CNBC host Joe Kernen shot down a MAGA congressman’s claims about the Trump administration bringing down gas prices.
Prices keep hitting new records amid President Trump’s war with Iran, with a dual blockade by the U.S. and Iran choking the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping lane that has become a bottleneck for global oil supplies.
On Thursday, the average price nationwide for a gallon of gas hit $4.30, the highest since Russia’s Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked war on Ukraine four years ago and more than 40 percent above the pre-war average of $2.85 per gallon.
Thanks in part to voter frustration over the rising prices, Democrats are now predicted to take back control of the House during the midterms, and are also proving more competitive than expected in several key Senate races.
During an interview on Squawk Box Thursday with Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Kernan, 70, asked the congressman whether he thought Republicans had any chance of keeping the House in November.
“Absolutely, and it’s a path that is focused on turnout number one and delivery. What we’ve delivered to finally start turning this mess around that we inherited a year and a half ago,” Scalise said. “People will remember you go back two years ago, we were paying almost $6 a gallon for gasoline. Right now, it’s in the $3s, obviously we’ve seen a jump with the Iran conflict...”
“When we were paying $6?” interrupted Kernen, who has historically been sympathetic to President Donald Trump.
“Two and a half years ago,” Scalise replied.
“That wasn’t the average price,” Kernen objected.
“Today we’re at 30 percent below where we were two years ago,” Scalise insisted. “If you look across the board, we are lowering inflation, interest rates have started to come down.”
“You must have been on vacation in California,” Kernen replied. “Two years ago, in April of 2024, we were at about $3.65. So, we’re actually above where we were then.”
When Scalise insisted that under former President Joe Biden, gas prices were “well into the $5s,” Kernen replied, “At one point, not two years ago.”
“I’m not saying it’s not worth it, for a brief time, but it’s definitely going to hurt to people,” he added.
Kernen’s relationship with Trump, who frequently calls into Squawk Box, goes back decades. He has worked for CNBC since 1991 and was a recurring guest on Trump’s TV show, The Apprentice, in the early 2000s.
On Election Day in 2024, Kernen claimed that Democratic Party chiefs were “harvesting votes” in 2000 to claim victory for Al Gore, likening it to Trump contesting the 2020 election result.
On Trump’s 79th birthday last year, Kernen posted an old photo of them golfing. He has also used Trump’s preferred pejorative for his critics, whom both men have accused of having TDS, or “Trump Derangement Symptom.”
