"I Don't Think About Anybody" A Timeline of Trump's Own Words on Gas Prices and the Iran War
Gas prices are up more than 30% since the start of the war in Iran. American families are feeling the sharp rise in prices hitting their everyday lives.
A reporter asked President Trump about it: “just the average price of a gallon of gas is now $4.30–”
His answer: "It's all right."
"I Don't Think About Anybody"
On May 12 2026, a reporter asked Trump: when you're negotiating with Iran, how much are Americans' finances motivating you?
"Not even a little bit. I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody."
The reporter kept going — asking specifically about pressure on Americans and rising food prices.
Reporter: "How concerned are you about Americans, how they're feeling about what they're paying for food and—"
Trump: "Are you — listening to me? Every American understands."
Month by Month
On February 27, the day before the first strikes, a reporter asked if he was worried higher oil prices might hurt his economic agenda. "I'm not concerned. No," he said.
"No, I'm not [worried about gas prices]. This is a short excursion into something that should have been done for 47 years."
On March 8, when asked about the soaring gas prices in an ABC News interview, he called it "a little glitch." The same day, on Truth Social, he said: "ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY."
He said rising prices were mostly someone else's problem. "It doesn't really affect us… We have so much oil." Then he confirmed he'd seen it coming: "I knew oil prices would go up if I did this."
On March 12, on Truth Social, he reframed it. When oil goes up, he said, America profits:
"…when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money."
A few days later, he confirmed on the record that he'd expected the damage. "I said: if I do that, oil prices will go up. The economy will go down a little bit. I thought it would be worse—much worse, actually…it's not bad.”
That same day, the national average for a gallon of gas hit $3.88, up nearly a dollar in less than a month.
On May 19, he told a crowd in Iowa that the higher prices were "peanuts." He said he'd been willing to accept a 25 percent stock market crash to get the deal done.
$4 Gas Is "Okay"
By August 14, the war had been going on for six months. Gas was sitting at $4 nationally. Trump addressed it at a public event.
"You're at four dollars. It's okay. I'll never apologize. I did the right thing."
He reminded the crowd gas had been under $2 before the war. He didn't mention what the difference had cost the average family over six months.
