Burgum Pins Gas Prices on Newsom, Dems — Not Iran War
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- Doug Burgum told Fox News on Friday that gas prices 'vary across our whole country largely right now by state policy and state taxes, not by the underlying fundamentals,' shifting blame for rising prices away from the Iran war and onto Democratic state officials.
- Burgum singled out California and Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying the state's position as the nation with the highest gas prices is 'self-inflicted' and 'has nothing to do with the Strait of Hormuz.'
- Gas prices have risen sharply since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28 and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz strained global energy supplies — the national average hit just over $4 a gallon Saturday, up more than 30% from roughly $3 a year ago, with California averaging $5.75 (up from $4.65).
- The Trump administration has 'repeatedly sought to downplay' rising consumer concerns about the war's economic impact, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright telling an Atlantic Council event Tuesday that Hormuz traffic was 'rising very meaningfully' and Trump claiming the U.S. military secretly moved 100 million barrels of crude through the waterway.
- Oil prices dropped Thursday after Trump announced a deal with Iran was imminent, and on Saturday he said the U.S. and Iran were nearing finalization of a peace deal framework; if signed Sunday, the president said the strait would reopen 'immediately.'
- California's high fuel costs are driven by the nation's highest gasoline taxes, more stringent clean energy requirements, and a limited number of refineries, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration — factors Burgum cited while explicitly exonerating the Iran war.
Why it matters: Burgum's claim that gas prices reflect state policy rather than 'underlying fundamentals' runs against the source's own data: gas has jumped 30%+ nationally since the Feb. 28 attack and Hormuz closure, and oil prices already dropped on news a deal was imminent. The administration has 'repeatedly sought to downplay' consumer concerns, and a potential Sunday deal reopening the strait would put that messaging to a direct test at the pump.
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