As U.S. gas prices continue to surge with no signs of stopping, President Donald Trump tried to paint a slightly less bleak picture, saying it was a “small price to pay” for the ongoing war on Iran.
Only days after a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Trump hit the road again to boost his political party's enthusiasm at a rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, on Sept. 16, alongside GOP Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who is running against Democrat Roy Cooper.
“It’s a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done. Remember that. It’s a little more. Frankly, even if it was a lot more,” Trump said about gas prices at the rally. “But that’s going to come tumbling down.”
“That’s going to be like rocket ships in reverse,” Trump continued.
The
president's hopeful outlook for gas prices comes as the national average price for a gallon of gas on Thursday, Sept. 17, hit $4.43, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). That price is a seven-cent increase from Wednesday, Sept. 16, a 37-cent increase from a month ago and more than a $1.20 jump from a year ago.
Gas prices sink Trump
The increase in gas prices since the start of the U.S. war on Iran more than six months ago has become a source of deep unpopularity for the president.
According to a Marquette University Law School Poll released on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 37% of Americans approved of Trump’s job performance. This number marked the president's lowest in Marquette University’s tracking since his return to the White House in early 2025.
Tuesday’s poll also showed Trump’s approval slipping on eight different issues: border security, immigration, foreign policy, tariffs, the economy, the war with Iran, gas prices and inflation. These issues all saw drops compared to the previous July poll.
Only 19% of polled Americans said they approved of Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living, with 20% approving of the president’s handling of gas prices.
USA TODAY’s Zac Anderson contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says rising gas prices are 'small price to pay' for Iran war
