Nicolai Haugsted
Even die-hard Trump supporters are beginning to lose faith over soaring fuel costs.
Higher prices at the pump are beginning to reshape opinion among Donald Trump’s political base, with a new survey indicating that many of his own supporters now connect the rising cost of fuel to the administration’s military campaign against Iran.
The findings come as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate, pushing oil markets higher and sending the average price of a gallon of gasoline back to around $4 across the United States.
According to a new POLITICO poll, backing for the economic sacrifices linked to the Iran conflict has weakened considerably among Trump’s most loyal voters.
Roughly half of MAGA supporters believed in May that the financial burden of the war was justified. That figure has now fallen to just over one-third.
Most respondents also pointed to the conflict as the primary reason fuel prices have climbed since Trump returned to office.
Among those surveyed, 57 percent of MAGA voters blamed the Iran war for the increase, while the figure rose to 63 percent among Trump supporters who do not identify with the MAGA movement.
Some voters compare Trump to Harris
Poll results also suggest that not all Republican voters believe fuel prices would have been worse under Democratic leadership.
Twenty percent of Trump supporters said gasoline would likely have become more expensive under Trump than it would have if Kamala Harris had won the 2024 presidential election.
Meanwhile, 34 percent believed prices would have risen more under a Democratic administration, while 35 percent said they expected little or no difference regardless of who occupied the White House.
Curt Mills, executive director of the American Conservative magazine, argued that public support for the conflict is continuing to erode.
“This shows that as unpopular as the first round of war was from February to early summer, this second round is even more ridiculous.”
Mills also suggested that many Americans remain unconvinced by the administration’s justification for the military campaign.
“The American people quite simply do not get it, do not understand why we are in this war, and, yes, President Trump is king of the Republican Party. Yes, the president can do a lot and has a lot of latitude with his own supporters, but kings are not invulnerable from political reality.”
Congress approves new funding
Growing frustration among parts of Trump’s voter base comes as House Republicans approved a $95 billion package intended to finance the war effort in Iran alongside several other priorities backed by the president.
The poll suggests that while Trump continues to command strong support within the Republican Party, rising living costs could become an increasingly difficult political challenge if fuel prices continue to climb.
