New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has cautioned that a potential victory for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election could lead to energy companies engaging in price gouging at the gas pump.
Ocasio-Cortez, a supporter of the “Green New Deal,” has expressed concerns that Trump’s close ties with the oil industry could lead to policies favoring corporate interests over consumer welfare.
However, one would have to ask why gas prices were so much lower under the Trump administration.
Average Annual Gas Price Under Trump:
- 2017, $2.53 per-gallon
- 2018, $2.81 per-gallon
- 2019, $2.69 per-gallon
- 2020, $2.26 per-gallon
Average Annual Gas Price Under Biden:
- 2021, $3.10 per-gallon
- 2022, $4.06 per-gallon
- 2023, $3.47 per-gallon
- 2024, TBD
AOC lamented Thursday ahead of the estimated 10,000+ locals who showed up in the Bronx to hear Trump speak.
During an appearance on Spectrum News NY1, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the possibility of Trump’s planned rally in the Bronx, suggesting that a significant portion of the attendees may be “out-of-towners” rather than local residents.
“I suspect there’s going to be a lot of out-of-towners there,” AOC said. “And listen, we have a big, diverse city, I’m sure someone will be showing up supportive.”
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She then delved into the economic implications of a Trump presidency, citing his recent meeting with oil executives as a potential harbinger of policies that could enable energy companies to raise gas prices without proper oversight or regulation.
“But even on the economic point, we just saw that the former president met with oil executives last week saying, hey, you give me $1 billion, and I’ll make sure that you get the policies that are favorable to raising gas prices and making sure that a lot of these companies continue to price gouge without proper oversight or regulation,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“And so the idea that we’d be bringing those down when he’s cashing in for those same folks that are bringing those prices up, I think is a little bit suspect,” she added.
In response to Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks, the Trump campaign has accused the Biden administration of being “controlled by environmental extremists” who are attempting to implement the “most radical energy agenda in history.”
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Karoline Leavitt, the national press secretary for the Trump campaign, has stated that President Trump is supported by individuals who share his vision of “American energy dominance” to protect national security and reduce the cost of living for all Americans.
Democrats, including Ocasio-Cortez, have attributed the price increases to corporate collusion and greed, as well as other factors such as the Russia-Ukraine war. However, numerous energy analysts and experts have pointed to the Biden administration’s climate agenda as a contributing factor, citing the administration’s goals of decarbonizing the American power sector by 2030 and the overall U.S. economy by 2050.
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