House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries faced pushback during a Monday morning television interview after criticizing President Donald Trump over rising fuel costs while discussing the administration’s recent agreement with Iran.

Appearing on “Good Day New York,” Jeffries argued that the conflict with Iran had imposed a financial burden on Americans and pointed specifically to fuel prices. “It was a reckless war of choice that has obviously cost the American people significantly, particularly as it relates to skyrocketing gas prices in an environment where the cost of living was already too high,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries then shifted the conversation toward domestic concerns, stressing the need for policymakers to focus on issues at home. However, co-host Rosanna Scotto responded by noting that gas prices had also climbed sharply during the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

“Gas prices were up under Obama too. And Biden, right?” Scotto said.

As Jeffries began to respond, Scotto pressed further, asking, “Didn’t we have gas prices over $5?”

Attempting to explain the spike, Jeffries replied, “Well, there were gas prices in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic situation…”

Scotto then pointed to broader inflation concerns that affected consumers during that period. “And I remember eggs were like $12 a dozen,” Scotto said.

The discussion soon moved away from economic issues and turned to the New York Knicks’ NBA championship victory, with Scotto and Jeffries discussing the team’s title run.

Fox News Digital later sought comment from Jeffries’ office regarding the exchange but reported that it had not received an immediate response.

National gasoline prices reached a record average of $5.02 per gallon in June 2022 during the Biden administration.

At the time, many Democratic officials attributed the increase to economic disruptions following the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, frequently referring to the surge as “Putin’s price hike.”

Gas prices under President Trump climbed above $4.50 per gallon last month but have declined in recent weeks as the administration continues negotiations with Iran.

{Matzav.com}