Americans are seeing the consequences of President Trump’s war in Iran at the gas pump, where prices have soared since the U.S. dropped bombs in the Middle East on Feb. 28.
“It’s 45-50 cents more today than last week, almost five days ago…that’s a lot. If you keep going, it’s not going to be good,” Randy Fulp, a Black resident in Pennsylvania, told MS Now.
Samantha Lawson, who also lives in Pennsylvania, captured the economic pain that many families, especially in Black and Brown communities, are facing, telling MS Now, “Right now, I’m less than a quarter of a tank, so it’s between gas or going to the grocery store to get food for my kids.”
As a result of the conflict in the Middle East, the Iranian government has blocked access to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Since then, oil prices have jumped for 11 consecutive days to a national average of $3.58 a gallon, according to the AAA motor club. Drivers, who are already facing an affordability crisis that is driving strong discontent with elected leaders, are paying 20% more for gas.
Black Americans, who are seeing the nation’s highest unemployment rate at 7.7%, second only to U.S. teenagers, and experiencing lower wages and a persistent racial wealth gap, will likely disproportionately feel the impacts of higher gas prices.
Despite the panic among everyday Americans who need fuel to get to work, transport their children to and from school, and perform other everyday tasks, President Trump has essentially told Americans not to sweat it. The commander-in-chief argued that the objectives of the U.S. war in Iran are worth what he and administration officials believe is a temporary pain at the pump. However, the true objectives of the war and when it will conclude remain unclear, given the conflicting timelines and statements from the president and senior officials.
“We’re putting an end to all of this threat once and for all. And the result will be lower oil prices, oil and gas prices for American families. We’ve done that, we’ve done it. We brought it very low. This was just an excursion into something that had to be done. We’re getting very close to finishing that too,” Trump told reporters during a Monday press conference. The president said the rising gas prices are a “brief disruption” and said the U.S. military may escort gas tanks through the Strait of Hormuz to put an end to disruptions.
Despite his assurances, rising gas prices and the overall cost of living threaten to become a political liability for President Trump and the Republican Party just months before critical midterm elections in November. Any perception that Trump or Republicans are to blame for existing or perceived economic instability could cost Republicans control of Congress and result in Democratic control that could see Trump’s MAGA agenda implode and possibly even a third impeachment.
“The major political liability is that they have refused to address affordability at all. Whether it’s gas prices, whether it’s rising costs at the grocery store, whether it’s rising costs for child care, they refuse to recognize what everyday Americans are going through,” Austin Davis, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, a crucial election swing state, told theGrio. “There is going to be a political price for it, because voters expect their leaders to respond to their concerns. And every day that Donald Trump has been in office and the Republicans have had the majority in Congress, they have been busy delivering for their millionaire and billionaire friends and at the expense of everyone else.”
Davis, who is running for re-election alongside Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, added, “I think everyday Americans recognize that. I think they don’t like it, and I think they’re going to send a message loud and clear on Election Day.”
NAACP National President Derrick Johnson said in a statement provided to theGrio, “When voters headed to the polls in 2024, they voted for a better and more affordable economy. While Trump has made the economy work better for himself – enriching himself with more than $1.4 billion since taking office – he has made life far worse and more expensive for everyone else.”
The civil rights leader continued, “The stock market is careening off a cliff, jobs are crashing, and prices are unaffordable across the board. Instead of staying focused on problems here at home, Trump is fixated on an unlawful war in the Middle East, killing innocent civilians, wasting billions in taxpayer dollars, and surging costs for the American people. Trump is unstable and unfit for office.”
