President Donald Trump has again insisted that gas prices will plummet to $1.85 per gallon as soon as the Iran war is over — but the path to peace remains in doubt.
“We want low gasoline,” Trump said during an interview with Pod Force One, hosted by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine, released Wednesday. “I had it down to $1.85 a gallon…$1.85 in Iowa; I was in Iowa just before the war started…And it’ll be back there again at some point in the probably not too distant future. I think as soon as it ends.”
On Wednesday the national average price was $4.26 a gallon — up $2.98 since just before the war broke out in February, according to AAA.
The president made similar remarks about the $1.85 price point to CNBC Monday, noting: “Once you explain that this is all about Iran having a nuclear weapon, people are willing to pay a little bit more…”
Prices were significantly lower before the Middle East conflict broke out but not quite as low as $1.85 per gallon in the Hawkeye State, according to The Des Moines Register.
Gas prices have surged primarily because the war, which has engulfed the Middle East in violence, has triggered competing U.S. and Iranian blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping corridor. The resulting disruption to supply chains has driven fuel costs sharply higher worldwide.
Trump is under enormous pressure to ease the pain at the pump for Americans — three out of four of whom blame the Republican president for rising costs, according to a CNN survey released last month.
Democrats have seized on rising costs, accusing the president of harming the U.S. economy in pursuit of an unnecessary foreign conflict. Some Republicans, meanwhile, have warned that their party could face a midterm shellacking if prices don’t come down.
However, it’s unclear whether or not the war will end any time soon — as repeated peace negotiations have hit road blocks.
On Monday, Iranian state media reported that Iran suspended diplomatic talks over Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. As a result, Trump lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call, stating “You’re f****** crazy” and “Everybody hates Israel because of this,” according to Axios.
The war itself remains broadly unpopular with Americans, according to multiple recent polls. In an Ipsos survey released last month, approximately 61 percent of respondents said the U.S. made a mistake by using military force against Iran — a level of opposition comparable to the Vietnam War.