Abby McCloskey, Dallas Morning News, March 20, 2026

”You have to admire President Trump’s brass. It’s not any president who – facing low national approval ratings, slim midterm margins, including in the Senate, and high Democratic energy – would stomp on the neck of widespread affordability concerns.

Gas prices are up almost 20% since the start of the Iran war Feb. 28, reaching an average of $3.50 a gallon. New polling by Reuters/Ipsos suggests that most Americans (67%) expect gasoline prices to keep going up, with Democrats (85%) feeling this more than Republicans (44%). Few Americans of any political stripe expect to see price relief. “This is going to be huge!” you can imagine Trump saying, as bombs drop in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz chokes off, and retirees on a fixed income in Florida fill up their hatchbacks for $4 a gallon.

It says something about the partisan moment we are in, doesn’t it? The bets keep getting bigger. The consequences seem more and more disconnected. Especially considering that it’s Republicans, not Democrats, who disproportionately pay for higher prices at the pump. Democrats are three-times as likely to want or have an electric vehicle. Republicans are more likely to live in rural places with longer commutes, and rely less on public transit.”