Trump blames war-ravaged Ukraine’s efforts to fight off Russia – for our sky-high gas prices

President Donald Trump is pointing to oil refineries, rather than his ongoing war with Iran, as the reason gasoline costs so much, a claim that arrives with midterm elections less than a month off. In a Monday Truth Social post, he said the Strait of Hormuz is no longer the driver because record volumes of barrels are now flowing out of it nearly every day. He asserted that Ukraine is destroying Russian refineries, and he faulted Democrats and Democratic-led states such as California for shutting down American ones, according to The Independent.

The Independent reports that the logic was hard to follow. Russian oil and gas imports to the U.S. were banned in March 2022, taking them to zero, and the largest concentration of American refineries is in Texas and Louisiana, both led by Republicans.

The price pressure is real. Motorists filling up with unleaded now spend roughly $67 more each month than twelve months ago, and AAA says diesel customers pay at least $139 more monthly. At a September rally in North Carolina, Trump called the higher costs "a very inexpensive price to pay" for curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions.

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