Florida Senator Rick Scott, one of the wealthiest lawmakers in Congress, gave some bad news to Americans struggling at the pump.
Scott, 73, told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on CNN News Central on Wednesday that thanks to President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, Americans expect inflated gas prices at home to last “for a while.”
“We want prices to come down. I think, unfortunately, prices are gonna be up for a while until this ends,” Scott, whose estimated net worth exceeds $500 million, said. “But with Venezuela coming, American oil and gas coming, with hopefully a positive resolution to this conflict, then prices will come down even further.”
The national average gallon of gas costs over $0.60 more than it did a month ago, according to AAA, thanks largely in part to Trump’s surprise war with Israel against Iran that launched on Feb. 28.
Commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped considerably since the conflict began, as Iran declared the vital trade passageway closed on March 2. Its normal daily average of 60 ships traveling through has shrunk to 12, according to hormuzstraitmonitor.com.
“Is it gonna be easy to get the Strait of Hormuz open? It never was gonna be easy,” the MAGA senator said. “Iran has a lot of small ships; they can put out mines. It’s going to be very difficult.”
“We all want gas prices to come down,” Scott added. “This president doesn’t want gas prices higher. But we have to be realistic.”
Trump, 79, said in a Truth Social post on Sunday that inflated oil prices at home were a “small price” for Americans, who largely don’t support U.S. attacks on Iran, to pay.
“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump wrote. “ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!”
In less than two weeks, the U.S. attacks on Iran, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have already cost the country billions of dollars—including $5.8 billion in advanced munitions within the first two days of the operation.
The advanced munitions used by the U.S. include Tomahawk cruise missiles, one of which, reports say, struck an Iranian elementary girls’ school, killing approximately 175 people, many of whom were children.
The president claimed on Monday that Iran was in possession of Tomahawks and could have been responsible for the tragedy. Only three countries, the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Australia, have Tomahawk missiles readily available for combat use. The UK and Australia are not involved in the conflict.
The Daily Beast reached out to Scott for comment.
