77 percent blame Trump for gas prices: Survey
A majority of Americans believe President Trump is to blame for a surge in gas prices, as the conflict with Iran continues to strain the global economy, according to a new survey.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, released Friday, found that roughly
77 percent of registered
U.S. voters said Trump bears at least some responsibility for the rise in gas prices, compared with 22 percent who disagreed.
The view that Trump is at least partially at fault was shared by voters across the political spectrum, with 55 percent of Republicans, 82 percent of independents and 95 percent of Democrats agreeing, the survey shows.
It could be a potential warning sign ahead of the midterms for Republicans, who are working to sharpen their messaging on affordability amid growing concern about potential voter backlash over the economy.
In the poll, 38 percent of respondents said they preferred the GOP’s approach to the economy, compared with 37 percent who signaled Democrats are better on the issue. The 1-point advantage is considerably narrower than the 14-point gap the Republican Party had on the issue immediately after the start of Trump’s second term, according to Reuters.
Drivers are seeing some relief at the pump this week, however, with AAA reporting a national average of $4.03 per gallon. Oil prices remain elevated, with Brent crude trading at around $106 per barrel on Friday amid the sustained closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Patrick de Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, wrote in a blog post on Monday that markets were “likely to remain highly active” as the continued back-and-forth between U.S. and Iranian officials reinforces volatility.
“Oil prices will likely continue to experience sharp
swings as traders weigh
the risk of escalation against the potential for a diplomatic resolution,” he wrote a day before Trump indefinitely extended a ceasefire in the conflict.
The extension came at the request of Pakistani mediators, hours before a previous two-week truce was set to expire. The president declared that the U.S. would maintain its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump and his Cabinet have offered mixed messages about the long-term impact on energy prices. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN on Sunday that gas prices may not drop back below $3 per gallon until next year, an assessment Trump said was “totally wrong” in a phone interview with The Hill on Monday.
Some 77 percent of Americans see fuel prices as a very big concern, according to the poll, which showed that respondents were more than twice as likely to expect an increase over the next year than a decrease.
The survey was conducted April 15-20 among 4,557 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
