Personal Finance

Most voters blame Trump for rising gas prices: Poll

by Ashleigh Fields - 04/19/26 6:40 PM ET

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by Ashleigh Fields - 04/19/26 6:40 PM ET

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Most registered voters blame President Trump for rising gas prices, according to a new poll.

Quinnipiac University’s national poll, which was released Wednesday, found that more than half of respondents, 51 percent, blame Trump “a lot” for gas prices spiking while 14 percent blame him “some.”

Comparatively, 11 percent of respondents blame him “not much” while 23 percent do not blame him at all for the rise in costs at the pump.

The national gas price average is $4.04, according to AAA. Last year at this time, gas cost $3.17 per gallon, per the U.S. Energy Information Agency.

The spike in prices is caused in large part by the slowing of oil transports through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed after the start of the U.S.-Israeli military operations in the Middle Eastern country. The critical choke point is responsible for a fifth of the world’s daily oil transports.

Currently, a U.S. naval blockade is in place to prevent Iran from selectively granting ships safe travel through the passageway.

On Wednesday, Trump said he expects prices to drop “tremendously” over the next few months and said he doesn’t expect that oil prices will be high during the midterm elections.

However, Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday said gas prices may not drop below $3 until next year.

Party divides in the Quinnipiac poll were stark.

Ninety-one percent of surveyed Democrats blame Trump “a lot” for the price spike, 6 percent blame him “some” and 1 percent blame him “not much.”

More than half of independents, 53 percent, fault Trump “a lot” for higher gas prices; 20 percent blame him “some”; and 10 percent blame Trump “not much,” while 15 percent say they do not blame him at all.

And in the GOP, 9 percent of surveyed Republicans blame Trump “a lot” for the gas price spike, 13 percent blame him “some” and 23 percent blame him “not much.”

Fifty-three percent of Republicans say he’s not to blame at all.

This week in Islamabad, Pakistan, talks between the U.S. and Iran are scheduled to start, with the goal of ending the war.

International leaders have encouraged a departure from conflict in the region and a swift solution for the strait’s reopening.

According to the poll, 40 percent of registered American voters support U.S. military action against Iran while 53 percent oppose the war. Seven percent said they did not know or had no answer.

Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,028 self-identified registered voters nationwide from April 9 to April 13. The margin of error for the poll is 3.8 percentage points.

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