President Donald Trump blamed his party's losses in the midterm elections on high gas prices, but insisted in multiple interviews that the Iran war – which analysts have said is one of the main causes of the price spike at the pump – is necessary to continue.
"I don't think it's the war, I think it's the gasoline prices," Trump said in an interview with Fox Businesson Tuesday, Nov. 3.
"I have the best economy in my first term. This blows it away," Trump continued. "But because of the gasoline prices, people don't see it as much as they would have without it. The cause of the gasoline is Iran."
"I think historically I'll have been judged to have done the right thing," Trump said of the war. "But that gave us an evening that wasn't pleasant."
Trump's
comments came as his party took a historic drubbing in the midterms that saw Democrats win control of the House and Senate.
Voters consistently said in polls leading up to the election that gas prices were top of mind as they cast their ballots. Trump went into Election Day with higher gas prices than any of his recent predecessors. He promised in multiple campaign rallies leading up to the election that the prices would drop soon, even as AAA's average national gas price has been above $4 per gallon since April.
The USA TODAY Cars team looked at what can be done now to lower gas prices now that voters have weighed in.
What can Trump or Democrats do to lower prices now?
Most analysts have said the only way Trump can dramatically lower fuel prices is to negotiate an end to the Iran war, which would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the channel that is a critical waterway for oil shipments.
"Let me be clear: the clock is ticking. Lawmakers have a narrow window to reverse course and fully restore the Strait," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in an April 1 X post that he referenced again on Nov. 3. "If that doesn’t happen soon, Americans will start changing their summer travel plans- and they will NOT forget why when they head to the polls in November."
The average price of gas in the United States on Wednesday, Nov. 4, was $4.12, according to AAA. That's up from an average of $3.05 on Nov. 4, 2025.
Absent an end to the war, Trump's options to lower gas prices will be limited. Democrats will have the power to cut off funding for the war, but the newly elected leaders from that party will not take office until January 2027. Trump could also veto any legislation passed by the new Congress to attempt to force an end to the war or cut off funding for it. Democrats have been projected by USA TODAY to have at least 54 seats in the next Senate, but overriding a veto from Trump would require 67 votes. That means they would need about a dozen Republicans to join them.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. pic.twitter.com/Q1ZGYM7idV
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 4, 2026
Democratic leaders said after Election Day they know voters will expect them to lower costs on gas and other items immediately after taking office.
"The American people took a chance on Democrats. Now we have to deliver," Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat who is also seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, in a Nov. 4 X post. "End Trump’s stupid war. Lower the cost of gas and groceries. Invest in affordable child care, health care, and housing. Rein in AI and Big Tech data centers. Let’s get going."
De Haan said in a Nov. 2 blog post that U.S. gas prices will remain largely contingent on developments in the Iran war.
"Whether new attacks occur or a truce takes hold around the Strait of Hormuz, along with continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, will likely dictate where prices head as we move closer to the holidays," he wrote.
What do Trump and Vice President Vance say about the war's impact on the elections?
Trump has insisted he is staying the course in Iran, despite the blowback from voters that cost his party control of Congress.
Asked Nov. 4 when he thinks the war will end, Trump said, "whenever I want it to."
"But it's got to be done right," Trump said. "We're never going to let them have a nuclear weapon."
Trump said in the Fox interview that he had no choice but to intervene to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
"This should have been done long before me," he said. "They should have been done by other presidents or other countries. And I was given the task, and I had no choice, because they were two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon."
But Vice President JD Vance also said in an Nov. 4 X post that the war cost Republicans in the elections ahead of his own anticipated 2028 run.
"The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night," Vance wrote. "If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there."
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on the National Trending Desk at USA TODAY. Contact Keith at klaing@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says voters weren't willing to pay more for gas. Now what?
