TV star Mike Rowe has warned Democrat President Joe Biden and his communications team that America’s truckers are not buying his “Putin Price Hike” spin on soaring gas prices.
Rowe, host of “Dirty Jobs” and “How America Works,” told Fox News that truckers are being hit hard by spiraling fuel costs.
“I get videos almost every day now from people we’ve featured on ‘Dirty Jobs’ and on ‘How America Works’,” Rowe explained.
“They are just sending me videos of them at the gas pump.
“And some of them are filling up, you know, 18-wheelers.
“And I’m not kidding you, $1,110, $1,200 for a fillup.
“We know it’s awful,” he continued.
“When you put $1,200 in your gas tank – and just six months ago it was costing you $600 or $700, the exponential reality of it is starting to sink in.
“You just can’t walk that back.
“The cost of fuel touches every single thing that matters in this country, from food production and transportation, obviously, all of it.”
Steve Doocy asked Mike if the truckers believe Biden’s claim that the rising fuel prices are the fault of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rowe responded, “The ones I know aren’t.”
“Guy said to me the other day: ‘It’s like falling down the stairs in slow motion, you know.’
“We know it’s coming.
“We’re watching it happen.
“It’s happening in real-time.
“And it’s not just diesel, it’s not just gasoline,” he explained.
“If you bring it back to food you have to talk about fertilizer, too.
“The cost of… there’s no food without fertilizer in this country.
“The cost of fertilizer is hundreds, hundreds of percent higher than it was.”
WATCH:
From AAA:
Pump prices rose again over the past week due primarily to the high cost of crude oil. Fear of a global energy supply disruption due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine outweighs the demand concerns prompted by the impact of COVID-19 on China’s economy.
The cost of a barrel of crude continues to hover around $100. With the oil price accounting for about 60% of pump prices, the national average for a gallon of regular is now $4.19, an increase of seven cents since Monday, April 25.
“As long as the supply remains tight, it will be hard for crude oil prices to fall and consumers will in turn face higher prices at the pump,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson.
“It now costs drivers in the U.S. about $23 more to fill up than a year ago.”
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 1.6 million bbl to 230.8 million bbl last week.
Gasoline demand decreased slightly from 8.87 million b/d to 8.74 million b/d. Although lower gas demand would typically push pump prices lower, the fluctuating oil price and tight gasoline supply have pushed pump prices higher.
Pump prices will likely face upward pressure as oil prices remain above $100 per barrel.
Today’s national average for a gallon of gas is $4.19, which is a penny less than a month ago, but $1.29 more than a year ago.
