Record gas prices trigger political fallout for Trump

Sep 29, 2026

High diesel and gas prices are hammering American families and have pushed Trump's standing on inflation to the worst level ever recorded for a president — bad news for him and for anyone buying groceries.

  • The war with Iran has squeezed oil supply, and diesel has climbed past $8 a gallon in California and near $7 in Georgia.
  • Everything that moves by truck — food, household goods — gets more expensive when diesel does.
  • Washington answered with a 90-day emergency rule letting fuel truck drivers work longer hours, which does nothing about the actual shortage of oil.
  • Trump brushed it off at a North Carolina rally, calling the cost a cheap price to pay, while a Fox News poll shows most Americans call gas and grocery prices a major problem.
  • His net approval on inflation now sits 61 points underwater, and Republicans in Congress are starting to break with him publicly.

Outlook: Unless the Iran conflict winds down and fuel prices ease, the political damage will keep spreading through his own party.

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