California: 61 days later, no plan: Trump's Iran war drives national gas prices to a four-year high, sending prices soaring across the economy

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Apr 30, 2026

61 days later, no plan: Trump's Iran war drives national gas prices to a four-year high, sending prices soaring across the economy

What you need to know:  Gas prices just hit their highest point nationally since 2022. Over two months ago, Donald Trump launched a war with no plan to protect the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for 20 percent of the world's oil supply. Since then, the median state has seen gas prices jump more than $1.19 a gallon — and seven states have seen bigger increases than California. Sixty-one days in, every state is paying Trump's Iran war tax, and the White House still has no plan to bring any of it down.

SACRAMENTO –Sixty-one days after Donald Trump chose to launch a war with no plan to protect American wallets, gas prices have surged to their highest level nationally since the initial months of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The difference: that was someone else's foreign war. This one is Trump's, and Americans nationwide are paying for his ill-prepared decision.

The national average reached $4.30 a gallon today — 44% higher than the price on the day Trump started the war. Average California prices reached $6.01 – nearly 30% higher than before Trump's war. In total, Americans have paid over $29.2 billion more for fuel since the war began than they otherwise would have, according to Brown University—that's over $223 per household for every household in the U.S.

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, oil prices keep climbing, and there is no relief in sight because there has never been a plan.

Every American who fills up their tank this week, buys groceries, or books a flight is paying Donald Trump's Iran war tax. He started the Iran war with no plan, and it is clear he has no plan to end it either. Sixty-one days in, American families are still waiting for relief and still getting nothing from the Trump administration and Republican-led Congress. It's shameful.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Two months of war: Trump's recklessness is raising prices across the economy

The pain at the pump is only the beginning. Higher oil prices ripple through the entire economy, and Americans are already feeling it:

📈 Inflation is up. Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March from a year earlier. The Trump price increases represent the biggest yearly increase since May 2024. According to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index, April's consumer sentiment is the lowest on record.

📈 Grocery prices are up. The average price of all groceries sold in U.S. stores rose 2.9% from a year before in the four weeks from the start of Trump's war, according to one data tracking firm. Prices for common consumer products — like body wash, toothpaste, bath tissue, shampoo, detergent, chocolate, coffee, diapers, and tampons — have all increased.

📈 Fertilizer prices are up. The Strait of Hormuz isn't just a chokepoint for oil — it's a chokepoint for fertilizer. A significant share of the world's fertilizer supply moves through the Strait, and Trump has failed to secure it. The result: nearly 60% of U.S. farmers say their finances are getting worse as fertilizer and fuel costs rise, thanks to Trump's Iran war. 78% of farmers say they can't afford full crop needs. Last month, a coalition of farmer unions and agricultural organizations wrote a letter to Trump, warning of dire economic consequences for the farm economy.

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📈 Jet fuel and airfares are up. Trump's Iran war has sent jet fuel prices skyrocketing to record highs. Since jet fuel accounts for about 20% of airline operating costs, airlines have been forced to increase baggage fees and raise airfares. Delta Airlines says that higher fuel prices are going to cost them an additional $2 billion this quarter. Matters are so bad that major international airlines are already canceling flights.

Trump's only plan: blame California and hope no one checks the math

According to Brown University, several Midwest and Mountain states have been hit by the largest price increases from Trump's Iran gas price spike:

📈 Utah: +1.612/gallon (+58.6% )
📈 Ohio: +1.648/gallon (+58.6% )
📈 Michigan: +1.592/gallon (+53.2% )
📈 Illinois: +1.612/gallon (+52.8% )
📈 Kentucky: +1.457/gallon (+55.2% )
📈 Idaho: +1.443/gallon (+48.6%)
📈 Wisconsin: +1.428/gallon (+52.1%)

California's increase? +1.37/gallon (+29.4%), lower than the hardest hit states and still costing California households $1.6 billion more at the pump since Trump's war began.

Thanks in part to implementation of the Governor's special session laws to strengthen oversight, improve transparency, and stabilize the fuel market, California gas prices had been stable for about two years, until Donald Trump launched a war with no plan that closed the Strait of Hormuz and sent crude prices through the roof. Trump's recklessness is wreaking havoc on America's economic security — affecting gas prices in red states and blue states regardless of whether they pump oil or have refineries.

A trail of nonsensical lies

On February 28, Donald Trump bombed Iran with no plan to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz — a critical waterway where 20% of global oil trade passes through daily. The result: Trump sent crude prices through the roof, which translates into higher prices on everything from gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, shipped goods, and more.

On March 8, as gas prices spiked nationwide because of Trump's Iran war, Energy Secretary Wright said on CBS's Face the Nation, "We have a temporary period of elevated energy prices, but it will not be long. In the worst case, this is weeks — this is not months, and it leads to a better place." Today, we know that was either a lie or grossly negligent planning.

On March 12, as gas prices continued rising nationwide, President Trump posted on social media that "when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money" — an extraordinary admission that higher gas prices benefit his Big Oil donors while American families bear the cost.

On March 15, Energy Secretary Wright appeared on NBC's Meet the Press and pointed to the Sable pipeline restart as one of the actions the Trump administration was taking to bring gas prices down. "We've got new oil production coming on in California," Wright said. "So lots of actions we're taking to mitigate this price rise." That was a lie.

Sable promised that the project would "offer Californians immediate relief at the pump by making gas more affordable." That was Sable's latest effort to mislead the public and its investors about its operations — efforts that have prompted federal investigations and lawsuits by Sable investors.

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Fast forward to this month, gas prices are up more than a dollar per gallon in every single state. And on April 14th, Secretary Wright accidentally let the truth slip out (https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5830334-energy-secretary-predicts-high-gas-prices/): "We're going to see energy prices high and maybe even rising until we get… meaningful ship traffic through the Straits of Hormuz."

On April 7, President Trump's own Energy Information Agency administrator admitted (https://www.eia.gov/pressroom/releases/press586.php) that fuel prices will continue to rise unless there's a solution to the closure of the Strait.

On April 12, Trump confessed (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/12/trump-oil-prices-higher-before-midterms/89579303007/#:~:text=%22It%20could%20be%20the%20same%20or%20maybe%20a%20little%20bit%20higher%2C%20but%20it%20should%20be%20around%20the%20same%2C%22%20Trump%20told%20Fox%20News%E2%80%99%20%22Sunday%20Morning%20Futures%22%20host%20Maria%20Bartiromo%20in%20an%20interview%20on%20April%2012) that gas prices "could be the same or maybe a little bit higher" by November. On the same day, Trump ordered (https://www.axios.com/2026/04/12/trump-naval-blockade-iran-strait-hormuz-peace-talks) a U.S. Navy blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, further increasing prices.

Today, gas prices are at the highest level nationwide (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/business/oil-gas-stocks-iran-war.html) since Trump's reckless war began, and he has no plan to deliver relief to Americans.

Press releases (https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/press-releases/), Recent news (https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/recent-news/)

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