Trump touts falling oil prices as gas costs remain an election concern

On November 2, President Donald Trump said oil prices had dropped nearly $10 a barrel, calling the decline a record and linking it to the prospect of avoiding a war with Iran. In a Truth Social post, he said Iran wanted a settlement and that one could happen soon.

The remarks came on the eve of the midterm elections, as candidates made final appeals to voters concerned about the cost of living. At a rally in New York with Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that gas prices were high. He argued that Democrats would not bring them down if they stopped drilling.

The national average for regular gasoline was $4.1694 a gallon on Monday, according to AAA, down from $4.1732 on Sunday, $4.2858 a week earlier and $4.3961 a month earlier. Brent crude was about $104.23 a barrel on Monday afternoon and had been declining since Friday.

A YouGov survey of 3,915 likely voters, conducted October 27-30, found 41% said gas prices were rising a lot where they lived, while 25% said they were rising a little. Another 14% said prices were unchanged, 16% said they were falling, and 4% were unsure. The margin of error was 1.7 percentage points.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said that gas prices would fall sharply if the conflict ended. She also said more oil was flowing from the Persian Gulf than before the conflict began and credited U.S. military operations.

Trump’s oil-price boast collides with voters’ high gas bills

President Donald Trump used the eve of the midterm elections to promote a nearly $10-a-barrel oil-price drop and suggest a settlement with Iran could avert war. But the price that matters to many households remains gasoline: Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged at a New York rally that gas prices are high.

AAA put the national average for regular gasoline at $4.1694 a gallon on November 2. That was down from a month earlier, but the cost of fuel remained a top voter concern. A YouGov survey found 41% of likely voters said prices were rising a lot where they lived and another 25% said they were rising a little.

Trump Jr. blamed Democrats’ opposition to drilling for the prospect of higher prices under their leadership. That argument leaves voters with a partisan promise rather than an answer to the affordability concerns reflected in the poll. Trump, meanwhile, tied lower oil prices to the possibility of peace with Iran, while the White House said gas prices would fall sharply if the conflict ended.

Brent crude was about $104.23 a barrel on Monday afternoon, after falling since Friday. Trump’s election-eve message stressed that decline; the poll underscores why voters may judge economic claims by what they pay at the pump.

Trump highlights oil decline as Democrats threaten energy production

President Donald Trump pointed to a nearly $10-a-barrel decline in oil prices on November 2, the eve of the midterms, and said Iran wanted a settlement. His message connects the prospect of easing conflict with lower energy costs, while the White House said gas prices would drop sharply if the conflict ended.

At a New York rally, Donald Trump Jr. conceded that gasoline prices were high but asked voters to consider whether Democrats would bring them down if they stopped drilling. That is the central contrast in the campaign’s energy argument: Democrats’ approach to drilling, he said, would not deliver relief at the pump.

Gas prices remain a serious concern. AAA’s national average for regular gasoline was $4.1694 a gallon on Monday, lower than a week and a month earlier. A YouGov survey found 66% of likely voters said prices were rising where they lived, including 41% who said they were rising a lot.

Brent crude stood at about $104.23 a barrel Monday afternoon, having fallen since Friday. Trump’s oil-price claim and his son’s warning put the election debate over energy costs in sharp focus: voters face high prices, while Republicans argue that drilling and the end of the Iran conflict can help bring them down.