Too little, too late: Trump takes on gas prices as fuel costs hamper his midterm hopes

With fewer than two weeks before the November 3 midterms, motorists are unlikely to see cheaper fuel, and polling suggests the cost is hurting Republicans. AAA data show gasoline averaging $4. 29 a gallon, more than $1. 25 above last year, while diesel sits at $6. 30, up nearly 75%. A Politico poll taken October 10 found that even a $1 drop in gasoline would not move most surveyed voters toward the GOP. Sharie Smith, a 41-year-old Toledo resident, says her fill-ups have climbed from $30 to $40 up to $50 to $60, forcing cuts to her children's activities, according to The Guardian.

President Donald Trump has responded with several diesel measures: wider use of untaxed red-dye fuel, a temporary easing of sanctions on Russian diesel, and a one-time $8bn subsidy for farmers at harvest time. Energy fellow Ed Hirs of the University of Houston says the effect will be zero, and argues Russia now earns full market value for fuel it was already selling at a discount. Andrew Critchlow of Dow Jones Energy notes the first 2. 24m barrels of Russian diesel equal only 14 hours of American demand.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →