Updated
Updated · Newsweek · Aug 16
Trump Urges Voters to Accept $4 Gas as 62% Disapprove of Iran War
Updated
Updated · Newsweek · Aug 16

Trump Urges Voters to Accept $4 Gas as 62% Disapprove of Iran War

3 articles · Updated · Newsweek · Aug 16

Summary

  • $4.06 average U.S. gasoline on Sunday became Trump’s benchmark for a “patriotic” sacrifice, with the president telling voters he would not apologize for higher pump prices tied to the Iran war.
  • Gas prices have climbed from $3.94 a month ago and $2.98 before the Feb. 28 U.S.-Israel strikes, as Strait of Hormuz disruptions pushed oil higher; GasBuddy said Americans are spending $338 million more per day on fuel than a year ago.
  • 62% of Americans disapproved of Trump’s handling of the war in an April Pew poll, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Aug. 3 found only 35% approved of the conflict.
  • 58% to 60% of Americans expect gas prices to worsen because of the war, turning a conflict Trump framed around stopping Iran’s nuclear program into a broader inflation and midterm political risk.

Insights

Could hidden damage to global oil routes keep American gas prices at record highs long after the Iran conflict ends?
Will the staggering economic toll of this conflict force a radical shift in how global energy chokepoints are defended?
Is the world focusing on the wrong nuclear threat while a secret plutonium pathway remains unguarded in Iran?