Trump says gas prices could remain high amid ongoing uncertainty in Middle East

President Donald Trump says higher gas prices will stick around a little while longer as uncertainty continues in the Middle East. Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 3-week ceasefire; the ceasefire between the US and Iran was extended indefinitely.
Posted 4/24/2026, 1:10:24 AM Updated 4/24/2026, 2:00:08 AM

AT 11.

>> FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

>> THAT IS YOUR QUOTE OF THE

DAY AND IT'S COMING FROM

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. THAT

WAS HIS RESPONSE WHEN ASKED IF

AMERICANS SHOULD EXPECT TO KEEP

PAYING HIGHER PRICES FOR GAS.

THEY ASKED HIM AND THAT IS HOW

HE RESPONDED FOR A LITTLE

WHILE. THE UNCERTAINTY

CONTINUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

TONIGHT. THE LATEST HEADLINE IS

THAT ISRAEL AND LEBANON AGREED

TO A 3 WEEK CEASEFIRE.

MEANWHILE, THE CEASEFIRE

BETWEEN THE U.S. AND IRAN WAS

EXTENDED INDEFINITELY. HERE'S

ANOTHER QUOTE FROM THE

PRESIDENT ON WHAT WE SHOULD

EXPECT FROM THAT. HE SAID A

DEAL WILL ONLY BE MADE WHEN

IT'S APPROPRIATE AND GOOD FOR

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

OUR OUR ALLIES AND IN FACT, THE

REST OF THE WORLD IN THE

MEANTIME, IT'S STILL PRETTY

CHAOTIC IN THE STRAIT OF

HORMUZ, A BODY OF WATER WHERE

IT'S A SHIPPING LANE WHERE 20%

OF THE WORDS WORLD'S OIL, YOU

KNOW, MOVES THROUGH. AND IT'S

NOT REALLY BEEN SMOOTH SAILING

THROUGH THERE. WE KNOW IRAN IS

FIRED ON 3 SHIPS IN THE STRAIT

AND WE KNOW THE U.S. HAS SEIZED

AT LEAST 2 SHIPS. IT'S A LOT OF

BACK AND FORTH IN ITS KIND OF

HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF

ALL OF IT. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT

THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF ALL THAT

UNCERTAINTY. THE GAS PRICES

BECAUSE AS PRESIDENT TRUMP

SAID, WE COULD BE PAYING MORE

AT THE PUMP FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF THAT LITTLE

WHILE ISN'T SO LITTLE. WHAT IF

THE PRICES STAY HIGH OR EVEN

GET HIGHER? LET'S GO IN DEPTH.

I INTERVIEWED UNC PROFESSOR AND

YOU SHOULD CHARGE SHE TRACTION

STUDIES INTERNATIONAL OIL

TRADE. SHE DID THIS AT THE

WHITE HOUSE DURING THE BIDEN

ADMINISTRATION.

>> AND SHE GAVE ME AN

INTERESTING MATH EQUATION TO

USE WITH OIL PRICES.

>> THERE ARE 42 GALLONS IN A

BARREL. SO FOR EVERY 10 DOLLAR

INCREASE IN THE BARREL PRICE.

IT TRANSLATES TO ROUGHLY $0.25

PER GALLON RATES. IF YOU HAVE A

$40 INCREASE IN PRICES, YOU SEE

THAT GAS PRICES GO UP BY ABOUT

A DOLLAR PER GALLON.

>> LET'S DO SOME MORE MATH AND

I KNOW ANYTHING. IT'S THAT

PEOPLE LOVE MATH ON TELEVISION

RIGHT NOW. A BARREL OF OIL IS

HOVERING AROUND $100 IN GAS

PRICES IN NORTH CAROLINA SAID

AROUND $3.85. A GALLON. NOW,

REMEMBER SOME OF THAT IS TAX

NORTH CAROLINA TAXES IS 40.5

CENTS ON A GALLON IN THE FED'S

TAXES. ANOTHER 18.4 CENTS.

WHICH TOTALS ABOUT $0.60 PER

GALLON. THESE PRICES ARE TOUGH

FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND

BUSINESSES. BUT I ASKED

PROFESSOR CHART WHEN PRICES GO

FROM DIFFICULT TO DEVASTATING,

NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES,

BUT FOR THE ENTIRE ECONOMY.

>> BUT IT'S ONLY IF WE GET TO

EXTREMELY HIGH OIL PRICES.

WE JUST OVER $200 A BARREL

WHICH REALLY WE HAVEN'T SEEN

IN. YOU KNOW, I DON'T RECALL

WHEN WE HAVE SEEN PRICES LIKE

THAT. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE.

THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE

TO PUSH THE U.S. INTO A

RECESSION.

>> THE GOOD NEWS IS WE ARE

STILL A LONG WAY FROM BACK.

AND THERE'S NO INDICATION THAT

WOULD EVEN HAPPEN ANYWAY.

IN FACT, THE ECONOMY IS SET

UP TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING.

REMEMBER THE GAS CRISIS IN THE

1970'S, AN OIL EMBARGO BY

COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

NEARLY QUADRUPLED THE PRICE

OF OIL. THE VIDEO OF THE CARS

LINED UP AT GAS STATIONS WAS

ALL OVER THE NEWS TO LEAD TO

A RECESSION AT THE TIME THE

UNITED STATES PRODUCED AROUND

140 BILLION GALLONS OF OIL PER

YEAR. IT'S ABOUT 210 BILLION

GALLONS PER YEAR. IF YOU'RE

EARNING. PAUL WROTE IN AND SAID

WE HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF OIL

HERE IN THE U.S. ENOUGH TO

PROVIDE OTHER COUNTRIES.

WHY ARE WE PAYING HIGH GAS

PRICES? SO THIS IS A COMMON

QUESTION. WE GET THIS A LOT.

THE ANSWER IS PRETTY SIMPLE.

ACTUALLY, THE FREE MARKET

PROFIT AND SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

IT'S REALLY ECON 1, 1, TO TRY

TO KEEP THIS SIMPLE U.S. OIL

COMPANY SELL OIL ALL OVER THE

WORLD, JUST LIKE THE OIL FROM

IRAN AND EVERYWHERE ELSE IN

THE WORLD. IT'S ALL CONNECTED

IN THIS ONE LARGE GLOBAL

ECONOMY. SO WHAT A WAR CAUSES

THE SHORTAGE SUPPLY DROPS ALL

OVER THE PLANET AND PRICES GO

UP ALL OVER THE PLANET. NOW,

COULD U.S. COMPANIES GIVE US A

BREAK ON GAS PRICES? SURE, BUT

THAT'S NOT HOW BUSINESS WORKS.

>> THE OIL COMPANIES, U.S. OIL

COMPANIES ARE GOING TO SEE

BLOCKBUSTER YEARS FOR THEIR

PROFITS, POSSIBLY BE HIRING

>> AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE MORE

HIRE MORE PEOPLE AND IN THE

STATES THAT PRODUCE ENERGY,

RIGHT LIKE TEXAS, NORTH DAKOTA,

OKLAHOMA, THOSE STATES ARE

PROBABLY GOING TO DO VERY WELL.

>> AND THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR

THE STOCK MARKET. FOR INSTANCE,

ONE OF THE REASONS WE SEE

FLUCTUATIONS INSTEAD OF MASSIVE

DECLINES. IT'S ALSO ONE OF THE

MAIN REASONS WE INVESTED SO

HARD AND IN THE OIL BUSINESS

AFTER THE CRISIS IN THE 70'S IN

THE FIRST PLACE, WE DID IT TO

PROTECT OUR ECONOMY. IT'S A

GOOD THING. NO, I KNOW A LOT OF

YOU ARE HEARING ME SAY THIS AND

YOU'RE SAYING IF IT'S SO GOOD,

WHY DOES IT FEEL THAT WAY?

>> THE U.S. ECONOMY IS REALLY

QUITE INSULATED. AND I THINK WE

HAVE TO MAKE A DISTINCTION

BETWEEN THE PAIN THAT AMERICAN

HOUSEHOLDS AS WELL AS AMERICAN

COMPANIES FACE BECAUSE OF

RISING OIL PRICES. WE HAVE TO

SEPARATE THAT FROM THIS.

THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE. IF THE

ECONOMY IS DOING SO WELL, WHY

DON'T I FEEL SO GOOD

ABOUT IT? WRIGHT? AND THERE'S

THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT FRACTION

AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS. I I FACING

THAT LIVE SESSION.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.

5 SESSION BECAUSE GAS IS

LITERALLY CONNECTED TO EVERY

PRODUCT AND INDUSTRY IN YOUR

LIFE LIKE GROCERIES, HIGHER

GAS PRICES MEAN SHIPPING COSTS

ARE UP. DIESEL PRICES ARE WAY

UP IN THOSE GET PASSED ON TO

YOU. OIL AND NATURAL GAS ALSO

USED TO MAKE FERTILIZER, WHICH

COSTS 70% MORE NOW THAN IT DID

2 MONTHS AGO, WHICH MAKES

FARMING MORE EXPENSIVE AND

THOSE COSTS AGAIN GET PASSED ON

TO YOU. THEN THERE'S MEDICINE.

THEY USE OIL TO MAKE BACK TO IN

THIS WEEK IN THE UK, THE COST

OF SOME DRUGS SPIKED 30%

BECAUSE OF OIL PRICES.

>> I REALLY THINK IF A RISE

IN OIL PRICES AS A TAX AND THE

ENTIRE ECONOMY. SO EVEN THOUGH

THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE MIGHT BE

DOING, OK, YOU KNOW, THE IMPACT

ON AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS AND

AMERICAN COMPANIES CANNOT BE

TONIGHT. AND WHEN EVERYTHING

IS MORE EXPENSIVE TO MAKE AND

SHIP PRICES WILL GO UP ON

EVERYTHING MEANING MORE

INFLATION, WHICH COULD KEEP

INTEREST RATES HIGH OR HIGHER.

>> THE PROBLEM FITS INTO

SOMETHING THAT MANY ECONOMISTS

ARE WORRIED ABOUT. THE K SHAPED

ECONOMY WHERE THE THE WEALTHY

THRIVE. THE TOP LINE OF THE

K THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THINGS ARE

INVESTED IN THINGS AND DON'T

HAVE BAD DEBTS. THEY'RE DOING

WELL OR GREAT HOLDING THE STOCK

MARKET'S STEADY IN KEEPING THE

BIG PICTURE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD

WHILE EVERYONE ELSE. THE BOTTOM

LINE OF THE K STRUGGLES WITH

A DIFFERENT PERSONAL FINANCIAL

EQUATION YESTERDAY ECONOMY,

THE GDP IS PROTECTED FROM

RISING OIL PRICES. BUT MOST

OF YOU OR NOT COSTING YOU MORE

TO GO ANYWHERE BY ANYTHING.

EAT, TAKE MEDICINE AND PAYING

OFF DEBT. TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL

ABOUT THIS. WHAT QUESTIONS YOU

HAVE ABOUT OIL PRICES AND HOW

THEY AFFECT YOUR LIFE. HOW ARE

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