Interesting, the person working the teleprompter actually acknowledged the drop in his approval ratings.

(The Hill) — President Obama on Thursday suggested his lagging poll numbers are due to high gas prices around the nation.

Speaking to supporters at his sixth fundraising event in California, Obama conceded that gas prices are having an effect on how people view his administration, but indicated he is prepared to weather the storm.

“My poll numbers go up and down depending on the latest crisis and right now gas prices are weighing heavily on people,” he told a gathering of backers at a Los Angeles restaurant, according to a pool report.

Pollsters have said that rising gas prices have played a large part in the decline of his approval rating since announcing his reelection campaign on April 4, but the president’s comments Thursday are among the first times he has publicly acknowledged it.