Jeffries slams Trump on gas prices after urging GOP to ‘not play politics’ under Biden
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is criticizing President Donald Trump for raising fuel prices linked to a war with Iran, saying voter frustration could help Democrats win the House in November.
But four years ago, he urged Republicans not to “play politics” with record highs on the tap under former President Joe Biden.
“The average gas price is now $4.55 per gallon,” Jeffries wrote on social media on Friday. “Is this what the golden age in America looks like?”
As the conflict continues, disruptions to the flow of oil in the Strait of Hormuz have pushed up fuel prices. The Trump administration’s efforts to end the war appear to be faltering, as it has been a month since the end of hostilities with Iran.
A container ship rests in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, as a motorboat passes by on May 2, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA)
GAS SURGE TIED TO IRAN CONFLICT HITS SWING STATES, TESTING TRUMP’S LOW PRICE AUTHORITY
Jeffries’ attack on gas prices is part of the Democrats’ strategy to focus on procurement, as the party looks to unseat a number of vulnerable Republicans in House stadium districts this year.
Gas prices have risen on average to more than $1.50 — a nearly 50% increase — since Operation Epic Fury began in Feb. 28, according to AAA.
A recent Fox News Poll found that nearly 60% of voters said electricity prices were a “big problem” for their families. Another 29% of respondents said the increase in pump prices is “less of an issue.”
Voters’ concerns about continued inflation have contributed to Democrats holding an eight-point lead over Republicans on the issue, according to an April Fox News poll. Nearly three-quarters of voters believe the US economy is getting worse, matching the record high seen by Fox News under Biden in April 2023.
“The problem with this reckless war of choice is that life has become very expensive,” Jeffries told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in April.
But Jeffries struck a markedly different tone in March 2022, when fuel prices rose following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Average gasoline prices finally rose above $5 per gallon in June of that year.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a press conference on funding for the Department of Homeland Security at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Feb. 4, 2026. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
FROM BIDEN’S ‘FIGHT’ ON GAS SUPPLIES TO ‘THE MINIMUM PRICE TO PAY’: GOP CHANGES TAKES AS IRAN CONFLICT HITS THE PUMPS
“I certainly hope that my Republican colleagues will not continue to play politics with the crisis in Ukraine, Europe, the West and democracy because that is what is at stake right now,” Jeffries said at a press conference in March 2022, referring to the rise in gas prices. “It may be a necessary sacrifice for the rest of the world.”
“Of course, we see the incredible sacrifices of the Ukrainian people,” he continued.
Asked by a reporter if the Biden administration should ask Americans to work from home temporarily to ease the gas crisis, Jeffries replied, “Everything has to be on the table” and suggested that the private sector consider the idea.
“To the extent that American companies, American businesses, as happened during World War II, see themselves as part of an effort to reduce the sacrifices that may be required here, I think that would be a good development for the country,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Jeffries ahead of publication.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright expressed his hope that oil prices will fall following the end of the conflict with Iran while acknowledging that Americans are facing “unease” in the short term.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday that fuel prices would eventually “come back down to where they were” since the war with Iran began in late February. (Ana Lopez/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
“I avoid speculating,” Wright told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “The prices of gasoline and diesel have increased, they will continue to increase during this conflict, and then they will go back down. In the end, they will go back down even more than before.”
“To eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, that’s very good for energy flow,” Wright said. “Which means more energy will flow in the future, which means it is lower energy prices for the American people and the world. “
