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.
As gas prices continue to tick up, with the cost of a barrel of U.S. crude above $100 on Tuesday morning, Trump has appeared mostly dismissive of voters’ 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 “for the foreseeable future.”
“For a little while,” he replied. “You know what they get for that? Iran without a nuclear weapon that’s going to try and blow up one of our cities or blow up the entire Middle East.”
