The bronzed buffoon is ruining America/s economy

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی
The White House has begun shying away from gas price predictions.

It’s a question that comes up almost daily in interviews, Oval Office appearances, and congressional testimony: When will gas prices go down?

Early on, President Trump and his team offered varying — though often vague — timelines.

“A little while,” Trump said days into the war.

“Weeks, not months,” his interior secretary said a few weeks later.

But in recent weeks, the White House has largely pivoted away from even those fuzzy promises as the Iran war has reached the two-month mark and gas prices hit new highs.

Trump himself said on Fox Business that he hopes gas prices will be lower by the midterm elections, but hedged that “it could be, or the same, or maybe a little bit higher.”

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, trying to avoid being pinned down by a Senate Democrat, said a few days ago, “No one can offer guarantees about the future.”

Gas in the US averaged $4.39 per gallon on Friday, according to the American Automobile Association, up more than $0.30 from just a week ago.

"Watch out folks," warned Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, saying that the “national average could quickly hit $4.50/gal.”

Those high prices and the possibility of further increases have made many in the administration increasingly cautious. But Trump being Trump, he hasn’t always stuck to the message.
 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said:
The White House has begun shying away from gas price predictions.

It’s a question that comes up almost daily in interviews, Oval Office appearances, and congressional testimony: When will gas prices go down?

Early on, President Trump and his team offered varying — though often vague — timelines.

“A little while,” Trump said days into the war.

“Weeks, not months,” his interior secretary said a few weeks later.

But in recent weeks, the White House has largely pivoted away from even those fuzzy promises as the Iran war has reached the two-month mark and gas prices hit new highs.

Trump himself said on Fox Business that he hopes gas prices will be lower by the midterm elections, but hedged that “it could be, or the same, or maybe a little bit higher.”

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, trying to avoid being pinned down by a Senate Democrat, said a few days ago, “No one can offer guarantees about the future.”

Gas in the US averaged $4.39 per gallon on Friday, according to the American Automobile Association, up more than $0.30 from just a week ago.

"Watch out folks," warned Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, saying that the “national average could quickly hit $4.50/gal.”

Those high prices and the possibility of further increases have made many in the administration increasingly cautious. But Trump being Trump, he hasn’t always stuck to the message.
Click to expand...
I'm seeing $4.99 a gallon for gas now! :mad:
 

Trump approval sinks to new low as war with Iran drives cost-of-living concerns​



  • Cost-of-living concerns rise as gasoline prices surge after U.S.-Israel war with Iran
  • Republican support for Trump remains but many disapprove of his cost-of-living response
  • Independent voters lean Democratic for midterms, with many still undecided
WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's approval rating sank to the lowest level of his current term, as Americans increasingly soured on his handling of the cost ‌of living and an unpopular war with Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The four-day poll completed on Monday showed 34% of Americans approve of Trump's performance in the White House, down from 36% in a prior Reuters/Ipsos survey, which was conducted from April 15 to 20.

His popularity has taken a beating since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28 that has led to a surge in gasoline prices.

Only 22% of poll respondents approved of Trump's performance on the cost of living, down from 25% in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll.

U.S. gasoline prices have surged more than 40% to roughly $4.18 a gallon since the U.S. and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran on February 28, and shut down a fifth of the global oil trade.
 

The dollar has fallen 10% under Trump​



A hidden force is quietly pushing up costs for everything from your summer vacation to your weekly grocery bills: a weaker U.S. dollar.

The dollar has fallen about 10% against other major currencies since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, a pullback potentially playing a role in Americans’ concerns about affordability.

“It’s kind of a hidden tax,” says economist Thomas Savidge of the conservative-leaning American Institute for Economic Research. “What your dollar is going to be able to buy is going to shrink.”

A look at where the dollar stands and what it means for you:

Historic dollar decline​


The U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the greenback against other major currencies, logged its steepest six-month drop in more than 50 years in the first half of 2025. The dollar index is about 10% lower than the start of Trump’s term.

A strong dollar makes imports cheaper and can help keep inflation in check. A weak one can increase prices on foreign goods but boost American exports.

U.S. presidents have long voiced support for a strong dollar. Trump has suggested a strong dollar puts the U.S. at a disadvantage and that a weak dollar helps American industry. And as with most things with Trump, he’s been blunter in his messaging.

“You make a hell of a lot more money with a weaker dollar,” he said, one of a number of public statements showing his preference for seeing the dollar decline.

Big multinationals benefit, consumers don't​


Trump isn’t alone in seeing benefits of a weaker buck.

In recent months, corporate earnings calls have been peppered with talk of how a weaker dollar has helped companies from Philip Morris to Coca-Cola, with executives pulling out C-suite phrases like “favorable currency impact” to note how the dip brought tailwinds outside the U.S. that added to bottom lines.

“In many cases, we’ve got a weaker dollar, which is not unhelpful,” Elie Maalouf, the CEO of InterContinental Hotels, said on a February call as the company announced higher profits and revenues.

For big multinational companies that do business overseas, a weaker dollar can spur sales for products that suddenly become cheaper. But the vast majority of U.S. businesses are not operating beyond the border. For those catering to domestic customers, it’s a different story, particularly if they are reliant on importing goods.

Travis Madeira, a fourth-generation lobsterman who founded the lobster-shipping business LobsterBoys with his brother, makes about 80% of his sales to Americans, unlike some competitors who primarily export.

“The exporters are gonna have the advantage when it comes to the dollar weakening,” says Madeira, who is paying more to import bait and buy Canadian lobsters. “These guys are gonna have a little bit of a lever on us.”

Smaller companies hurt​


Even among companies that do have a presence outside the U.S., the dollar’s fall can have an impact. While many big companies hedge currency to try and insulate themselves or push more sales overseas, smaller businesses are often more susceptible to the turbulence.

David Navazio, CEO of Pennsylvania-based Gentell, which makes bandages and other medical supplies, operates plants in Brazil, Paraguay, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

In each location, the dollar has fallen, increasing Gentell’s costs.

Gentell has had to raise some prices to reflect the currency fluctuation, which stacks on top of other challenges, including tariffs and war-related spikes to fuel costs.

“A year ago, none of these were concerns,” he says. “And it always hurts the consumer.”

Other currencies rise​


For the American consumer, the reality of a declining dollar is most obvious during foreign travel or when making a purchase directly from an international seller.

Cross the border into Mexico, the top foreign destination of Americans, and your dollar is about 16% weaker versus the peso compared with early 2025. Declines of about 10% to 17% have been recorded elsewhere, including against the Swiss franc, South African rand, Danish krone, Swedish krona and the Euro.

As for goods imported to the U.S., there is an impact, but it’s harder to gauge. Many economists estimate that, in advanced countries like the U.S., only about 5% to 10% of a currency dip is passed on to consumers.

But they are an added stress when prices are already affected by other factors.

Take coffee, one of the grocery items that has seen the biggest price hike in the past year. Brazil is the biggest source of coffee for the U.S. and the dollar has fallen around 13% versus its real. Currency fluctuations can hit harder in developing economies and, while only a fraction of the change may feed into coffee’s ballooning price, every bit can pile up.

Coffee prices are up nearly 19% in the U.S. in the past year, according to government data.

Expect more pain​


Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard University economist and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, says “a lot of policies that Trump is doing are something of a cancer for the dollar”.

“The dollar had been on a 15-year bull run,” he said. “I would argue the dollar is still wildly overvalued, and over the next maybe five or six years, it might fall 15%.”

What does that mean for American consumers?

Rogoff says commodity prices are likely to rise, particularly with the impact of the Iran war on fuel prices.
 
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