Voters who backed Donald Trump in the 2024 election are regretting doing so after his war in Iran caused gas prices to soar in the U.S.
Trump’s deeply unpopular war in Iran has now dragged on for more than three months, with no real end in sight or signs that a deal to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route will soon be agreed upon.
With gas prices currently averaging around $4.33—the highest level in four years and nearly two dollars higher than the average a year ago—The New York Times spoke to several Trump supporters at gas stations in three states about how they feel about the war in Iran, the subsequent rise in gas prices, and whether it is influencing their future voting decisions.
Adele Wilson, a 30-year-old from Ada Township, Michigan, gave one of the most damning assessments, describing how “Last time I filled up I was like, ‘Oh, this hurts.’”
Wilson also said she has already ruled out voting for either JD Vance or Marco Rubio—seen as the frontrunners for the GOP’s 2028 presidential nomination—in the next general election, in part because she feels launching the Middle East conflict was a “horrible idea.”
Even though she has not yet decided how she will vote in the midterms, she said she might “vote Democrat in presidential elections until the Republicans get it together.”
Elsewhere, Brandon Toole, 45, of Cincinnati, said he “used to be” a supporter of Trump but has now turned on the president over the war in Iran and the “terrible” gas prices.
“The first administration was great. I never even looked at gas prices,” he said. However, Toole said he has little intention of voting in the midterms because Democrats do not appeal to him.
Ryan Hummel, a 25-year-old college graduate in the bellwether state of Ohio, told the Times that the rise in gas prices “doesn’t give me the greatest feeling about Donald Trump.”
He added that gas prices were one of the biggest reasons that he now regrets voting for Trump in 2024, but he is still unsure how he intends to vote in future races.
Raven Hoskins, an independent voter in the key swing state of Michigan, blamed Trump for her financial hardships, saying that rising gas prices are making it hard for her to afford food.
“It’s affecting me in a lot of ways,” she told the Times. “A lot of people, especially of my color, think that he’s a really racist man, but I look at him like a businessman,” she said.
“Him running us like a business—I’ve seen where it’s gotten us, and it’s not good.”
Luke Stanley, 28, of Hermon, Maine, told the Times that “It’s been rough for the last couple of months” in regard to gas prices and that it could influence how he votes in November if they do not improve soon.
In response, White House spokesperson Kush Desai told the Daily Beast: “While the president has been clear about short-term disruptions as a result of Operation Epic Fury, the administration remains focused on implementing the proven Trump agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance to keep America on a solid economic trajectory.
“Once the Iranian nuclear threat is neutralized, Americans will again see gas prices plummet, real wages grow, inflation cool, and trillions in investments pour in.”
Not everyone the Times spoke to was so negative.
Jerry Kirby, 60, of Cincinnati, said he still has “a lot of faith” in Trump and sees the rising gas prices as a necessary “bump in the road.” He added that he also supports the Middle East conflict because “Iran should have been put in their place a long time ago,” and would vote for Trump again if he could.
