, the politician drew attention to the fact that Biden spoke about the inflationary peak back in December.

“Here’s Biden’s December statement that inflation has “reached its peak,” McDaniel said.

She also wrote on Twitter that with each new opinion poll it becomes clearer: "Americans know that Biden is a failure."

Sociological context

It is worth noting that in the United States, against the backdrop of rising inflation, rising food prices and rising energy prices, Biden's approval rating fell to a record low of 39.4%.

This is evidenced by the data of the aggregator of opinion polls - the RealClearPolitics portal.

At the same time, the highest level of support for the 46th US President (55.8%) was observed at the end of January 2021, when he had just come to power.

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At the same time, many Americans are extremely dissatisfied with Biden's measures in the fight against inflation.

71% of respondents do not approve of the actions of the head of the White House in this matter, as evidenced by the opinion poll of the ABC TV channel and Ipsos, published on June 5.

Only 28% of respondents support Biden's measures in this area.

Americans (72% of respondents) are not satisfied with the actions of the US leader in the regulation of retail gasoline prices.

“On a number of key issues, including those related to economic recovery, inflation and gasoline prices, President Joe Biden’s approval rating from the American public remains low, as the majority does not approve of his current activities,” the study says.

Short-sighted Russophobia

According to experts, Washington, despite the obvious failures in the economy and energy policy, which led to inflation, is trying to absolve itself of responsibility by accusing the Russian authorities.

“And this is realized not only by Republicans, but also by ordinary Americans.

Moreover, even the US Secretary of the Treasury admits the mistakes made by the administration regarding, in particular, forecasts of the inflation rate and the economic situation in the country.

This led the United States to big problems for which citizens are forced to pay, ”said Yury Rogulev, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, in a conversation with RT.

According to him, in reality, the sharp increase in retail gasoline prices is primarily caused by Biden's course on green energy and the inefficient policy of his administration in this area.

“Biden wanted to create a green economy, which meant shutting down oilfields, stopping the issuance of licenses for such activities, stopping the construction of oil pipelines.

At first, business tuned in to this agenda - investments in production decreased.

After that, gasoline prices began to rise sharply.

Washington tried to somehow respond to this, but it was too late: business cannot work effectively when conflicting demands are heard from Washington, ”Rogulev explained.

In his opinion, Washington's anti-Russian sanctions, in particular the embargo on energy supplies from Russia, only aggravated the situation.

“The Biden administration did not take into account the role of Russia in certain categories of goods - and it is very significant.

And when the restriction or interruption of the established chains of world trade began, the entire market, not just energy, began to collapse.

A similar situation is observed in the field of food and fertilizers, where the share of Russia is also very high.

The United States, like an elephant in a china shop, is bringing down one market after another because of its Russophobia, ”Rogulev noted.

At the same time, he is sure that Biden and his administration, increasing the flow of accusations against the Russian Federation, are unlikely to be able to find excuses for the energy crisis and skyrocketing inflation.

“Biden is really trying to get away from problems in this way.

But opinion polls already show that Americans are fully aware of who is really to blame for the rise in the price of food and energy.

And in the current conditions, when Biden's popularity is falling, he needs to somehow keep his face, and he unreasonably and unfoundedly shifts his blame to Russia, ”Rogulev argues.

From his point of view, in the foreseeable future, Washington will continue to adhere to this course.

“Biden needs to somehow mask the real crisis of governance in the American administration.

After all, not only the situation inside the country, but also in the international arena is getting out of control of the United States, ”says Rogulev.

A similar position is shared by American political scientist Malek Dudakov.

According to him, the White House, blaming the Russian Federation and personally President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly tried to absolve itself of responsibility for current problems in the United States.

“Washington is actively promoting the myth that the difficulties within the United States arose because of “evil Russia” and its leader.

However, it is clear that this strategy does not work.

According to the results of opinion polls, it is clear that the vast majority of Americans believe that it is Biden and his entourage, and not Moscow at all, who are responsible for problems within the country.

However, the White House will continue to use this technique because it does not want to admit its mistakes, ”the analyst believes.

He also expressed confidence that Biden's green agenda was the main cause of the US energy crisis.

“Biden's green policy does not motivate companies to increase oil and gas production in the United States.

Since the administration obviously cannot solve the energy problems, food and gasoline will continue to rise in price.

And Biden's attempts to shift responsibility to someone else will not help the Democrats.

It cannot be ruled out that they will lose in the autumn congressional elections, ”Dudakov predicted.