Yes
He is.
No
He isn’t.
Americans hitting the highway over Labor Day faced an unwelcome expense at the gas pump, with gasoline reaching its highest price ever recorded for the holiday.
The national average for regular gasoline reached approximately $4.15 per gallon on Labor Day, according to AAA figures reported by CBS News and The Wall Street Journal. That surpassed the previous Labor Day record of $3.82 per gallon set in 2012.
There is an important distinction, however: These were the highest Labor Day gas prices on record, not the highest U.S. gasoline prices ever. The overall national record remains approximately $5.02 per gallon, reached in June 2022.
For families already watching household expenses, paying more than $4 per gallon can quickly add up. Higher fuel costs can also affect more than motorists because businesses frequently pass increased transportation expenses along to consumers.
Diesel prices have been particularly painful, reaching roughly $5.90 per gallon nationally on Labor Day.
That leaves Americans with a politically charged question: How much responsibility belongs to President Donald Trump?
Presidents can influence energy markets through policies involving domestic production, regulations, sanctions, taxes and foreign affairs. But presidents don’t directly set gasoline prices.
Oil is traded in a global market, meaning international conflicts, refinery capacity, supply disruptions, demand and decisions by foreign producers can all affect what Americans ultimately pay.
Current conditions illustrate that complexity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has pointed to reduced oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and lower global inventories as significant factors keeping crude oil prices elevated.
That doesn’t mean presidential policies are irrelevant. Voters are entitled to judge whether an administration has responded effectively to rising prices and whether its broader policies have helped or hurt the situation.
With Americans paying record Labor Day prices, the political debate is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.