Spiking Pump Prices Dent Trump’s Willingness to Extend War

Prices for regular, plus, and premium unleaded gasoline in Seattle on March 9.

Photographer: M. Scott Brauer/Bloomberg

President Donald Trump’s efforts to stabilize prices at the pump underscore the unique role oil and gasoline play in the economy — and American voters’ perceptions of it.

Trump’s war with Iran has fueled one of the biggest spikes in gasoline prices in recent decades, lifting pump prices to the highest levels he’s seenBloomberg Terminal as president. The surge threatens to ripple through the economy, from factories and farms all the way to the ballot box.