Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said Sunday that gasoline prices in the United States had probably peaked but acknowledged that they could remain elevated for months, undermining President Donald Trump鈥檚 earlier claim that high fuel prices would be 鈥渟hort-term.鈥�
Wright had said in early March that the average gas price in the United States would fall below $3 a gallon within 鈥渨eeks鈥� after Trump and Israel initiated airstrikes against Iran in late February. But on Sunday, Wright appeared to backtrack in an appearance on the CNN program 鈥淪tate of the Union鈥� after the host, Jake Tapper, asked him when it would be 鈥渞ealistic鈥� for Americans to see $3 per gallon prices at the pump.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know,鈥� Wright said. 鈥淭hat could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year. But prices have likely peaked.鈥�
When asked again if he meant that gas prices might not return to prewar levels until 2027, Wright suggested that such price levels were 鈥減retty tremendous鈥� after accounting for inflation. Before the war began, the average national price for a gallon of regular gas was $2.98. On Sunday, the average price was $4.05 per gallon, according to the AAA motor club.
Iran has responded to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by disrupting shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where a significant share of the world鈥檚 energy flows. The disruption has pushed up global oil prices and led to sticker shock for U.S. consumers at the gas pump.
That has created a political headache for Trump, who promised affordable gas prices during his 2024 presidential campaign. Republicans are worried about their chances of keeping their congressional majorities in the upcoming November midterm elections as the war drives up the costs of energy and goods.
Even as gas prices rose, Trump continued to call the spike at the pump 鈥渁 short-term increase鈥� until early April. But he later undercut his own claims and said the prices 鈥渟hould be around the same鈥� in November and might be 鈥渁 little bit higher,鈥� a prediction that Wright echoed Sunday.
Wright鈥檚 comments prompted a round of attacks from Democrats, who have spent weeks assailing the administration over gas prices and have placed the issue at the center of their messaging going into the midterms.
鈥淚 guess they鈥檙e surrendering,鈥� Rep. Tom Suozzi, a New York Democrat from a swing district, said in an interview, referring to Wright鈥檚 comments.
This article originally appeared in .
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