Donald Trump built a significant part of his 2024 campaign on the promise of cheaper energy, repeatedly telling voters he would bring gas prices down dramatically. As of this week, a gallon costs $4.09, up from $2.75 in January, and Quinnipiac University has the receipts on what 1,028 registered voters think about that gap.
65% of registered voters blame Trump either a lot or some for the recent rise in gas prices, while 34% blame him not much or not at all, according to the poll conducted between April 9 and April 13.
Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy summarized the finding with a line that will likely end up in several Democratic campaign ads: “From regular to premium to diesel, for many, pain at the pump rhymes with Trump.”
The partisan breakdown is almost perfectly divided.
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Among Democrats, 97% blame Trump for the gas price surge. Among independents, that figure is 73%. Among Republicans, only 22% agree. The 22% of Republicans willing to hold Trump responsible for a pocketbook issue is the number his party’s strategists are watching most closely heading into the midterms. It represents a meaningful crack in an otherwise solid wall of partisan loyalty.
Trump’s response to the polling has been characteristically unbothered.
When a reporter asked him on the White House lawn how much longer Americans would see high gas prices, he replied: “Well, they’re not very high.” Gas prices have risen 49% since the beginning of 2026, according to AAA. On the day Trump said they were not very high, the national average was $4.093 per gallon. His energy secretary, who once said prices would fall by summer, has since walked that prediction back considerably.
The gas price numbers sit inside a broader set of findings that are equally uncomfortable for the White House. Trump’s approval rating for handling the economy matches an all-time low at 38%, a figure the poll has now recorded twice. Only 36% approve of his handling of the Iran situation, while 58% disapprove.
A total of 64% called his Truth Social threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight” unacceptable, including 71% of independents.
A vast majority of voters, 68%, believe the Iran war will last months or longer. 36% think it will last months, 13% think about a year and 19% think longer than that. The administration has been promising a quick resolution since February.
The erosion within the Republican base is the figure that matters most for the midterms. The share of Republicans who strongly approve of Trump’s job performance fell from 52% in January to 43% by April.
Soft support has a way of staying home on election day, and gas above $4 a gallon is not the kind of daily reminder that encourages enthusiasm.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
