The Story
A Quinnipiac University poll published on Wednesday asked respondents whether they blamed President Donald Trump for higher gas prices.
A majority of Americans, 51 percent, say they blame Trump “a lot” for higher prices at pumps across the country, with another 14 percent saying they blame him “some.” Another 11 percent say Trump bears “not much” blame for the higher prices.
But looked another way, “not much” means these respondents do blame Trump to some degree. Added altogether, that means 76 percent of Americans blame Trump anywhere from a little to a lot for higher gas costs.
Only 23 percent of Americans said they don’t blame Trump “at all” for higher prices.
Among the all-important independent block of voters, the poll found 63 percent blamed Trump “a lot” or “some,” while another 11 percent said they don’t blame him much/just blame him a little bit — that’s 74 percent of independents who give Trump at least a little to a lot of blame, with only 24 percent saying he doesn’t deserve any at all.
How We Got Here
Trump is, of course, definitely responsible for higher gas costs.
His decision to go to war with Iran (which, by his own intelligence agencies’ estimates, was not necessary at this time) resulted in that country closing off the Straits of Hormuz, limiting 20 percent of the world’s oil from reaching its destinations in a timely fashion. And while some improvement in that waterway appears to be happening, it’s not by a lot, as crude oil prices remain much higher than they were before the war started, and are rising still as the war drags on.
Indeed, Trump’s own federal experts are predicting gas prices will remain above pre-war levels through the end of 2027.
Trump doesn’t seem to be too bothered by the costs, however. Being a billionaire…must be nice.
Why It Matters
Polling questions like these can sometimes bother me. When there’s a definitive answer on a topic, a survey response won’t change that fact.
But it doesn’t mean this type of question always bothers me — and in this instance, it provides real insight into the public’s thinking, months ahead of the midterm elections.
Notably, Trump campaigned on $2 per gallon gas — this is a broken campaign promise in the worst of ways, as gas prices are actually significantly HIGHER than they were when he took office. Voters are likely to respond by voting out members of his Republican Party in November.
Gas prices also affect the costs of other consumer goods. As shipping prices go up, you, the customer, end up paying for it. We’re already seeing that happen, according to the latest inflation reports.
What’s Next
Gas prices have come down after reaching a high of $4.125 per gallon, per AAA’s tracking. As of Thursday, however, the average regular grade cost of gas in the U.S. is still above $4.09 per gallon. It’s unlikely that prices will go down fast anytime soon.
No one should celebrate this. The economy souring is bad for everyone. It does demonstrate, though, that Trump’s claims to be able to make the American economy “golden” were just a lot of hot air, especially when looked at alongside his costly (and illegal) tariffs.
Featured image credits:
Gas pump: Mike Mozart/Flickr
Trump: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia
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