In an earnest attempt to resonate with everyday Americans and capitalize on the woes of rising fuel prices, former Vice President Mike Pence released a new campaign ad that has attracted more attention for its theatrics than its message, Your Content has learned.
The scene begins with Pence confidently stepping out of the driver’s side of a gleaming red pickup truck. Without missing a beat, Pence extracts the fuel nozzle and places it into the car’s tank. But something was amiss: Pence conspicuously failed to select a fuel grade, and an incessant beeping from the pump played a distracting background tune to his speech.
“Remember $2 a gallon gas? I do. And then Joe Biden became President of the United States and launched his war on energy,” Pence lamented, introducing his ‘Pence Energy Plan’. The former vice president urged voters to join him in the ‘fight’ to reclaim cheaper fuel prices and energy independence.
Given the standard Secret Service protection and luxury of chauffeured vehicles that accompany high-profile political figures, the staging seemed more like political theater than a genuine portrayal of Pence’s day-to-day.
Pence’s intended message took a backseat to the blunder. Criticism rained from every corner of the internet. Pence’s nostalgia for “$2 a gallon gas” was clear, as he insinuated that the current high prices were an upshot of President Joe Biden’s policies. His claims that gasoline prices had surged by 60% under Biden’s tenure, coupled with a 25% spike in electricity prices, did little to divert attention from the gas station oversight.
“Mike Pence’s dementia is already setting in.” Lauren Witzke said on X. “Seems like he’s forgotten how to use a gas pump.”
The ad, aiming to introduce and promote the “Pence Energy Plan”, vows to restore America’s energy independence and aspires to reposition the country as the top energy producer globally by 2040.
But for many viewers, the glaring gas station gaffe overshadowed Pence’s political pitch. With critics taking to social media to label him an “absolute idiot” and “stupid”, it’s clear that the former vice president’s attempt to connect with the masses via a relatable chore took a detour that his campaign hadn’t anticipated.