President Donald Trump has mostly shrugged off rising gasoline prices since his conflict with Iran began over two months ago, giving Republicans political heartburn ahead of the midterm elections as prices are up again this week amid new tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
As gas prices continue to tick up, with the cost of a barrel<\/a> of U.S. crude above $100 on Tuesday morning, Trump has appeared mostly dismissive of voters\u2019 pain at the pump despite the strong political headwinds his turbulent second term has created for Republican candidates. Trump reacted with an actual shrug late last month when a reporter asked if Americans should expect spending more on gasoline \u201cfor the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor a little while,\u201d he replied. \u201cYou know what they get for that? Iran without a nuclear weapon that\u2019s going to try and blow up one of our cities or blow up the entire Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n On Friday, Trump said that \u201cwhen the war ends, gasoline prices are going to tumble because there is so much right now on the sea, already loaded into tankers \u2026 that can\u2019t escape the strait.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is so much, like record-setting \u2014 but when the war ends, gasoline prices will go down to below what they were before,\u201d he added over the noise of Marine One idling on the White House\u2019s South Lawn.<\/p>\n On Monday, Trump had a mocking tone in the East Room, during a small-business event, when he contended \u201ceverybody was wrong\u201d when some analysts predicted elevated energy costs when the war broke out 10 weeks ago, a conflict he initially said likely would be over in four weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cThey thought that energy would be at $300. Right, $300 a barrel? And it\u2019s, like, at $100 [per barrel] and I think going down,\u201d the president said.<\/p>\n Still, the pain at the pump has some Republican lawmakers and politicos worried, with the midterms about six months away. And Democrats have added gas prices to their messaging about Republican policies contributing to an increased cost of living in the country.<\/p>\n The average price of regular unleaded gasoline in the United States rose again this week, to an average of $4.483 a gallon<\/a> as of Tuesday morning, according to AAA. That was up from an average of $4.176 a gallon on April 28 and $4.110 a gallon a month ago.<\/p>\n Average diesel prices, which help drive consumer prices as companies pass along increased transportation costs to buyers, were at $5.659 a gallon on Tuesday, up from $5.461 per gallon last week and $5.610 per gallon one month ago, according to AAA.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Dave McCormick, who Trump enthusiastically endorsed and campaigned alongside in 2024, acknowledged on Sunday that soaring gas prices are \u201ccertainly an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re living paycheck to paycheck, you\u2019re feeling that. I also think, consistently, I\u2019m getting the message that people understand why the president went into Iran and know that that goal for our children and their children that Iran can\u2019t have a nuclear weapon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are feeling the gas prices, no doubt, and I don\u2019t want to make light of that. But that\u2019s against the backdrop of a strong economy where the Trump policies are working in Pennsylvania,\u201d he added. \u201cAll sorts of new job creation for energy infrastructure and data centers. These are great-paying jobs. People feel that, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n GOP strategist Ford O\u2019Connell said during a recent telephone interview that \u201cyou need to get gas prices below pre-war levels by Memorial Day,\u201d adding: \u201cThat affects all other prices.\u201d<\/p>\n Multiple polls show that most Americans think gas is too expensive and oppose the joint U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.<\/p>\n Half of U.S. adults surveyed<\/a> April 24-28 by The Washington Post and ABC News said they expect gas prices will get worse, compared with 21 percent who thought they would improve. Among the key independent voter bloc, 53 percent replied gas prices would get worse, with 13 percent replying pump pain would soon ease.\u00a0<\/p>\n