Late night talk show host Stephen Colbert said he is willing to pay $15 a gallon for gas because he drives a Tesla during a Monday episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
“Since the invasion, oil prices have skyrocketed. Today, the average gas price in America hit an all-time record high of over $4 per gallon. Okay, that stings, but a clear conscience is worth a buck or two,” Colbert said. “I’m willing to pay. I’m willing to pay $4 a gallon. Hell, I’ll pay $15 a gallon because I drive a Tesla.”
Colbert joked about the U.S.’ reported plan to ban imports of Russian oil, saying we will instead purchase it from “the good guys, Saudi Arabia.”
“Take that Putin! We’re not gonna buy our gas from a war criminal,” Colbert said. “We’re gonna buy it from the good guys, Saudi Arabia!” (RELATED: Pete Buttigieg Says Buying Electric Cars Will Help Save People Money As Gas Prices Rise)
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures exceeded $130 per barrel for the first time since 2008 late Sunday. The average price of gasoline hit $4.173 per gallon Saturday, according to AAA.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News Sunday that the U.S. is having “very active discussions” on potentially banning imports of Russian oil. Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who serves as chairman for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the Banning Russian Imports Act on Thursday, and it received bipartisan support from over a dozen members of Congress.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden’s administration revoking the Keystone XL Pipeline and halting federal leases to oil and gas companies is not contributing to the rising costs of gas, nor will reversing the policies resolve the issue during Monday’s press briefing. She also argued that the U.S. has produced more oil in the past year than in former President Donald Trump’s first year in office.