Trump blames Democratic-led states and Ukraine's refinery strikes for rising US gasoline prices

US President Donald Trump on Monday blamed Democratic-led states and Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries for high US gasoline prices, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera. An Anadolu Agency headline says Trump blamed the Russia-Ukraine war and Democratic-led states for rising US gasoline prices.

US gasoline prices have been rising. Reuters and Al Jazeera describe Trump's remarks as an attempt to shift blame for fuel prices away from the war involving Iran.

According to Al Jazeera, Trump made the remarks in a post on Truth Social. Al Jazeera quoted the post as saying: "What’s driving up Gasoline is no longer the Strait of Hormuz, because Record Numbers of Barrels are coming out now on an almost daily basis, but the word, ‘Refineries,’ where Russia’s are being blown up by Ukraine, and where ours are being closed up, in Blue States, like California, by the Dumocrats".

Prices and supply

Al Jazeera, citing the American Automobile Association (AAA), reports an average US gasoline price of $4.36 a gallon. That is up from $4.14 a month ago and $2.98 on 28 February, when, according to Al Jazeera, the US and Israel first struck Iran.

Al Jazeera also reports:

• G7 countries agreed on Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude from emergency reserves, amid pressure from the White House.
• The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at its lowest level since 1982.
• An International Energy Agency analysis found Russian refinery throughput in June hit a two-decade low.
• Two California refineries shut down over the past year. An S&P Global analysis found this cut the state's refining capacity by 17 percent.
• Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure have also driven up prices, particularly for diesel.

Al Jazeera cites a recent AP-NORC poll in which 65 percent of Americans blamed Trump's policies for higher prices. The remarks come ahead of US midterm elections, Al Jazeera notes.

What is disputed

Trump says refineries, not the Strait of Hormuz, now drive prices. Reuters describes rising US energy prices as fueled by the war in Iran. Al Jazeera cites disrupted Hormuz flows.

Trump says record barrels are leaving Hormuz almost daily. Al Jazeera reports daily exports have fallen 97 percent since the war began, without naming its source. Al Jazeera's page also links to a headline saying Middle East oil exports have surpassed pre-war levels. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not reconcile these accounts.

What each side says

• Ukraine's Ministry of Defence claimed on Sunday it has disabled more than half of Russia's oil refining capacity, according to Al Jazeera. The reports do not include independent verification.
• Rachel Ziemba of the Center for a New American Security told Al Jazeera: "The damage to Russia’s refineries – and risk of more US sanctions on those who process Russian oil – are exacerbating the situation, but the underlying issue is still the volatile flows from the Middle East, the greater difficulty getting oil products out and the lower buffers in place".
• Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy said in a post on X, as quoted by Al Jazeera, that the US told some EU members to release strategic reserves or face a potential US diesel export ban. The reports do not include official confirmation.

The reports do not include responses from Democratic officials, California authorities or the Ukrainian government. The Reuters and Anadolu reports reviewed consist of headlines and summaries; most detail comes from Al Jazeera.

Analysis

The dispute centres on how much each factor contributes to US fuel prices, which none of the reports reviewed quantify. Several pressures appear to coexist: Middle East supply disruption, reduced Russian refining and fewer California refineries. Rachel Ziemba, an analyst quoted by Al Jazeera, says the conflicts involving Iran and Russia's war with Ukraine are reinforcing each other, but calls volatile Middle East flows the underlying issue. If Hormuz flows recover, prices could ease, and attention may shift to refining capacity. If disruption persists, emergency reserve releases may face limits, given reported low US stock levels. With midterm elections approaching, how voters assign responsibility for fuel costs could become a political factor for all parties.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.