President Donald Trump is facing fresh criticism from some repeat supporters in Alaska as petrol prices stay above $5 (£3.78) a gallon. The backlash comes ahead of the 3 November midterms, with several three-time Trump voters telling MS NOW that fuel costs are squeezing household budgets.
Trump carried Alaska in 2016, 2020 and 2024. During the 2024 campaign, he repeatedly pledged to cut energy prices in half within 12 months of taking office. The interviews offer a snapshot of dissatisfaction among some longtime supporters, but they do not establish a broader statewide revolt.
AAA data showed regular petrol in Alaska averaging about $5.04 (£3.82) a gallon on 4 October, compared with roughly $4.37 (£3.31) nationally. Diesel in Alaska averaged about $6.60 (£5) after reaching a record statewide average of $6.698 (£5.07) on 25 September.
Anchorage security guard Calvin Mitchell, 41, summed up the strain bluntly. 'It's hard out here. Simple,' he told MS NOW.
Donald Trump Voters Describe Pressure From Higher Fuel Costs
Gayle Michaelson, a 48-year-old paralegal who said she voted for Trump three times, told MS NOW that higher prices had forced her family to cut back.
'I can't go see my daughter out of state, and we're not buying as many groceries, and we're not really doing anything fun or entertainment unless it's free,' she said.
Michaelson directly contrasted the current situation with what she understood Trump had promised voters.
'I would tell him what he initially told the voters is BS—that these prices weren't supposed to be so high—and look what's happened.'
The pressure is also being felt by people who rely on commercial vehicles. Trucker Meffy Tagalu, another three-time Trump voter, said independent operators were struggling to absorb diesel costs.
'A lot of people are going to look the other way, because a lot of trucking, especially myself, truck drivers are owner-ops... they can't afford the diesel,' Tagalu told MS NOW.
'We need to get out of that war and fix all the prices. You know, we're hurting really bad,' he added.
Tagalu also said 'everybody that voted for him' was beginning to abandon Trump. That is Tagalu's assessment, not evidence that Trump supporters across Alaska are collectively shifting their political allegiance.
The US-Iran war and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz have contributed to higher energy costs. However, they are not the only factors affecting retail fuel prices. Crude oil prices, refining conditions and regional transport costs also influence what motorists pay at the pump.
Donald Trump Faces an Alaska Election Test
The timing gives the frustration added political significance. Alaska voters will cast ballots on 3 November in a multi-candidate US Senate contest. The field includes former US Rep. Mary Peltola and incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Sullivan has represented Alaska in the Senate since January 2015. Peltola served in the US House from August 2022 until January 2025.
Fuel costs could become one factor in voters' decisions, but the MS NOW interviews do not show how Alaska as a whole will vote. National polling also should not be treated as a substitute for state-level opinion.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on 21 September put Trump's national approval rating at 32 per cent. The online survey included 1,277 US adults and had a margin of error of three percentage points.
Marine veteran Carl Cleveland, 47, another three-time Trump voter interviewed by MS NOW, said his frustration extended beyond the president.
'Everybody's just fed up with the current system,' Cleveland said. 'We work our a-- off to keep food on the table with a roof over our heads, and these guys go to D.C.... They go down there and just forget about us, and that's how Sullivan was, or is right now.'
Cleveland did not say how he planned to vote. He pointed instead to the immediate financial pressure motorists were facing.
'It's just the price at the pump. You got to look at that,' he said.
