Harris blames Trump policy

Kamala Harris said in an April 15 post that high gas prices in North Carolina and across the country are “a direct result” of President Donald Trump’s war in Iran. (x.com) Harris posted the message with a video filmed in North Carolina, where she stood in front of a gas-price sign and said Trump was acting in his “political interests and personal interests” instead of the interests of working people. (x.com) The post landed as the national average price for regular gasoline reached $4.093 a gallon on April 16, according to the American Automobile Association. That is above the $4 mark the group says the country had not crossed since 2022. (aaa.com; cardinalpine.com) North Carolina prices have also climbed. The statewide average for regular gas was $3.931 a gallon on April 6, up about 17 cents from a week earlier, according to reporting based on American Automobile Association data. (citizen-times.com) Oil traders have been watching the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that carries a large share of the world’s seaborne crude. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its April 7 outlook that closure-related production outages and disrupted traffic through the strait were central assumptions in its forecast. (eia.gov) The administration’s latest moves added to that pressure this week. CNBC reported on April 14 that the U.S. began blocking ships through the Strait of Hormuz after weekend peace talks failed, pushing oil prices higher again. (cnbc.com) The broader war began in late February. The Hill reported on February 28 that Harris had already accused Trump of dragging the United States into a war in Iran that “the American people don’t want.” (thehill.com) By April 8, USA Today reported that a ceasefire had been announced after 38 days of fighting, with U.S. strikes hitting more than 13,000 targets before the pause. The same report said drivers were still waiting to see whether pump prices would fall. (usatoday.com) Democrats have tried to turn those prices into a political argument. The Joint Economic Committee’s Democratic staff said on April 2 that households had paid $8.4 billion more for gasoline in one month and that filling a pickup truck now cost about $145. (senate.gov) Trump has not promised a quick drop from here. CNBC reported that he said gas prices by the midterms could stay where they are or run “a little bit higher,” as renewed disruption in the Gulf keeps pressure on oil markets. (cnbc.com)