President Donald Trump dismissed public anxiety over soaring fuel costs, telling reporters at the White House that current gas prices are “not very high” despite data showing a 49% surge since the start of 2026. The comments came amid recent polls revealing that most American voters hold him responsible for the spike at the pump.
Donald Trump comments on gas prices amid Iran war
A reporter asked the president how much longer Americans should brace for expensive fill-ups. Trump rejected the very notion that a major problem exists. “Well, they are not very high,” Donald Trump said of the gas prices. He suggested that a far worse scenario was expected when the U.S. and Israel began joint military action against Iran on February 28.
“Gas prices have come down very much in the last three or four days,” Donald Trump added, referencing a modest seven-cent drop in the national average following last week’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire. The president framed the economic pressure as a necessary consequence of preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear capabilities. “The big thing we had to do is make sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump stated. “Because if they do, you want to talk about problems, you’d have problems,” he added (via CNBC).
The numbers give a starkly different scenario than the president’s characterization. According to AAA tracking, the average price for regular gasoline sat just above $2.75 per gallon at the beginning of 2026. As of Thursday, that figure stood at $4.093 per gallon. Diesel fuel has experienced an even steeper increase, jumping from roughly $3.50 per gallon in January to approximately $5.65 per gallon.
Moreover, voter sentiment appears largely unmoved by the administration’s messaging on energy costs. A Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday indicates that 65% of registered voters blame Trump either “a lot” or “some” for the recent rise in gas prices.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu for Mandatory.
