On the eve of the US midterm elections: Fuel prices expected to hit a record under the Trump administration
Fuel prices in the US are expected to hit a record under Trump on the eve of the midterm elections, according to the Financial Times. The current price stands at $4.17 per gallon, an increase of more than a third since January. Polls show a Democratic lead in seven key Senate states.
Fuel prices in the United States are expected to hit a record under President Donald Trump on the eve of the midterm elections, according to the Financial Times. According to an analysis published today (Monday), the average gasoline price since the start of his second term is expected to exceed $3.46 per gallon – a new record for a presidential administration, higher than the record set under former President Joe Biden. The current price stands at $4.17 per gallon, an increase of more than a third since last January, while diesel prices have surged by more than 70%. The increase is mainly due to the war against Iran that began in February, which led to the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to energy infrastructure. The issue has become a significant political burden for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, where the cost of living tops voters' priorities. Trump has defended the increase, presenting it as a necessary consequence of the campaign to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and claimed that prices will drop once the war ends. Meanwhile, polls by the New York Times and Siena College show Democratic candidates leading Republicans in all seven key states for control of the Senate. In Michigan the gap stands at 11 points, in Texas at seven, in Maine at six, and in Ohio and Kansas at five. The Atlantic magazine also reported that Trump is considering resuming strikes on Iran immediately after the elections, and is examining the performance of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, in order to find scapegoats for the prolongation of the war.