Amazon founder Jeff Bezos arrives for a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the UK diplomatic residence on September 20, 2021 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Amazon.Com Founder Jeff Bezos renewed his feud with the White House over the weekend, as the world’s third-richest man criticized President Joe Biden for calling on companies that run gasoline stations to lower their prices.
In a tweet on Saturday, Biden said “this is a time of war and global crisis,” and called on companies to lower gasoline prices, which have soared in many parts of the country to around $5 a gallon.
The president said, “Take down the price you’re charging at the pump to reflect the price you’re paying for the product. And do it now.”
Bezos wrote on Twitter shortly thereafter: “Ouch. Inflation is too important a problem for the White House to make statements like this. It’s either downright misdirected or a deep misunderstanding of fundamental market dynamics.”
On Sunday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shrugged off Bezos’ criticism, arguing that oil prices had fallen by about $15 a barrel last month, while prices at the pump were “barely” She had fallen
“But I think it’s not surprising that you think oil and gas companies are using market power to generate record profits at the expense of the American people, the way our economy should work, ‘ she wrote on Twitter.
Bezos has locked horns with Biden’s administration in the past. In May, he accused Biden of misleading the public and blamed his administration for the increase in inflation.