Gas at $4.29, Diesel at $6.35: Trump Calls War Costs a 'Freaking Fortune'

Regular gasoline averaged $4.29 a gallon nationwide as of Monday — up from $2.98 before the U.S. launched its war with Iran on Feb. 28 — and President Donald Trump is selling the squeeze as profit. "We're making a freaking fortune," Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, over the weekend. "Our country is getting stronger and stronger all the time. And those pump prices are going to come down."

Diesel crossed $6 a gallon last month, a record, and now averages $6.35, up from $3.76 in February. Nearly eight months into the war, the energy crisis has scrambled Trump's second-term campaign pledge of low gas prices and threatens Republican control of Congress in the midterm elections on Nov. 3, where cost-of-living concerns top many voters' minds.

Crude oil, the main input for gasoline and diesel, has swung violently as markets price the war's uncertain course. Trump has framed pricier fuel as a small price to pay for a war he calls necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He still blames his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the country's economic problems, and casts the global oil squeeze as good news for U.S. producers.

How did Trump's messaging shift as prices climbed?

Feb. 24. In his 2026 State of the Union address, days before joining Israel's Feb. 28 attacks on Iran, Trump bragged that gasoline was "below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places $1.99 a gallon," citing $1.85 in Iowa — "the lowest in four years, and falling fast." Pumps averaged $2.95 nationwide, about 19 cents cheaper than a year earlier.

March 12. With oil spiking, Trump posted on Truth Social: "The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money." Brent crude cost over $100 a barrel, up from about $70 in 2025.

June 29. As oil cooled on peace hopes, Trump demanded retailers act. "They're too high considering that Oil is now at $68 a Barrel, and heading south," he wrote, warning "big problems lie ahead" if retailers didn't drop prices. Gasoline averaged $3.86, down from over $4.50 in May but still about 67 cents higher than a year earlier.

July 1. Ahead of July Fourth, Trump promised prices "will soon be back to the Record Low Prices Americans enjoyed at the pump before our very successful 'excursion' in Iran." Brent had fallen to $71.57 a barrel.

Sept. 9. Trump conceded relief wouldn't arrive before the midterms: "Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward." Escalated fighting pushed Brent past $101, versus $66 a year earlier.

Sept. 16. At a North Carolina stop, Trump downplayed the surge: "It's a very inexpensive price to pay for what we've done... Frankly, even if it was a lot more." Gasoline averaged $4.37, about $1.18 above the same point in 2025.

What is the administration doing about diesel?

Oct. 9. Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel — a stark reversal of years of U.S. pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. "Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!" he wrote, citing "TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz" despite traffic there remaining well below pre-war levels amid threats of further attacks from Tehran. Diesel averaged $6.28, down slightly from nearly $6.53 in September.

Oct. 19. Trump unveiled a harvest fuel relief program he said would provide $8 billion in support for farmers. "When Republicans win, we will pass even more funding for our farmers," he told a Kansas rally. Diesel averaged about $6.32 nationwide — 74% more than the $3.63 a year earlier.

Oct. 24. At the Georgia rally, Trump claimed the country "is making hundreds of billions of dollars because of what's happened in the Middle East." He said aides begged him to stay quiet: "My people said, 'Please don't mention that sir, because people are paying a little higher.' But I said I don't give a damn."

Gas averaged nearly $4.30 on Saturday, versus about $3.07 a year ago. Whether the Russian diesel deal and the promised post-election oil tumble materialize will shape household budgets — and Trump's political standing — well after Nov. 3.