Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) appears to be in denial about her party's standing with the American people.
"I don't think the public is blaming Democrats" for sky-high gas prices, Pelosi told reporters on Thursday. "I think they're blaming oil companies."
Pelosi made the claim in the face of poll after poll after poll showing that Americans blame gas prices and surging inflation on Democratic president Joe Biden.
"If the Republicans stand in the way of us freeing the consumer of the stranglehold of Big Oil, you think they're going to blame that on the Democrats?" Pelosi asked a reporter. She then pointed at the reporter and said, "You think that. You think that. OK."
Pelosi's remarks recall Biden's refusal to accept responsibility for gas prices. Experts ridiculed one Biden tweet last month that attempted to shift the blame on to "Big Oil," with one recommending that the president ask the Energy Information Administration to explain "realities to you and your staff."
Biden's allies in Congress worked hard last year to spike gas prices, pressuring oil execs to decrease outputs because of climate-change concerns, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Biden during his first week in office canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and instituted a moratorium on new gas leases.
On the same day that Pelosi made her claims, Biden also brushed aside bad news for his administration and party.
"I'm not concerned about a recession," the president said after Commerce Department data showed the economy shrinking in the first quarter of 2022, sparking fears of a recession.