White House chief of staff Ron Klain privately lamented that Americans were more concerned about high gasoline and food prices than free pre-K and building new infrastructure, according to an upcoming book.
Klain’s comments came on Oct. 30, 2021, at the White House during a conversation with Chris Whipple, who recorded them in his forthcoming book “The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House.”
Fox News Digital obtained an advance copy of the book, which is set to go on sale on Jan. 17, 2023, nearly two years after President Biden took office. At the time of Klain’s remarks, Biden was working with lawmakers to pass his signature Build Back Better Act, a nearly $2 trillion social and climate spending package, but was forced to focus on increasing inflation and consumer prices.
“The most frustrating part is that we are in this morass on Capitol Hill, no margin for error, and it sucks up so much of our time and so much energy and so much political drama,” Klain reportedly said. “And it’s a very important agenda. It’s an agenda we have to fight for, an agenda we believe in. And in the long run, it matters a lot.”
RON KLAIN WRONGLY CLAIMS BIDEN FIRST PRESIDENT SINCE JFK TO PICK UP SENATE SEATS IN MIDTERM
President Biden and White House chief of staff Ron Klain attend a Cabinet meeting on March 24, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“But right now, people wish we were more focused on gas prices and hamburger prices than whether or not we’re going to build bridges or have free pre-K,” Klain added.
Days after he made the comment, the average price of gasoline nationwide neared $3.40 per gallon, continuing its rapid upward trend, federal data showed. And in October 2021, the Consumer Price Index, a common tool to measure economy-wide inflation, surged 6.2% year over year, with food prices rising 5.3% and energy prices rising a whopping 30%, according to the Department of Labor.
Under pressure to act on the high pump prices, Biden ordered the Department of Energy on Nov. 23, 2021, to accelerate the release of 18 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and release an additional 32 million barrels from the stockpile as well.
White House chief of staff Ron Klain’s comments were recorded in the forthcoming book “The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House” by…
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