President Joe Biden’s embrace of high gasoline prices as a step to a world without fossil fuels has been condemned as tone-deaf at a time when Americans are facing unprecedented pain at the pump.

“[W]hen it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over,” Biden said Monday during a news conference in Japan.

Joe Biden: "When it comes to the gas prices, we're going through an INCREDIBLE transition" pic.twitter.com/8TGnc7vFa8

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 23, 2022

Biden bragged about “what I’ve been able to do to keep it from getting even worse,” according to a White House transcript, referring to a release of oil from the Strategic Reserve.

He said the answer to high prices is to encourage “Middle Eastern countries, including OPEC, to raise their production of oil and move along that route.”

On Tuesday, gas prices set yet another record, according to AAA.

The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline is $4.598 per gallon.

That’s up from $3.039 a year ago -- a 51 percent increase.

President Trump warned us Joe Biden would cause the stock market to crash, 401(k)s to shrink, and gas prices to skyrocket.

— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) May 20, 2022

With that as the backdrop, Biden’s comments in Japan were panned by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

"He's in Tokyo celebrating, saying, 'It's an incredible transition,'" Cruz said Monday night on Fox News' "Hannity."

"Yeah, incredible for you! You fly a damn 747 where the taxpayers pay for your jet fuel. What Joe Biden is saying is, 'If you at home, if you drive a pickup truck, to hell with you -- you can't drive your pickup truck. If you have a Suburban, you've got to get rid of that.' ...

"We're all getting Toyota Priuses."

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Others shared similar sentiments on social media.

As Americans struggle to make ends meet thanks to his raging inflation, @JoeBiden celebrates their suffering.

Biden is incompetent & incoherent, but he’s made one thing very clear: he couldn’t care less about the problems he’s caused for your family. https://t.co/Bju1w9ZRlo

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) May 23, 2022

Biden’s big government socialist policies are hurting hardworking Americans.

Instead of working to bring back energy independence and relief at the pump, the administration is doubling down on their radical Left agenda. https://t.co/AhNHtFHDog

— Congressman Drew Ferguson (@RepDrewFerguson) May 23, 2022

Gotta given Biden credit: his administration keeps setting records ⬇️ https://t.co/5pyX5eRhyp

— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) May 23, 2022

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel responded by saying that because of "the Biden gas hike, Americans are feeling the pain at the pump now more than ever,” according to Fox Business.

"Paired with historic inflation and shortages for basic goods like baby formula, the rising cost of gas is the result of Joe Biden and Democrats’ anti-U.S. energy agenda," McDaniel continued. "Unfortunately, Biden only plans to make this crisis worse for families by not doing anything."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said that Americans would be insulated from gas price shocks if they drove electric vehicles, which retail for far higher prices than gasoline-powered cars.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.