Even Fox News is struggling to sell President Donald Trump’s increasingly expensive war with Iran.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright found himself on the defensive during a tense Fox News appearance after a host confronted him with a string of angry Trump voters who say soaring gas prices are crushing their finances nearly 100 days into the conflict.
The awkward exchange came as average gas prices remain elevated following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping chokepoint that carries roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. The conflict has now stretched into its 13th week—well beyond the White House’s earlier prediction that the military operation would last just four to five weeks.
Wright, 61, initially attempted to defend the administration’s handling of the crisis by arguing Trump was confronting an important decades-old threat from Iran before pivoting to blame Democrats’ energy policies for skyrocketing gas prices.
“They have done everything they can for 20 years to drive energy prices up, and now they are upset about high energy prices,” he said.
The explanation appeared to leave Fox host Bill Hemmer, 61, unconvinced.
“You can understand why an explanation of that would be necessary,” the host fired back before highlighting Trump’s repeated promises that energy prices would soon fall.
Citing a Monday New York Times report, the host read a series of complaints from voters who backed the 79-year-old president but now say the Iran war is taking a painful toll on their wallets.
Adele Wilson, a 30-year-old dental assistant from Ada Township, Michigan, said filling her tank had become a painful experience.
“Last time I filled up I was like, ‘Oh, this hurts,’” Wilson said. She also described Trump’s second term as unsuccessful and called the war a “horrible idea.”
The host then turned to read remarks from Raven Hoskins, a 27-year-old delivery worker from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“It’s affecting me in a lot of ways,” Hoskins said. “Him running us like a business—I’ve seen where it’s gotten us, and it’s not good," she said.
Luke Stanley, a 28-year-old business owner from Hermon, Maine, offered a similar warning.
“It’s been rough for the last couple of months,” Stanley said, adding that gas prices could influence how he votes in the midterm elections.
“Those are the quotes,” the host said after running through the complaints aloud. “What do you say to them, Mr. Secretary?”
Wright, who built a $100 million fortune through his company, Liberty Energy, responded by insisting the administration could relate to Americans’ growing frustration.
“Oh, we feel your pain. We absolutely want to drive energy prices down,” Wright said of the war that has cost U.S. households nearly $750 in additional expenses.
He argued Trump’s energy agenda would eventually increase supply, lower prices, create jobs, and boost wages.
Before Wright could fully develop that argument, the host interrupted again with another pointed question.
“A lot of people ask this,” he said. “We boast that we’re a net exporter of oil now as a country. If that’s the case...why are prices going higher?”
Pressed again, Wright conceded Americans were “paying a price to solve a huge problem” before launching into an explanation about how global oil markets remain interconnected regardless of how much energy the U.S. produces at home.
Trump, meanwhile, has signaled little concern about the financial burden facing Americans as long as the administration remains focused on Iran’s nuclear program.
“The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said of his increasingly unpopular war. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Americans have now endured elevated fuel prices for months as the conflict drags on with no clear end in sight. An estimated 1,600 ships remain stranded near the Strait of Hormuz as security concerns continue to disrupt maritime traffic.
With a peace deal uncertain, the latest escalation came Wednesday when Iran reportedly launched 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones in an attack on a U.S. Army base in Kuwait, injuring 63 people, according to Kuwait’s Ministry of Health.
