Alaskan Trump voters expressed frustration over high petrol costs in MS NOW interviews ahead of November's elections, with one admitting regret and another suggesting President Donald Trump was lying about his promises.
Trump had campaigned on reducing fuel costs. 'Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,' he declared in remarks included in the report. Reporter Alex Tabet described regular petrol at $9 (£6.81) a gallon and diesel approaching $10 (£7.57).
Alaskan Trump Voters Describe Disappointment Amidst Campaign
For Carl Cleveland, who voted for Trump three times, the prospect of cheaper fuel had influenced his decision. Recalling those campaign pledges, he told Tabet, 'That's why I voted for him, because he was saying all that stuff. And now it's totally different.'
'Yeah. A little bit,' Cleveland replied when questioned about regretting his vote. He regarded the gap between campaign promises and conduct in office as a familiar pattern among politicians.
Fellow supporter Jason McNulty focused on the strain of paying for petrol, describing his need to cover living expenses without spending all his money on fuel.
'He talks a lot, but I haven't seen anything come to fruition yet,' McNulty stated.
Tabet then questioned how watching Trump's campaign promises affected him. 'Like he's just lying,' McNulty replied.
Gayle Michaelson, another three-time Trump voter, rejected the president's claim that petrol prices had fallen that day. 'I would just say I'm disappointed,' she told Tabet. 'I'm disappointed in him. You know, Americans expected so much more. And what he promised isn't happening.'
Ryan Boyer heard a separate assertion from Trump that petrol prices were not very high. 'I mean, obviously that's frustrating. You know, hearing, promises and them not being kept,' he told the reporter.
Another supporter interviewed by Tabet complained that 'everybody is still waiting' for the winning Trump had promised.
Similar Complaints in South Texas
Responding to the report, former California GOP political director Mike Madrid described a similar reaction among Latino voters he had spoken to in south Texas the previous week. He identified them as voters who had moved towards Trump in 2024.
Madrid argued that diesel costs mattered beyond individual journeys because the fuel supported goods movement and shipping. He also pointed to ranchers and people employed in manufacturing and housing construction whose own pickup trucks depended on diesel.
'Their own pickups are diesel. So, they're getting destroyed in this economy. These are the reddest states.'
Winter Price Fears Extend to Ageing Mechanical Pumps
MS NOW anchor Katy Tur sought clarification of the regular petrol price during the broadcast. 'Alex, Alex. Did you just say $9 a gallon for regular [gas]?'
Tabet confirmed the $9 figure, then described a practical problem for one petrol station owner whose equipment dated back decades.
The owner manually adjusted the numbers inside a mechanically operated pump, which could not display double-digit prices.
According to Tabet, the owner feared prices could reach $10 or $11 a gallon that winter if the war in Iran continued. Those figures reflected his concern about future costs. If prices reached that level, the owner would need to buy replacement pumps to display them correctly.
