gas nozzle with money sign

Andrea Austria/Media Matters for America

Gas and diesel prices are soaring. Right-wing media figures promised that wouldn't happen.

Right-wing media knew that soaring gas prices would be trouble for the midterms — and assured their audiences repeatedly that they'd come back down

Written by Allison Fisher

Research contributions from Olivia Smith, Audrey Bowler & Reed McMaster

Published

Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, right-wing media have attempted to downplay, dismiss, and deflect from the resulting pain at the pump, including by repeatedly claiming that elevated prices would be temporary. Some right-wing media personalities have even gone so far as to predict exactly when prices would fall back to prewar levels or to speculate about precisely what deadlines prices would need to drop by in order for the Trump administration and Republican Party to avoid suffering severe political fallout.

But those predictions have not come to pass, even as their constantly shifting deadlines have come and gone. In fact, as the national average for a gallon of gas continues to surge past $4, oil executives warn that prices could get even worse as commercial fuel stocks and strategic reserves that previously served as a buffer have been depleted, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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  • Right-wing media figures repeatedly promised that soaring gas prices were a blip and would come tumbling down imminently

    • Fox host Jesse Watters: “There's going to be some short-term pain for American consumers until the Iranians are defanged, which we hope is within just a few weeks and oil drops back down to the 60s.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 3/5/26]

    • Watters: “You can’t keep prices high too long, especially going into Memorial Day. When the operation winds down, energy does go lower and the president can ride that drop through the summer and be set up better for the midterms this fall.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 3/11/26] 

    • Fox Business host Charles Payne has also repeatedly pinned lower gas and oil prices to some imminent, shifting date. In March, he predicted oil would return to $60 a barrel by the end of the year. In June, Payne said on America Reports, “I think where gasoline prices were about two or three weeks ago, that's going to be our peak. We’ll start to come down pretty rapidly. … Certainly people will start to feel it and see it during the so-called summer driving season.” Later that month he predicted, “Gasoline, I think, you know, well under $3.50 by the election — maybe even lower.” In July, Payne told Fox & Friends that we could get close to Trump’s goal of $2.50 per gallon gas “before the end of the year.” By mid-August, Payne was still forecasting “significantly” lower prices “by the end of the year.” [Fox News, America Reports, 3/11/26, 6/15/26, 6/22/26; Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/1/26; Fox News, Fox News Sunday, 8/16/26]

    • Newsmax host Carl Higbie also repeatedly told his audience that lower gas prices were weeks away. In March, he said, “Hold on for like two to three tanks of gas for — it will be an extra 10 to 12 bucks a tank — while Trump wraps this up. I'm asking you to trust the guy here.” Several days later, he claimed that Trump “has to tie this up in the next two to three weeks of these oil prices being high before it's actually like a serious political problem.” Later that month he again claimed, “I know it stinks, but please bear with the $10 to $20 more for a tank of gas for another week or two.” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie: Frontline, 3/11/26, 3/16/26, 3/26/26]

    • Podcaster Dave Rubin suggested that gas prices would go down by July 4. He said, “My suspicion is that the Iran war is going to wrap up nicely. I think we're going to see wins on the economic side of things with the trade deals. I think we'll see gas prices go down and a whole bunch of other things to the backdrop of, as I keep saying, July 4 is America's 250th anniversary. I think some good things are going to happen.” [YouTube, Rubin Report, 3/20/26]

    • Ashley Davis, a former official in the George W. Bush administration, said on Fox Business: “I think that we have about two more weeks for this to wrap up, and then we’ll have the gas prices go down before Memorial Day. We’re going into summer with lower gas prices again.” [Fox Business, Mornings with Maria, 3/24/26]

    • Former Trump economic adviser and frequent Fox guest Stephen Moore repeatedly forecasted lower prices. In March, Moore told Fox Business that as the price of crude “comes down, whether that's going to be in three days or three weeks or three months when the straits are open, then we will see a resumption of oil back in the $55 to $60 range, and that's very, very bullish for markets.” The following week, he claimed on The Bottom Line that prices would come down like a “waterfall” “within the next few months.” In April, Moore claimed, “I do think you're looking at $3 a gallon gas by … I'm going to say mid-summer if — if, if — we start getting that flow going.” [Fox Business, Varney & Co., 3/23/26, 4/20/26; Fox Business, The Bottom Line, 3/31/26] 

    • On America Reports, Fox anchor Sandra Smith claimed that “right now, it looks like gas prices are heading lower, and the treasury secretary even indicated he thinks that we could see $3 [per gallon] between June and August this year.” Fox contributor Phil Flynn agreed and claimed that the Trump administration “did everything it took to keep prices under control,” adding, “We’re seeing the benefit of that at the pump. Confidence that they know what they're doing is keeping prices under wraps.” [Fox News, America Reports, 4/20/26]

    • In April, Fox host Kayleigh McEnany assured viewers that “President Trump can and will bring that [$4 gas] down when he wraps this up. He says two to three weeks is what he is asking for.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 4/1/26]

    • Fox Business’ Larry Kudlow claimed on America Reports, “This is a temporary thing. … How fast does it come down? I don't know. But it will come down quite a bit this spring and summer as this develops.” [Fox News, America Reports, 4/16/26]

    • On his radio show, Fox host Sean Hannity stated, “Scott Bessent is vowing — he says it's only going to be a matter of weeks and that high gas prices will come down very quickly, which I agree with.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Sean Hannity Show, 5/5/26] 

    • PBD Podcast panelist Adam Sosnick: “My assumption is gas prices will come down in the middle of summer before the midterms, and everything will be OK. It's just a matter of time.” [YouTube, PBD Podcast, 5/8/26] 

    • Right-wing influencer and podcaster Benny Johnson: “The gas prices are going to go back to where the median gas prices fundamentally are, which is around $2 a gallon. ... This is something that's going to happen by the midterms.” [YouTube, The Benny Show, 5/11/26]

    • Flynn: “If, indeed, President Trump is right and we get the strait open, we could see these prices plummet. … It’s either Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. Maybe this year it’ll be Memorial Day as those prices are starting to come down.” [Fox News, Fox News Live, 5/23/26]

    • On Fox News’ America Reports, Fox Business anchor David Asman predicted that prices would return to prewar levels before the midterm elections. New York Post financial correspondent Lydia Moynihan emphasized that consumers were seeing relief “within days” rather than waiting months and called the decline “very positive” heading into the summer and midterm elections. [Fox News, America Reports, 6/18/26]

    • Speculating about how long it would take for gas prices to return to prewar levels, Fox contributor Lou Basenese said on Fox & Friends: “My crystal ball says about 30 days.” Basenese explained, “The math that matters is for every $10 move in oil, it's a 25 cent move in gas, but takes about 20 to 30 days for that to happen. So if we do the math here, we're looking by the end of July, beginning of August, we’ll get back to where it’s been more affordable for Americans.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 6/25/26]

    • On Fox News’ One Nation with Brian Kilmeade, Kudlow predicted that gasoline would approach $3 by the end of the summer as increased global oil production drove prices lower. [Fox News, One Nation with Brian Kilmeade, 6/28/26]

    • Washington Times columnist Tim Murtaugh, discussing why he believes Republicans could do well in the midterms, predicted that gas prices would go down “well in time for the midterms.” He said, “Because of the Trump policies, you're going to have the economy hitting on all cylinders, gas prices are going to be down because the situation with Iran will likely be cleared up well in time for the midterms." [Rumble, Triggered, 7/2/26]

  • Right-wing media suggested gas prices would need to drop by the fall in order to avoid further political ramifications

    • On The Big Money Show, co-host Jackie DeAngelis said that “Americans do have a short memory for the most part” when it comes to gas prices and that “as long as prices are stabilized and significantly lower, I would say by September, I'm less worried about the midterms.” DeAngelis made a similar argument in June: “They [gas prices] are coming down and in the peak of summer driving. So imagine if this all stays on track, with respect to what’s happening in the Middle East, where we will be by September, which puts you in a good position ahead of midterms.” [Fox Business, The Big Money Show, 3/20/26, 6/25/26]

    • In April, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Fox Business, “I’d be shocked if we had $4 gasoline by September.” Two months later on Fox News he warned, “If the price of gasoline comes down by Labor Day, president will be in very good shape. If the price of gasoline’s too high, then the Republicans have a big problem.” [Fox Business, Varney & Co., 4/1/26; Fox News, The Story with Martha McCallum 6/3/26]

    • Conservative radio host Rich Zeoli on Fox & Friends Weekend: “I think the patience is going to run out if, by the end of the summer, gas prices don't stabilize and go down.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends Weekend, 5/31/26]

    • Fox contributor Joe Concha: “If they go below $4 and back towards $3, that helps, obviously, Republicans in the midterms. If this thing lingers until September, October, then early voting starts and we're still in the same place that we are now … then Republicans have some big problems as far as winning the midterms.” [Fox News, The Big Weekend Show, 6/7/26]

    • Fox host Todd Pirro on Mornings with Maria Bartiromo: “For me, this was a necessary move to kind of show the world, hey, we can lower prices. But again … my concern: None of this matters if prices are still high heading into early voting in October.” [Fox Business, Mornings with Maria Bartiromo, 6/19/26]

    • Ruthless podcast host Shashank Tripathi, on Fox News Sunday: “I think the Iran situation needs to get fixed as soon as possible. I would hate for it to be September and gas prices be high at the pump.” [Mediaite, 8/22/25; Fox News, Fox News Sunday, 8/2/26]