Biden Grocery store
© Travis Long/AP/Joe Raedle/Getty Images/KJNUS President Joe Biden • Bare shelves
The hashtag #EmptyShelvesJoe shot to the top of the trending topics on Twitter Thursday amid the supply chain crisis threatening the nation's economy and holiday shopping.

Social media users employed the tagline to rip President Biden for empty shelves and skyrocketing prices caused by a backlog of shipping containers waiting to dock at California ports.

One Twitter user wrote:
"Just went food shopping...again...thanks #EmptyShelvesJoe I really love having to go every day now in order to find what used to take one trip."
Another Twitter user posted:

"I'm pretty sure @JoeBiden and the Democrats in DC are eating just fine and are having no issues getting what they need. The rest of us lowly Americans who actually go to the grocery stores, not so much. #EmptyShelvesJoe."


Dozens of large ships have remained stuck in a traffic jam near the Los Angeles coast for more than a month waiting to dock and unload goods including toasters, sneakers, bicycles and cars.

The issue gained widespread attention this week as the delays dragged on, threatening the timely delivery of gifts for the holidays — and leading to a longer than expected bout of inflation.

On top of the backlog at the ports, there is also a shortage of truckers preventing companies from distributing supplies across the country. Experts warned that cost of children's toys is up as much as 10 percent ahead of the holiday season, and many in-demand gifts will likely be out of stock soon.

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced that the port of Los Angeles would be expanding its hours of operations to 24/7, in an attempt to address the logjam.

Biden, at the White House, said:
"With holidays coming up, you might be wondering if the gifts you plan to buy will arrive on time. Today we have some good news: We're going to help speed up the delivery of goods all across America."