But it is inflation that is emerging as a central focus of both parties in the run-up to the November midterms, and Tuesday’s announcement in some ways marked an attempt by Biden to recast the debate by linking rising prices to the fight against tyranny.

“The good news is we now have a very specific reason for rising gas prices and a specific villain,” said Celinda Lake, who served as one of Biden’s top campaign pollsters in 2020 and currently polls for Biden-aligned groups. “Before, it was kind of ambiguous: What’s going on? Why are gas prices going up?”

Lake added that Putin is “a villain that we agree on and the Republicans are divided on,” alluding to divisions in the GOP between some, like former president Donald Trump, who have praised Putin and others, like McConnell, who have been critical of the Russian leader.