As the U.S. war against Iran rages on, strategists “in and around the White House” are growing increasingly panicked over rising energy costs and their impact on voters, who they fear will overwhelmingly reject Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections, Politico reported Monday.
Launched by President Donald Trump on Feb. 28, the U.S. war against Iran has sent oil prices soaring, with the average cost of a gallon of gasoline rising by more than $1 since the war began, the single largest month-over-month increase since gas price tracking began in 1967 under former President Lyndon B. Johnson.
And, despite Trump’s claim that gas prices may decrease in the United States by November, strategists close to him say that no amount of rhetoric will save the GOP in the face of increased energy prices.
“The rhetoric around this stuff matters way less than the reality,” said a person “close to the White House,” speaking with Politico. “It either will be or it won’t be. If we don’t see the $3 gallon of gas, we’re gonna get killed.”
The average cost of a gallon of gas was $4.05 as of April 1, with Trump’s own energy secretary, Chris Wright, acknowledging recently that it could very well be until 2027 before the average price for a gallon of gas drops below $3.
“That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year,” Wright told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday.
The rising oil prices have largely been caused by Iran’s partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil trade flows. The Strait of Hormuz was briefly re-opened to all vessels over the weekend before being closed to U.S.-aligned vessels again on Sunday in response to the U.S. naval blockade, which Tehran accused of being a violation of the temporary ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran.
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