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Rising gas prices from Iran conflict put GOP on defense after previous Biden attacks
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Republicans sharply criticized former President Joe Biden over rising prices at the gas pump, but a spike in energy prices amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran threatens to scramble the party’s affordability messaging.
The Iran conflict has led to a surge in gas prices for Americans, leading to an average 50 cents a gallon increase since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.
The average price of gas reached $3.63 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA. Diesel prices have also risen to $4.89 per gallon. The increases have been mostly fueled by volatility in oil prices, which closed above $100 per barrel Thursday for the first time since 2022 as the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively shuttered from the conflict.
The president characterized the gas price hike amid the Iran conflict as «a very small price to pay» in a Truth Social post Sunday.
THE WAR HITS HOME: WHY FINANCIAL PAIN AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY THREATEN TRUMP’S DRIVE TO TOPPLE IRAN’S REGIME
That statement represented a sharp break with Trump’s typical messaging touting low gas prices prior to Operation Epic Fury.
«Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor — it was quite honestly a disaster — is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states. And in some places, $1.99 a gallon,» President Donald Trump said during his Feb. 27 State of the Union address. «And when I visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline.»
The surge in gas and diesel prices threatens to undermine the economic message of President Trump and congressional Republicans, who have touted low gas prices as a major win in the lead-up to November’s midterm elections. Cost of living issues are expected to be a key concern among voters as both parties claim to be laser-focused on making everyday life more affordable.
Trump directed the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to release 172 million gallons of crude oil Wednesday in an effort to lower oil prices.
«I filled it up once, and I’ll fill it up again, but right now, we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down,» Trump told Cincinnati news station WKRC.
President Donald Trump attends the Shield of the Americas Summit on Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
During the 2024 presidential contest, Trump frequently campaigned on ending Biden’s «war on American energy» and pledged to reverse a surge in gas prices that occurred under his predecessor’s tenure.
Gas prices averaged $3.45 per gallon across all fuel grades during Biden’s four-year term, surging to a record high of more than $5 per gallon in June 2022 after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
«Starting on Day 1, we will drive down prices and make America affordable again,» Trump said during a speech at the Republican National Committee convention in July 2024. «People can’t live like this.»
Democrats have seized on rising prices at the pump amid the conflict in Iran.
«I wish the administration thought about this before they started this unnecessary war,» Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, said Monday when asked about the gas price hike.
«Donald Trump’s war has sent gas prices skyrocketing through the roof,» Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on social media Monday. «What contempt. What cluelessness.»
President Donald Trump has argued that the rise in gas prices will be «a very small price to pay» amid Operation Epic Fury. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
TANKERS TO RESUME NORMAL MOVEMENT IN MIDDLE EAST IN ‘A FEW WEEKS’ AT WORST, ENERGY SEC SAYS, ENDING OIL SURGE
Republicans have voiced confidence that the rise in gas prices would be temporary. GOP lawmakers have frequently cited their efforts to roll back Biden-era energy regulations and boost domestic production as evidence that their policies are working to lower energy prices.
«It’s going to be probably volatile for a period of time. I think what’s going to be key is ensuring we can get safe access to the Strait of Hormuz,» Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Monday, adding that he was confident the disruption would be short-lived.
Daines, who abruptly suspended his re-election campaign last week, highlighted that average gas prices were under $3 per gallon prior to Trump’s State of the Union speech.
«That’s an important win for the American people,» the retiring Montana lawmaker said. «Something you’re reminded of usually weekly when you’re gassing up your vehicle.»
Some Republicans and Trump administration officials are also arguing that a defeated Iran will ultimately spur lower gas prices, even if there is pain in the short run.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the recent increase in oil and gas prices as «temporary» during a briefing Tuesday.
«Once the national security objectives of Operation Epic Fury are fully achieved, Americans will see oil and gas prices drop rapidly, potentially even lower than they were prior to the start of the operation,» Leavitt said.
«At the end of the day, we’re going to destroy this regime, and their ability to disrupt oil is going to be less, and we’re going to have more production, not less,» Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters Monday. «Once you take the largest state sponsor of terrorism off the planet, who depends on oil for their revenue, that’s a more stable world.»
A Navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world’s oil and gas passes, on March 1, 2026. (ISahar Al Attar/AFP via Getty Images)
However, some Republicans are warning that high oil and gas prices could be catastrophic for the party’s midterm prospects.
«I think if you add in high gas prices, high oil prices, and if we are still bombing Iran with kinetic action … I think you’re going to see a disastrous election,» Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Tuesday.
Nearly seven in 10 Americans — including 44% of Republicans — expect gas prices to keep increasing in the coming months, according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll released Monday.
Trump has threatened Iran with unprecedented force if the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz is further restricted.
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«Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!» Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.
republicans,energy,donald trump,war with iran,joe biden,politics
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Donald Trump vuelve a amenazar a Irán, mantiene sus tropas en la zona y no es claro cómo sigue la tregua
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Inside Tehran after strikes: Iranian woman describes fear, checkpoints and people used as ‘human shields’
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An anonymous Iranian woman has bravely stepped forward on the international stage to describe what’s really happening on the ground in Tehran as President Donald Trump’s two-week ceasefire with Iran tentatively began Tuesday.
In an essay published in The Australian, the anonymous author details nightly explosions, sweeping checkpoints and communications blackouts as a part of Iranian daily life since the beginning of operations launched by the United States and Israel in February.
«In effect, ordinary people have been turned into human shields within a vast militarized landscape,» she wrote. «A pervasive sense of anger, paranoia and exhaustion has taken hold.»
Flagrant public executions of protesters by the thousands by the Iranian regime in January moved residents to cheer on the initial days of attacks by U.S. and Israeli forces as Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.
WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR
Iranians gather after a ceasefire announcement at Enqelab Square, Wednesday, in Tehran. The U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday, barely an hour before President Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire. Tehran temporarily reopened the vital Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via Getty Images)
«They say they’ve hit the leader’s residence,» the author’s daughter was quoted saying. «All the children were screaming and cheering. … Even our teacher was quietly snapping their fingers and dancing.»
The author described everyday Iranians celebrating the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei that same Saturday, and the streets of Tehran filling with cheers of «death to the dictator.»
«Perhaps for the first time,» the anonymous author recalled, «we allowed ourselves to believe our long-held dream was beginning to take shape.»
RED CROSS SHARES AUDIO OF IRANIAN CIVILIAN EXPLAINING SITUATION ON THE GROUND IN TEHRAN: ‘NO RESPITE’
A woman sits on rubble across from a building damaged during airstrikes March 12 in Tehran, Iran. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
But soon enough, the reality of day-to-day life under a threatened, crumbling regime and ongoing attacks took a toll. One of the harshest realities those on the ground in Iran face is the internet blackout, effectively ending communications with the outside world and leading to great uncertainty at the hands of the regime.
«So far, none of those close to us have suffered physical harm, but no night is calm,» the Iranian woman wrote. «What weighs most heavily is not only the war itself, but the possibility that it may end leaving behind a regime even more authoritarian, more repressive and more violent.»
According to the author, a stubborn faction of regime supporters remain, blasting propaganda on loudspeakers nightly through the streets of Tehran and reinforcing its authority to those who support the revolution.
TRUMP’S IRAN CEASEFIRE ROCKED WITHIN HOURS AMID REPORTED MISSILE, DRONE ATTACKS
Rescue workers search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an airstrike March 27 in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
«The streets are now covered with checkpoints,» she wrote. «Under bridges and along main roads, movement is restricted. Long traffic lines form. Young people are stopped, their phones inspected under the pretext of routine checks.»
After the announcement of the ceasefire between U.S. forces and the Iranian regime Tuesday, the author said, most of her country went to sleep that night in a «state of deep anxiety.»
«What weighs most heavily is not only the war itself, but the possibility that it may end up leaving behind a regime even more authoritarian, more repressive, and more violent,» the author notes.
She urged a ceasefire that is not «abandonment,» but peace, destabilizing the Iranian regime.
«A ceasefire that stabilizes the current order, without addressing the demands that have brought Iranians into the streets for years, risks being experienced not as peace, but as abandonment,» the author wrote.
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Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. are scheduled to begin Friday in Pakistan.
«We wait, and we continue, in whatever ways possible, to insist that light will eventually overcome this darkness,» she concluded.
The Australian notes the author remains anonymous for «fear of retribution.»
war with iran, iran, israel, world, geopolitics, military, donald trump
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Elecciones en Hungría: después de 16 años en el poder, Viktor Orbán busca otro mandato frente a un rival en ascenso
Viktor Orbán, el primer ministro ultranacionalista de Hungría y uno de los políticos más controvertidos de Europa, buscará este domingo su cuarta reelección consecutiva en clara desventaja, según todas las encuestas.
Tras 16 años en el poder, los sondeos señalan que el premier podría perder las elecciones frente a su rival, el conservador Péter Magyar, de 45 años y líder del partido Tisza, en medio de una fuerte radicalización de su discurso.
El líder de la derecha populista húngara está en el poder desde 2010 con mayorías parlamentarias de dos tercios al frente de un sistema político centralizado y personalista que tensó cada vez más su relación con la Unión Europea (UE).
Orbán, líder del partido Fidesz, es el principal aliado de Rusia entre los líderes de los 27 países de la UE y un fuerte crítico de las sanciones europeas a Moscú por la invasión de Ucrania. Ha sido, en los últimos años, una piedra en el zapato para las políticas de Bruselas en el conflicto.
La última encuesta, publicada la semana pasada por el Centro de Investigaciones 21, otorga al Tisza el 56 % de los votos, 19 puntos más que al Fidesz de Orban, de 62 años.
En ese escenario adverso, el gobierno de Donald Trump envió esta semana a Budapest a su vice, J.D. Vance, para demostrar su respaldo al gobierno de Orbán, en un intento por traccionar el voto oficialista.
La campaña culmina en un ambiente de elevada tensión
La campaña para las elecciones generales de este domingo culmina en un ambiente tenso, marcado por acusaciones de injerencias extranjeras, compra de votos y otros fraudes electorales.
Un reciente estudio del instituto Publicus publicado en el diario independiente Népszava señala que el 79 % de los húngaros considera posible que algún país extranjero realice acciones secretas para influir en las elecciones.
El candidato opositor Peter Magyar, líder del partido Tisza (Foto: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo)
El 46 % apunta a Rusia, el 30 % a Ucrania, el 28 % a la Unión Europea (UE) y el 17 % a Estados Unidos. El portal de investigación VSquare aseguró en marzo, en base a fuentes de seguridad nacional europeas, que Moscú envió un equipo a Budapest para interferir en las elecciones.
Este equipo estaría “en contacto activo con los operativos de la campaña relacionados con el gobierno de Orbán”, afirmó el portal. Además, dijo que la prensa cercana al Gobierno publica narrativas “alineadas con el Kremlin”.
Mientras tanto, el prestigioso instituto Political Capital asegura que “se está llevando a cabo una campaña de desinformación, que según todos los indicios tiene origen ruso” sobre supuestas injerencias ucranianas en la campaña electoral.
Leé también: Una protesta en una cárcel de presos políticos extranjeros en Venezuela fue reprimida y hay heridos
El Gobierno, por su parte, afirma que es Ucrania la que quiere interferir en las elecciones. Kiev, afirma Orbán, bloquea el envío de crudo ruso a Hungría a través de su territorio para debilitar a su Gobierno, para lo que cuenta con el apoyo de “los burócratas de Bruselas”.
En este punto, el primer ministro contó con el apoyo del vicepresidente de EEUU, JD Vance, que en su visita a Budapest el martes afirmó que “lo que ha sucedido en este país es el peor ejemplo de una intervención extranjera”.
Según Vance, “la intervención de los burócratas de Bruselas es indigna” y se debe a que “no les gusta el líder electo de Hungría”.
Prácticas populistas, amenazas y compra de votos
Por otra parte, un reciente documental independiente emitido por Youtube, titulado El precio del voto, denunció estructuras de poderes locales que presionan a los sectores más vulnerables en el interior del país, donde mucha gente dependen de las prestaciones sociales, para que emitan votos a su favor.
El Fidesz profundizó este sistema, existente desde hace décadas en las regiones más pobres de Hungría, afirma el documental. Así, aplica métodos de compra de votos y otros de intimidación, como la amenaza de pérdida de prestaciones sociales o de empleo, y hasta el chantaje de quitarles los hijos menores de edad.
Un activista señala en ese documental, producido por asociaciones civiles y periodistas independientes, que esta red en caso extremo podría llegar hasta a medio millón de votantes, en un país con poco más de 8 millones de ciudadanos con derecho a voto.
Temor a una postergación de las elecciones
La encuesta de Publicus asegura por otra parte que el 88 % de los votantes dice que en la recta final de la campaña ya no sucederá nada que le haría cambiar sus preferencias.
Eso sí, el 66 % de los encuestados dice que el gobernante partido Fidesz sería capaz de cometer fraude electoral, mientras que en el caso del Tisza la proporción es sólo del 15 %.
En los últimos meses los críticos de Orbán temían que en vista de los malos datos en las encuestas y de la gran popularidad de su rival, el Fidesz podría posponer las elecciones.
Pese a que el Gobierno asegura que las elecciones se realizarán de acuerdo al orden legal, el 55 % de los húngaros no excluye que los comicios se pospondrán hasta el último momento, aludiendo a alguna situación de excepción.
(Con información de EFE)
hungria, Viktor Orban
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