Florida Gov.-elect Byron Donalds faced backlash after saying he had not heard Republicans blame Joe Biden for gas prices. His response contradicted Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accused Republican candidates of misleading voters about fuel costs after election losses. The interviewer challenged his denial by recalling Republicans who blamed Biden on the same program.
During an NBC News interview, the host played a clip of DeSantis criticizing Republican messaging on the economy. He cited gas prices rising from $3 to $4 a gallon and attributed the increase to the Iraq war. “So when you gaslight people, they don’t trust you on anything else,” he warned.
Asked whether Republicans had misled Americans, Donalds replied, “I actually don’t know what the governor is talking about.” He maintained that he had not heard Republicans blame current gas prices on Biden. However, he attributed much of the broader cost-of-living problem to inflation during Biden’s presidency.
The incoming governor instead linked recent fuel price increases to shipping costs in the Strait of Hormuz. He cited rising insurance costs for vessels passing through the waterway and predicted prices would fall rapidly once the conflict ended.
But after Donalds repeated his denial, the interviewer challenged him directly. She noted that several Republicans appearing on the program had previously blamed Biden for high gas prices.
Byron Donalds Faces Backlash Over Biden Gas Price Denial
Donalds’ denial drew criticism from people who recalled Republicans repeatedly blaming Biden for rising fuel costs.
One critic questioned his recollection, writing, “Selective amnesia is crazy. They blamed Biden for gas prices for 4 straight years, now suddenly nobody remembers?”
Another focused on his wording during the interview, stating, “He added ‘today’ so he wouldn’t have to admit they blamed Biden the whole time prices were high. They did it constantly.”
Others pointed to specific examples of Republican messaging. One response referenced Vice President JD Vance, stating, “Vance literally said this like a week ago.”
A separate commenter recalled the stickers targeting Biden at gas stations, writing, “Yeah, all those ‘I did that’ stickers on gas pumps with Biden’s photo on them just magically appeared.”
The disagreement over Republican messaging on gas prices remains unresolved. Donalds did not address specific past statements from Republican officials during the exchange.
