ICYMI: MSNOW: Trump Made Gas Prices A Political Weapon. Now He’s Downplaying The Pain.

Trump repeatedly said his war of choice with Iran would be short-lived and promised Americans the pain would only be “short-term”

A new report shows that American families could face more than a thousand extra dollars in additional gasoline and heating costs compared to before the war 

Washington, DC – Today marks six months since Trump started his reckless war of choice with Iran and sent the cost of everything from gasoline to groceries through the roof. A new report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) reveals the true costs of Trump’s “short excursion.” According to the report, families are facing as much as $1,250 in additional gasoline and heating costs compared to before the war. 

Trump has insisted that he doesn’t care about Americans’ financial situations and made it clear that he is in no rush to end the war. With less than 70 days until the midterm elections, Republicans in Congress are desperately trying to do damage control as their own constituents struggle to make ends meet. Unfortunately for them, Trump is telling Americans who are choosing between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table to “sit back and relax.” While Trump may have “all the time in the world”, the clock is ticking for Republicans who want to keep their job this November. As one of their last acts before going on vacation for a month, House Republicans voted to give Trump $95 billion more in tax dollars to continue the war as long as he pleases.

MSNOW: Trump made gas prices a political weapon. Now he’s downplaying the pain.

Donald Trump once asked voters to judge his opponents by the sticker price at the gas pump. Now, he’s dismissing anger about those same prices under his watch even as the cost of living emerges as a top issue ahead of the midterms.

Six months into the war with Iran, economic sentiment has shifted sharply against Republicans, including on that key metric, which voters previously pointed to as a singular area of relief before the war began…

The average cost for a gallon of fuel is around $4.10 nationally, where the median price has settled for about a month now, according to AAA estimates as of Monday. Anger with energy prices extends beyond gas stations: voters are also vexed at the cost of everything from electricity to air conditioning.

Mark Wolfe, who has worked in utility assistance for more than two decades, says that energy is “becoming a target for people’s frustrations, and it’s staying; it’s sticking.”

In his conversations with legislators and everyday Americans, he says he has never heard people, regardless of their income, express such ire toward energy companies. “Everyone’s got one of these bills, and they see it,” Wolfe said. “They want to know someone is fighting for them.”…