During a recent press conference, President Joe Biden was asked by an interviewer whether he was planning any trips to the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia, in order to look for a solution to the oil shortage we’re currently experiencing.
Aside from being the head honcho that’s responsible for the economic chaos we’re in, it seems Biden couldn’t provide a clear answer to the question.
The president said he hasn’t decided on the matter yet, only to confirm he is, in fact, going mere seconds later.
The presidential gaffe spree
When questioned on the purpose of his upcoming visit to the region, Biden stated he’s planning to attend a meeting on national security in Israel, playing up the issue as much larger than the world’s ongoing energy crisis.
However, it seems the White House wasn’t planning on releasing this information until later in the week. They’ve hinted the president will be meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman around mid-July.
Joe Biden says he hasn't decided whether to visit Saudi Arabia, who he previously called "a pariah," to beg for more oil.
20 seconds later, he says, "It happens to be a larger meeting taking place in Saudi Arabia. That's the reason I'm going." pic.twitter.com/K4bK6eAZAV
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 13, 2022
At the moment, they’re not disclosing any additional information on Biden’s motives behind his visit.
Yet, considering the background of the political figures he’s scheduled to meet with, chances are Biden is going to beg for oil provisions from the country.
What’s more concerning is the fact Biden believes the prince to be a pariah over his alleged role in the killing of WP journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Biden begs Saudi Arabia for oil provisions
Aside from sucking up to murderous political figures like Salman, Biden’s visit will primarily be focused on improving the relationship between our two countries, which the president believes will aid in lowering gasoline prices in the US.
Urban gas station customers have meltdown over fuel prices— blame Joe Biden.
"We want Trump back!"
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 13, 2022
Only last week, gasoline reached the $5/gallon price point.
Considering the Russian onslaught in Ukraine has yet to see an end, the situation is bound to only get worse until Putin decides to finally pull back his forces.
On the other hand, though, gas prices were already spiking long before the invasion of Ukraine had begun. Supply chains were struggling to meet the increased demand created by the post-COVID reopening of the markets.
Unfortunately, due to demand sinking to historic lows during the pandemic, dozens of oil companies were forced to downsize and shut down several of their refineries.
This created a massive gap in the supply chains that only widened as sanctions were imposed on Russian oil and natural gas.
Joe Biden laid off 11,000 Keystone XL pipeline workers just to beg Saudi Arabia for oil.
— Daniel Turner (@DanielTurnerPTF) June 6, 2022
With this, the amount an average family spends on gas each month skyrocketed, putting lower-income households in a spot much worse than the one growing inflation placed them in.
If you thought the US has it tough, just take a look at Europe. There, the energy crisis is expected to cripple a handful of economies, due to their massive dependence on Russian energy.
