Democrats have finally found a reason to object to high gasoline prices.
President Donald Trump’s war on Iran has been a spectacular success militarily. The United States has decimated Iran’s leadership, navy and military infrastructure. The regime that chanted “Death to America” isn’t getting a nuclear weapon any time in the foreseeable future. Iran’s response — launching missiles and drones throughout the region — has united its neighbors against it.
The best hope for Iran’s government, at least what’s left of it, is spiking oil prices. This would raise gas prices for American voters, putting domestic pressure on Trump to end the war prematurely. Shortly after Trump decapitated Iran’s leadership, Iran announced that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz. Last year, around 20 percent of the world’s oil flowed through this narrow passageway.
CNBC called it “the biggest supply disruption in the history of oil.” It sent oil prices skyrocketing. On Feb. 27, a barrel of Brent crude oil was around $73. On Monday, the price per barrel approached $120. The Trump administration knows this is a major concern and has taken steps to calm the market. As I write on Tuesday, Brent crude oil has fallen to under $91 a barrel.
Even so, the price of gasoline is up.
“Gas prices last week saw their largest three-day jump since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, according to an analysis from Bespoke Investment Group,” CNBC reported.
On Tuesday, the average price nationally was more than $3.50 a gallon. That’s a 21 percent jump from a month ago. Prices haven’t been this high since 2024.
The cost of living is a major concern for voters. Democrats didn’t waste any time before attacking Trump over this.
On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom attacked Trump for “costing Americans $1.5 billion more at the pump this week alone.” Newsom’s press office wrote on X: “Americans do not like that Donald Trump is driving up prices at the pump!”
“Gas prices have soared to above $4 a gallon — an outrageous increase that working families can’t afford,” Attorney General and Democrat gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford said in a statement.
Here’s where it gets interesting. A month ago in Nevada, the average price of a gallon of gas was $3.56. It’s now $4.30. As I write, the average price in Texas is $3.21 a gallon.
It’s not just Texas that has lower prices. On Tuesday, 39 states had cheaper gas — after the price jump because of the fighting in Iran — than Nevada had a month ago.
Something other than Trump’s decision to bomb Iran is making Nevada’s gasoline more expensive.
That something is California. Nevada gets around 88 percent of its oil from the Golden State. Newsom and other California leftists have been intentionally strangling the fossil fuel industry. Refineries have been shutting down for decades. This has left California — and by extension Nevada — more dependent on foreign oil. Not great.
California’s energy policies have caused higher prices than a literal war in the Middle East disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. But unlike the fighting in the Middle East, Democrats’ attacks on fossil fuels show no signs of ending.
Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow
@victorjoecks on X.
