Donald Trump’s latest war is reportedly causing internal panic among the president’s top aides, with a looming energy crisis threatening his party’s grip on Congress.
Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, has, according to Politico, sounded the alarm as Trump’s war on Iran sends the price of gas sharply higher—adding to voter fears about the economy.
This directly contradicts the affordability message Wiles and her underling, James Blair, have begged Trump to hammer, especially with November’s midterm elections approaching.
Trump has focused on the messaging, mentioning it at nearly all of his public engagements of late, even at wife Melania’s movie premiere in Washington, D.C.
However, Iran’s response to his “Operation Epic Fury” means that his messaging could ring hollow. Tehran has targeted the Gulf’s energy sector, pummelling infrastructure and sending crude oil up by more than $10 a barrel. This is higher than when Trump took office.
On Tuesday, prices leapt by the biggest single-day margin since 2022, and they’re up 20 cents a gallon since Trump launched his attack on Tehran—having apparently not worked out that starting a war in the world’s main oil-producing region might send crude prices higher.
“Nobody is panicking,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted in a statement given to the Daily Beast.
The jump in prices has created a tense atmosphere on the West Wing, with Trump’s lackeys “looking under every rock for ideas on improving energy prices, especially gasoline prices,” according to one energy industry executive who spoke to Politico.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other advisers “are getting screamed at to find some good news,” they added. “Folks are scrambling for announcements and messaging to counter the narrative” of rising prices.
Politico reported that the White House took days to even start discussing strategies about how to fix the spiraling cost crisis.“The faction of the White House that would care about $80-90 oil [was] being silenced,” an executive told the publication. “There [were] louder voices winning.”
The issue has gotten so bad that the ideas suggested to counter it are becoming increasingly tenuous. One White House official reportedly floated the idea of a temporary holiday on the gasoline tax, but that would require action from Congress, and magnanimous decisions from oil executives. “There’s no guarantee oil refiners and gas stations would pass savings along,” Politico’s Playbook noted.
Trump officials also reportedly floated the idea of using the U.S. military to defend energy infrastructure in the Middle East. Indeed, in a statement provided to the Daily Beast, Leavitt reiterated President Trump’s willingness to use the U.S. Navy to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, “if necessary.”
She also doubted the veracity of Politico’s piece. “As usual, POLITICO wrote sensationalist, unverified gossip for clicks. Nobody is panicking. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership in his first term and current term, the United States remains the largest crude oil and natural gas producer in the world. President Trump’s entire energy team, from the White House to the National Energy Dominance Council to Secretaries Wright and Bessent, have a game plan to keep oil prices stable throughout Operation Epic Fury,” she said.
She had previously said on Wednesday that the war would actually help bring down gas prices because success would mean that Iran would no longer be “restricting the free flow of energy.”
In her statement to the Beast, she added that the Trump Administration “will continue to unleash American energy dominance,” partly by tapping into newfound oil markets in Venezuela.
She added that the president has announced that the United States Development Finance Corporation will provide political risk insurance, “at a very reasonable price, for crude carriers and cargo ships operating in and around the Gulf.”
However, the clock is ticking towards the midterms, and most Americans primarily care about the cost-of-living crisis afflicting their day-to-day lives. If Trump’s team fails to bring down prices soon, it could spell disaster when Americans go to the polls.
The Daily Beast has approached the White House for comment.
