Rising fuel costs and weakening public support are complicating the president’s economic message as he heads to the West Coast, with Republicans also pressed to defend a conflict the article says they never voted to authorize.
President Trump’s trip to the West Coast to promote his economic agenda is unfolding against the domestic fallout from the war in Iran, which the article says has disrupted his policy message at a politically difficult moment. The piece links the conflict to higher global oil costs and says Americans are now paying an average of $4.10 a gallon for gas, according to AAA, the highest level since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. It says that marks an increase of more than 37% since the war began at the end of February, adding to a broader cost-of-living squeeze driven by persistently high inflation. The article also says polls show support for the war is falling ahead of the midterm elections and that Republicans in Congress are being forced to fund and defend an unpopular conflict they never voted to approve. Trump, however, has argued that oil prices per barrel have been far lower than expected because of the conflict and said gas prices will "drop like a rock" when the war ends.