As the average price of gas continues to rise in the United States, President Donald Trump is asking Americans to be patient, although analysts predict prices could reach even higher levels.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on May 19, Trump said that Americans’ financial problems were “peanuts” compared to the possibility of Iran having nuclear weapons, adding that the high prices would not last “for long.”
“We have to do something with Iran. We can’t let them have nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “You want to see the world explode? You want to see a problem? That’s peanuts.”
Trump’s comments come just a week after the president shared a similar sentiment, saying that Americans’ financial woes do not worry him as much as the possibility of an Iranian nuclear device.
Trump said on May 12, “I don’t think about the financial situation of Americans. I don’t think about anything. I think about one thing. We can’t let Iran have nuclear weapons. That’s all.”
Patience is needed when gas increases
According to the AAA Auto Club, the average price of a gallon of gas in the United States reached $4.55 per gallon on May 20.
The price is up from an average of $4.04 a month earlier on April 20 and has risen sharply from an average of $2.98 per gallon on February 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 increase the US has seen may be only the beginning.
“BREAKING: GasBuddy forecasts most expensive summer in years at the pump amid Strait closure…potentially hitting $5/gallon, setting a new record average of $4.80 per gallon, surpassing the summer 2022 average of $4.43 if the Strait remains closed,” de Haan said in a post on X.
USA TODAY’s Keith Lang and Joey Garrison contributed to this report. Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY.