Trump Faces Backlash As US Gas Prices Hit $4.48 Before Midterms, Calls Fuel Costs ‘Inexpensive’

Rising petrol prices are putting pressure on American households as voters face higher costs at the pump, with President Donald Trump arguing that the increase is an “inexpensive price to pay” for the war with Iran.

For people who depend on their vehicles to work, the rise is forcing difficult choices between fuel and other household expenses. Quinten Martinez, a 28-year-old Amazon delivery driver in South Texas, said he was having to think about whether his income should go towards petrol or groceries.

“Is it going to be groceries this week?” asked Martinez. “Is it gonna be getting gas in our tank to go to work?”

Martinez rejected Trump's argument that higher petrol prices were an acceptable cost of the conflict.

“I don’t feel like it’s a good trade-off,” Martinez said. “I don’t feel like this is good for anyone.”

Interviews with voters across several states, along with recent national polling, show concerns about rising petrol prices cutting across party lines, according to Associated Press. The issue comes as early voting begins in the November midterm elections, adding to concerns about affordability, Trump's approval ratings and the Iran conflict.

Trump has said his military action against Iran is necessary to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But the president has sought to play down the effect of higher fuel prices on American households.

Speaking during a campaign stop in North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump said the increase was a small cost compared with what he believed had been achieved through the war.

“You have a little higher. It’s a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done,” Trump said of the war. “Remember that. It’s a little more. Frankly, even if it was a lot more.”

Fuel costs become a midterm concern

The national average price of a gallon of petrol reached $4.48 on Friday, according to AAA. Associated Press reported that the price had risen by roughly 17 cents over the previous week, 40 cents over the previous month and $1.27 from a year earlier.

Petrol prices are moving sharply higher at a time of year when drivers would normally expect some relief.

Republican strategist Chris Wilson said petrol prices could carry political significance because voters encounter them frequently and can see the cost of fuel change directly.

“Gas prices matter because they’re one of the few economic indicators voters experience and see in real time,” Wilson said. “The price is literally staring them in the face several times a week. So I wouldn’t minimize the frustration we’re seeing, particularly among working- and middle-class voters.”

The concerns are adding to a difficult political environment for Trump and the Republican Party. Historically, the party controlling the White House has suffered major losses in midterm elections. Republican candidates at all levels are campaigning amid Trump's weak approval ratings, an unpopular foreign conflict and concerns over the cost of living.

Trump and his congressional allies had campaigned on addressing affordability.

Trump voters voice economic concerns

Not all voters who are unhappy about fuel prices say they will change their support for Republicans.

In Mesa, Arizona, 63-year-old carpenter Dan Lloyd, who voted for Trump, paid $4.39 a gallon to fill his pickup truck. He criticised the president's handling of the situation while saying he still expected to vote Republican in November.

“He hurt himself stepping into this,” Lloyd said of Trump. “Where’s all this oil from Venezuela? I thought we were flush with gas and everything, but no. The American people eat it every time, whether it’s interest rates, food, gasoline.”

Lloyd also criticised the Democratic Party.

“I think the Democratic Party has lost its way,” Lloyd said. “I just feel like the whole system’s on the verge of collapse.”

In Edinburg, Texas, 52-year-old small-business owner Kristin Jimenez also said fuel prices would not determine her vote. After filling her Mercedes, she said Americans had faced high prices under presidents from both parties.

“We’ve paid the same price under Republican presidents, we’ve paid this price under Democrat presidents,” said Jimenez, who plans to vote for a Republican because they are the “lesser of two evils.”

Jimenez questioned the focus on petrol prices compared with other consumer spending.

“We don’t mind paying $8 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks, but we have a problem paying four bucks at the pump?” she said. “Make it make sense.”

In central Michigan, 35-year-old Garth Johnson said higher fuel costs were particularly relevant to his business. He runs a deep-cleaning company that uses several petrol-powered vehicles as well as a machine that runs on diesel.

Johnson, who voted for Trump, paid $6.79 a gallon for diesel while filling his SUV. He said he was unsure what he would do in November.

“I like a lot of the things he’s done,” Johnson said, but added “I’m a little guy and I’ve got to live my life.”

Johnson said he did not feel qualified to second-guess Trump's assessment of the war but was experiencing financial pressure in his own life.

Some voters back Democrats over economic concerns

Other voters interviewed by Associated Press said rising fuel costs were contributing to their decision to support Democratic candidates.

In Virginia, where midterm voting was already underway on Friday, 60-year-old engineer Alan Johnson said Trump seemed to have “no empathy” for Americans who were struggling financially. He voted for Democrats for the US Senate and US House.

“With the gas prices being what they are and continuing to grow, we’ve got to do something. Hopefully the Democrats can get into office and turn the ship around,” Johnson said.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, 45-year-old teacher Brittney Bivins said the increase in petrol prices showed that Trump and Republicans were not addressing the issues affecting people like her.

“He really doesn’t care about everyday people,” Bivins said. “He can afford the gas, but most of us can’t. So it feels like he’s not even connected to his own people.”

Bivins described herself as an independent and said she was eager to support Democrats in the autumn, particularly the party's emerging democratic socialist wing.

In Lansing, Michigan, Rina Risper said she spent $50 on eight gallons of premium gas.

“When I rolled up I was in shock, actually, and said, well, maybe I should drink water instead of having that $4.99 bottle of whatever it was I was gonna get,” Risper said.

Risper also said she expected Trump's tariffs to make affordability concerns worse.

“We’re not in Miami. We’re in Lansing, Michigan,” she said. “It’s really going to impact our people.”

Poll shows wider concerns over household finances

The concerns over petrol prices are part of broader dissatisfaction with household finances, according to a Fox News survey released on Wednesday.

More than three times as many voters said they were falling behind financially as said they were getting ahead. Democrats were considered the party better able to handle inflation and prices by a 15 percentage point margin, as the cost of living and the economy ranked among voters' top concerns.

The poll found that 61% of voters considered petrol prices a major problem for their household, compared with 48% two years earlier. Healthcare costs were identified as a major problem by 52%, up from 44% in 2024.

Majorities also regarded housing costs and grocery prices as major problems, although the shares for those issues had not increased.

Overall, 63% of voters said the Trump administration had made the economy worse, compared with 52% in September 2025. The figure included one-quarter of Republicans.

Among Republicans, 46% said the administration had improved the economy, while about one-quarter said it had made no impact.

Associated Press reported that Democrats and independents were particularly motivated to vote against Republicans over their economic concerns, while some Trump supporters said they intended to continue supporting Republican candidates despite concerns about the economy.

Back in rural South Texas, Martinez said the economic conditions described by Trump did not reflect what he was seeing around him.

Trump “likes to tout that we are the best economy in the world,” said Martinez, but in more rural towns, “you don’t see any of the winning, you don’t see any of the ups that he’s talking about.”

“You just see struggles for day to day life,” he said.