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Trump supporters confronted with painful gas prices deliver striking response: ‘I'll take that any day’

21 October 2026 at 19:18

As gas prices climb amid the conflict with Iran, some of President Donald Trump's most loyal supporters say they're willing to pay more at the pump if it means keeping Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — even with the midterm elections just two weeks away.

"If you're really a good American, you'll be thinking not for yourself or how much you're spending for gas. But what life is going to be like for your children, your grandchildren and great-grandchildren," one voter told Fox News Digital on Tuesday evening. 

"What will they grow up to? You have to keep those people in the political regime in Iran without a nuclear weapon. If we don't do something now, isn't that worth paying another dollar a gallon?" 

Fox News Digital spoke with several voters following Trump's Tuesday rally at Pitt-Greenville Airport about rising gas prices, the upcoming midterm elections and the ongoing war with Iran, which has sent oil prices surging and added to Americans' affordability concerns.

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"Things haven't changed much since Sleepy Joe," another local voter, Shauna, told Fox News Digital about former President Joe Biden. "At least prices. ... But [Trump is] doing the best he can with what he has. Because, you know, he's not Congress. He can only pass so much."

Another rallygoer told Fox News Digital that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was worth the cost of higher gas prices for American drivers.

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"We believed in what he [Trump] was saying and what he stood for," local voter Michael told Fox News Digital. "And you hear people today saying, 'Y'all wanted to get politicians out of Washington.' ... We got a businessman in. [He] never claimed to be a politician. He's a businessman.

"Even with the gas prices up for what he's done in Iran," he added. "To me [that] is worth the high gas prices. I'll take that any day to stop a country like Iran and take that nuclear power away. That's a no-brainer, you know. Now, will the gas prices come down? Absolutely. They will come down because of what he's done."

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Another Trump supporter, Steve, told Fox News Digital he would encourage other Americans to vote for GOP candidates despite high prices.

"It would take an act of God to lower prices before this election is over," he said. "But I highly stress to everybody to vote Republican like you are voting like it's the most important election in your lifetime. Because in many instances, it actually is."

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Trump has maintained that the ongoing war with Iran is a "small price to pay" to keep the nation safe.

The president has been crisscrossing the country in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, rallying his supporters in an effort to boost Republican candidates and help the GOP retain control of Congress. His North Carolina stop was aimed in part at bolstering Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who is facing former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

Voters prepare to weigh-in on Trump's economy as costs continue to surge

20 October 2026 at 11:00

While Americans prepare to cast their ballots for who should control Congress and their local governments, the cost of filling a gas tank, paying rent and buying a home is becoming a defining test of the economy leading up to the 2026 midterms.

The latest inflation report underscores the challenge facing President Donald Trump and Republicans as they campaign on the economy and the vow to improve conditions for American consumers. Trump returned to the White House promising to lower costs and is now campaigning for GOP candidates in key races — but the reality is something quite different.

With Election Day two weeks away, rising prices are testing whether voters feel like Republicans have done enough to improve the economy and their financial well-being.

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And that pressure showed up in the latest inflation report, which found consumer prices rose 3.7% over the past year and 0.6% in September alone. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) tracks the prices households pay for a broad range of goods and services, from food and gasoline to housing and medical care.

Gasoline was a major driver, with its index jumping 9.1% for the month. But the gas to fill up the tank is not the only fuel cost putting pressure on households.

The diesel used to power trucks, farm equipment and freight trains is also surging, which has raised the cost of moving groceries, packages and building materials — another charge that has trickled down to how much Americans pay for those goods.

Additionally, the Iran war has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, further tightening global fuel supplies, while disruptions to Russian energy infrastructure have added pressure.

Utility costs are adding to the squeeze as colder weather approaches. Electricity prices were up 4.4% from a year earlier in September, while piped natural gas service rose 5%, according to the CPI.

Those figures track prices, not what any one household paid, so a local customer’s bill can show how the increase is landing in real life.

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Housing costs also continued to climb. The shelter index, which tracks rents and a measure of what homeowners would pay to rent their homes, rose 3.2% over the past year. Grocery prices offered some relief, dipping 0.1% in September, though they remained 1.8% higher than a year earlier.

Additionally, Trump's trade agenda is another part of the affordability debate.

A New York Fed study found that tariffs in place through February added 2.9 percentage points to consumer-goods inflation. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods, and U.S. companies that pay them can pass some of the added cost along to shoppers.

The study found that higher prices also reached some goods made in the United States, as domestic producers faced less competition from imports. The White House has argued that its trade policies will strengthen U.S. manufacturing and that foreign exporters bear the costs.

Housing presents a different affordability challenge. The median price of an existing home reached $417,500 in September, up 1.3% from a year earlier, while the average 30-year mortgage rate was 7.4%.

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The latest figures give voters a snapshot of what they are paying, but not a verdict on who is to blame.

With Election Day approaching, Trump and Republican candidates will have to convince voters that their policies can make everyday costs more manageable.

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