As the average price of gas in the United States continues to rise, President Donald Trump is asking Americans for patience, even as analysts predict prices could reach even higher levels.
In comments to reporters outside the White House on May 19, Trump said Americans’ financial problems were “peanuts” compared to the prospect of Iran having a nuclear weapon, adding that elevated prices would not last “much longer.”
“We have to do something with Iran. We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “You want to see the world exploded? You want to see a problem? This is peanuts.”
Trump’s comments came exactly a week after the president shared a similar sentiment, saying that Americans’ financial woes did not concern him as much as the prospect of an Iranian nuclear device.
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all,” Trump said May 12.
Calls for Patience as Gas Soars
According to the AAA Auto Club, May 20 saw the average price of a gallon of gas in the United States reach $4.55 per gallon.
That price is an increase from the average of $4.04 a month ago on April 20 and a steep climb from the average of $2.98 a gallon on Feb. 28, the day the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran.
But, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, the price increases America has seen might only be the beginning.
“BREAKING: GasBuddy Forecasts Most Expensive Summer at the Pump in Years Amid Strait Closure… possibly touching $5/gal, setting new record average of $4.80 per gallon, exceeding 2022’s summer average of $4.43 if the Strait remains closed,” De Haan said in a post on X.
USA TODAY’s Keith Laing and Joey Garrison contributed to this report. Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY.