The hashtag #BareshelvesBiden is trending on Twitter as Americans across the country flocked to social media over the weekend to vent their frustration about shelves empty of goods and produce at their local stores.
The phrase peaked Sunday evening when it reached number #6 in Twitter’s trending list as users blasted President Biden for what they said was a failure to address the supply chain crisis.
Photographs of bare store shelves at local grocery stories accompanied the hashtag. However, it is unclear what caused the shortage at the stores in photos.
Surging demand for goods coupled with COVID-induced manufacturing and shipping stresses have been blamed for many of the shortfalls, along with wintry weather hitting large swaths of the country. The U.S. and other countries have also experienced shortages in truckers, port employees and other key occupations, again related to the global pandemic and quarantine rules.
One Twitter user posted photos of what was purportedly four different grocery stores in Maryland with store shelves cleared out.
Another user posted a photo of a purported CVS in Philadelphia with a bare-bones medicine area.
CVS Cold cough & flu Selection in Philadelphia. #BareShelvesBiden pic.twitter.com/kofEjeaXTo
— Time to say goodbye (@MichaeleneUSA) January 3, 2022
Curtis Houck, managing editor of the conservative website NewsBusters, posted photos of empty shelves at a grocery store in Oakton, Virginia.
#BareShelvesBiden in dark blue Oakton, Virginia pic.twitter.com/JM4bXL7CDn
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 10, 2022
The hashtag seems to be more popular in Virginia, Maryland, California, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, based on a review of the tweets by The Washington Times.
Mr. Biden has insisted the supply chain crisis didn’t impact the holiday shopping season, saying store shelves are stocked and packages are moving. Major private delivery companies also reported being able to get most goods to most customers in timely fashion last month.
But last week, a top White House official said it’s not clear if the supply chain crisis problems have peaked.
“It’s hard to tell that the supply chain pressures have peaked,” White House Port Envoy Jon Porcari told reporters. “I think what is clear is that the pandemic laid bare what was the underlying reality, which was that the supply chain was stressed even before the pandemic.”
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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