President Donald Trump promised relief for drivers is coming soon as gas prices have continued to rise since the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran.
The average price of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. on Thursday, Sept. 10, was $4.27, according to AAA. That’s up from an average of $4.14 one week ago on Sept. 3 and $3.19 on Sept. 10, 2025, the group said.
Oil prices have also spiked since officials said U.S. military forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers, the latest escalation in the war between the United States and Iran. Futures for Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, reached about $105 per barrel on Thursday, Sept. 10. Futures for November delivery of West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, also rose nearly 4% on Sept. 10. It was trading at around $99 per barrel.
Trump said Wednesday, Sept. 9, “right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward.”
“I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm,” Trump said.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a post on X, “the two-day rise in the national average price of gasoline, 17.6c/gal, is the largest 2-day rise since April. The national average price of gasoline now stands at $4.260/gal, according to GasBuddy data.”
De Haan has said diesel gas prices in the U.S. are also on the rise.
“BREAKING: diesel history is about to be made. $6/gal nationally — never seen before, days away,” he wrote in a Sept. 9 X post. “It’s now in the pipeline, unavoidable.”
With that in mind, the USA TODAY Cars team looked at what Trump can do to lower prices and what he has previously tried to achieve that goal.
What Can Trump Do to Lower Gas Prices?
Absent a resolution of the military conflict over Iran’s Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s options to lower gas prices may be limited.
De Haan said in a blog post that shipping traffic through the Strait “dipped to its lowest level since May, with just two vessels passing on Saturday and six on Sunday” after a weekend round of U.S. strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
“The conflict has now pushed crude nearly 10% higher over the past week alone,” De Haan wrote.
Average gas prices in the U.S. on Sept. 10 ranged from $3.56 in Indiana to $5.89 in California, according to AAA. Regional differences in gas prices can be explained by several factors, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The agency listed the following reasons for regional gas price differences:
- Differences in state and local gas taxes
- Distance from supply
- Supply disruptions
- Retail competition and operating costs
- Environmental programs
“Retail gasoline prices tend to be higher the further gasoline must be transported to the point of sale because transportation costs are higher,” the agency said.
“Anything that slows or stops gasoline production can result in increased bidding for available gasoline supplies,” the agency added. “Prices at gasoline stations are often highest in locations with fewer gasoline stations.”
How Else Has Trump Tried to Lower Gas Prices?
The White House touted in July the launch of 25 Freedom Fuel gas stations in the Northeast, all selling fuel at $3.47 a gallon, to great fanfare. But the stations were concentrated in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and they appeared to have little impact on prices at the pump in those states. The average price of gas in Pennsylvania on Sept. 10 was $4.45 per gallon, and the average price at the pump in New Jersey was $4.36.
Trump has also previously pressured gas retailers to lower prices at the pump, accusing them of price gouging at a time when oil barrel prices were starting to fall.
Trump has additionally been pushing Congress to pass legislation that would allow sales of higher-ethanol gasoline as U.S. lawmakers grapple with rising gas prices that have upset many Americans in an election year.
In an updated 2026 budget request sent to Congress on June 24, the White House requested a new law that would codify “the permanent, year-round sale” of E15 gas, which is gasoline blended with 15% ethanol. Doing so, the White House said, would amount to “an urgent and needed policy change that would expand consumer choice, support domestic fuel production, and provide additional flexibility in fuel markets.”
Economy Reporter Rachel Barber contributed to this report.
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on the National Trending Desk at USA TODAY. Contact Keith at [email protected].
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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