Trump calls – President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on May 19 that Americans facing rising gas prices are dealing with “peanuts” compared with the risk of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. The comments landed amid April inflation hitting its highest l
For the second week in a row, President Donald Trump is framing soaring gas prices as a side effect of a bigger geopolitical fight.
Outside the White House on May 19, Trump told reporters that Americans’ financial pain was “peanuts” compared with the prospect of Iran having a nuclear weapon. When asked to confront the rising cost of living, he delivered the argument bluntly: elevated prices would not last “much longer.”
“We have to do something with Iran. We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “You want to see the world exploded? You want to see a problem? This is peanuts.”
The remarks came exactly a week after the president made a nearly identical case, again minimizing household financial pressures. On May 12, Trump said he didn’t focus on Americans’ financial situation and instead fixated on stopping Iran from developing a nuclear device.
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all,” Trump said on May 12.
That rhetoric is unfolding as inflation has accelerated. Inflation surged again in April, reaching its highest level since 2023. The driver was surging oil costs tied to the Iran war, which pushed up prices at the gas pump and rippled through supply chains.
Gas prices are already high enough to feel immediate. On May 20, the AAA Auto Club reported the average U.S. gas price hit $4.55 per gallon. That was up from the average of $4.04 a month earlier on April 20, and far above the $2.98 level recorded on Feb. 28, the day the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran.
Analysts warn the jump may not be over. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said the increases seen so far could be only the beginning, pointing to expectations of the most expensive summer at the pump in years if a key shipping route remains constrained.
“BREAKING: GasBuddy Forecasts Most Expensive Summer at the Pump in Years Amid Strait Closure… possibly touching $5/gal, setting new record average of $4.80 per gallon, exceeding 2022’s summer average of $4.43 if the Strait remains closed,” De Haan wrote in a post on X.
The sequence matters because it ties together three pieces of the current pressure on households: April inflation rising to its highest level since 2023, rising gas prices moving from $2.98 on Feb. 28 to $4.55 on May 20, and warnings from fuel analysts that the summer could climb even higher.
Trump’s message—treat the gas-pump pain as temporary. and prioritize preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon—lands against that backdrop. For drivers already feeling the cost. the question is how much longer “much longer” lasts. especially as analysts suggest summer prices could approach or exceed $5 per gallon.
Trump gas prices peanuts April inflation highest since 2023 Iran nuclear weapon AAA gas price May 20 4.55 GasBuddy forecast 5 per gallon oil costs supply chains