Trump wants to reduce the cost of fuel as the midterms loom
President Donald Trump is scrambling to lower soaring gasoline and diesel prices as Republicans face severe midterm losses just three weeks before November. Fuel costs have more than doubled since the conflict with Iran began in February, hitting transport businesses, farmers, and drivers hard. While the White House attempts last-minute measures to bring down prices and boost diesel supplies, prediction markets expect little gas price relief before Election Day. Trump is also planning to push officials to use the Defense Production Act to raise oil and fuel output.
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- ✓ Prices for gasoline and diesel have more than doubled since the US-Israel conflict with Iran began in February.
- ✓ President Trump is planning to push US officials to use the Defense Production Act to raise oil and fuel output.
What changed
President Trump is pushing U.S. officials to use the Defense Production Act to increase oil and fuel output.
Live updates
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Trump Pushes Fuel Cost Cuts as Midterms Loom
President Donald Trump is scrambling to lower soaring gasoline and diesel prices as Republicans face severe midterm losses just three weeks before November. Fuel costs have more than doubled since the conflict with Iran began in February, hitting transport businesses, farmers, and drivers hard. While the White House attempts last-minute measures to bring down prices and boost diesel supplies, prediction markets expect little gas price relief before Election Day. Trump is also planning to push officials to use the Defense Production Act to raise oil and fuel output.
Why it matters
The rising cost of living has become a dominant issue for American voters, threatening Republican control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections. Previous efforts by the administration to boost diesel supplies have failed to lower prices immediately. Meanwhile, the conflict with Iran has driven up operating expenses across the country, prompting urgent administrative interventions.
What is confirmed
- Prices for gasoline and diesel have more than doubled since the US-Israel conflict with Iran began in February.
- President Trump is planning to push US officials to use the Defense Production Act to raise oil and fuel output.
Still unconfirmed
- Prediction markets expect little relief for gas prices ahead of Election Day.
What to watch next
- Whether the administration formally invokes the Defense Production Act
- Any measurable shift in retail gasoline and diesel prices before Election Day
- The outcome of the upcoming midterm elections for control of Congress
confidence 90%Sources used for this update (16)
- www.theguardian.com — Donald Trump - The Guardian
- www.whitehouse.gov — President Donald J. Trump - The White House
- en.wikipedia.org — Donald Trump - Wikipedia
- www.cnn.com — Donald J. Trump news | CNN Politics
- time.com — Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said in His 2026 Interview ...
- CNBC — Little relief expected for gas prices ahead of Election Day, according to prediction markets
- The American Prospect — The Political Economy of Diesel
- BBC — Trump wants to reduce the cost of fuel as the midterms loom - will it work?
- The Times — Trump’s war with Iran doubles the cost of his rides in ‘the Beast’
- Reuters — Trump's moves to boost diesel supplies have not yet lowered prices
- The Dispatch — Trump’s Diesel Price Problem
- The Washington Post — Analysis | Trump is trying last-minute ways to bring down prices
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