The President of Mexico urged Americans to buy cheaper gas south of the border during a Tuesday White House meeting with President Joe Biden.
Both leaders appeared to have read scripts during a public segment of the meeting.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke for more than 25 minutes after Biden, suggesting a migrant worker visa program long sought by corporate interests that rely on cheap labor instead of American workers.
“And right now, a lot of drivers, a lot of Americans are going to Mexico — to the Mexican border — to get their gasoline,” López Obrador said.
“We are committed to guaranteeing twice as much supply,” he added.
“We have decided that it was necessary for us to allow Americans who live close to the border…to go and get their gasoline on the Mexican side at lower prices,” López Obrador continued.
“And right now a gallon of regular costs $4.78 average on the [US] side of the border and on our territory, $3.12.”
Biden cut in, bragging about gas prices decreasing from the all-time high in June. “They’ve come down for a few days in a row.”
Would you buy gas in Mexico?
Americans have purchased cheaper goods and services across the border for some time, but the practice was almost unheard of for gasoline before the price rose exorbitantly under Biden’s administration.
While López Obrador correctly pointed out that gas is considerably cheaper in his country than in the United States, crossing the border to fill your gas tank isn’t as practical as it might seem.
It can take as long as two hours to re-enter the United States at ports of entry near major American cities.
If you’re filling up a work truck, you might save enough money to make the trip worth it, especially if you cross the border at a port of entry that isn’t as crowded.
The Mexican president even took a partisan shot at American conservatives in the White House meeting, urging Biden to stay the course on his hands-off approach to immigration enforcement.
“I know that your adversaries, the conservatives, are going to be screaming all over the place,” he said.
“Even to heaven. They’re going to be yelling at heaven.”
Biden responded with a smile.
