The High Cost of Gasoline

Trump, Iran, and the Price Americans Must Pay

by Gene Johns

Wow! Gas prices are near record highs, and many people say it is a direct response to President Trump’s conflict with Iran. And to think—I voted for him three times!

Okay, that should get liberals and Democrats excited and riled up. But now let me explain my take on today’s high gas prices. By the way, President Trump is doing a great job.

Today’s gas prices, as we all know, are approaching the record highs Americans endured during the Biden presidency. But there is a major difference between the causes—and why one situation is more understandable than the other. And no, it’s not because I’m a huge Trump supporter or a MAGA conservative. It’s because of critical thinking.

The record-high gas prices and inflation during the Biden administration were largely driven by domestic policies and out-of-control Democrat spending during the first two years of his presidency. That is not merely a partisan opinion—it is well documented.

Biden and the Democrat-controlled Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the ironically named Inflation Reduction Act. Those massive spending measures contributed to inflation and rising energy prices. Biden’s inflation and high gas prices were largely self-inflicted, unforced errors.

Before the Iran conflict began, inflation and gas prices had started to decline. Trump’s policies, the reversal of Biden-era directives and executive orders, and renewed American energy production helped bring fuel prices down and reduced inflationary pressure.

Then President Trump escalated the long-running conflict with Iran—a conflict that, in many ways, began in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution and the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, when Iranian militants held 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage for 444 days.

That event marked the beginning of decades of hostility between Iran and the United States. Iranian leaders and Iran-backed groups have repeatedly targeted Americans and American interests.

While estimates vary, hundreds of Americans—and possibly more than 1,000—have been killed by Iran or its proxies since 1979. Among the deadliest attacks were:

• 241 U.S. service members killed in the October 1983 Beirut barracks bombing carried out by Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group.

• 17 Americans killed in the April 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

For decades, presidents from both parties avoided direct military confrontation with Iran. President Trump chose a different path.

Perhaps the most significant reason for confronting Iran was the threat of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. With radical religious leaders controlling such weapons, Trump believed military action was necessary to prevent a potentially catastrophic future attack against the United States or its allies.

That decision has consequences, including higher gasoline prices and renewed inflationary pressure. But unlike the inflation caused by domestic economic policy during the Biden years, these economic effects are tied to national security and military conflict.

History shows that wars often bring economic sacrifice for Americans.

During World War II, Americans dealt with gasoline rationing, long lines at stations, limits on pleasure driving, lower speed limits, tire shortages, and restrictions on the purchase of new vehicles.

One might argue that World War II was a global war, not a regional conflict. Fair point. But even the Korean War brought economic pressures at home.

Gasoline prices increased during the Korean War, though not to the levels seen during World War II. Americans also experienced:

• Higher prices for cars and appliances

• Delays in the availability of consumer products

The bottom line is this: higher gasoline prices and rising inflation are part of the economic cost Americans may have to endure to confront what Trump and his supporters view as a serious national security threat.

Not only is it a cost we can endure—it may be a cost necessary to secure America’s future safety.

The conflict with Iran, supporters argue, is intended to protect the United States and reduce a long-term threat. If that comes with short-term economic hardship, many Americans believe it is a sacrifice worth making for future generations.

Sometimes freedom and national security come with a price—not only in lives lost, but also in economic hardship. President Trump understood that when he decided it was time to act.

It is time for Americans, regardless of political affiliation, to recognize the seriousness of the threat posed by Iran and to understand why President Trump believed military action was necessary, despite the economic consequences. 

“Leadership is tested when the consequences are difficult.”