'I Hope So... Maybe a Little Bit Higher' — Trump's Blunt Gas Price Admission Leaves Fox News Host Visibly Shaken

When Donald Trump called into Fox News on Sunday morning, he may not have expected the moment that followed to go viral. Sitting across from one of his most reliably sympathetic interviewers, the president was asked a straightforward question about petrol prices — and the answer he gave drew a reaction that no broadcaster could quite hide. Maria Bartiromo, host of 'Sunday Morning Futures', widened her eyes, blinked, and said nothing as the president of the United States told her that fuel costs might be 'maybe a little bit higher' by the time Americans head to the polls in November.

The exchange, broadcast live on Fox News on 12 April, came during a phone-in exclusive focused on Trump's decision to impose a sweeping naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the collapse of nuclear talks with Iran in Pakistan. But it was this brief, unguarded moment on petrol prices that captured the wider public's attention — and has since been circulating widely on social media.

A Question He Couldn't Dodge

Bartiromo asked the president directly: 'Do you believe the price of oil and gas will be lower before the midterm elections?' Trump's reply was candid to a fault. 'I hope so. I mean, I think so. It could be, it could be. Or the same. Or maybe a little bit higher. But it should be around the same, I think this won't be that much longer,' Trump said. As he delivered the line about prices potentially climbing further, Bartiromo's eyebrows shot up, her eyes widening. She blinked in apparent disbelief, but said nothing as the president continued.

It was a rare moment of unfiltered economic honesty from a president who had campaigned in 2024 on promises to slash energy costs for American households. In March, the jump in oil and gas prices led to the biggest monthly spike in inflation in four years, a development at odds with the president's 2024 vows to lower rising costs for Americans during his second term. The clip, shared across platforms including TikTok by the account NowThisImpact, garnered nearly 89,000 likes within 24 hours, with viewers fixating less on the words and more on Bartiromo's unspoken reaction.

The Iran War Backdrop

Trump did not come to the interview without a defence. The bulk of the conversation centred on Operation Epic Fury and his justification for the Strait of Hormuz blockade, which he ordered after Iranian negotiators refused to commit to abandoning their nuclear weapons programme during talks in Pakistan. Speaking to Bartiromo, Trump described the policy as strictly 'all or nothing,' meaning every country would either be allowed full access through the waterway or none at all, with no exceptions for allies.

When Bartiromo pressed him further on whether the blockade would bring down costs at the pump, Trump first theorised: 'Well, it's going to be — eventually it's going to be lowered. No, it might not happen initially, but it's going to — it's going to go down when this is all over.' He then pivoted to the stock market, claiming the Dow had hit 50,000 and the S&P had reached 7,000 during his first year — a familiar rhetorical move. Bartiromo asked the question a second time before Trump's now-viral response landed.

The Numbers Behind the Moment

The stakes of the exchange are not merely political. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US consumer prices rose 3.3 per cent year over year in March 2026, up from 2.4 per cent in February — the sharpest annual increase since May 2024. On a monthly basis, prices jumped 0.9 per cent, the largest gain in nearly four years, marking the first inflation report to reflect the economic impact of the Iran war. Meanwhile, according to AAA, the national average for petrol sat at £3.07 ($4.125) a gallon for regular fuel, up from £2.68 ($3.598) a month prior — a rise of roughly 60 cents per gallon.

Those numbers land against a difficult political backdrop. Republicans are facing an increasingly difficult midterm election that could see them lose not just the House but also the Senate to the Democrats, and rising living costs are widely regarded as among the most potent electoral liabilities any incumbent party can carry into a campaign.

The significance of Sunday's exchange lies not only in the economics but in the optics. Bartiromo has long been among the most openly supportive of Trump's television interlocutors, which made her visible alarm all the more striking to viewers. For a White House that has consistently projected confidence on energy and the economy, the president's candid acknowledgement that prices could still climb — delivered to a friendly host who could not conceal her reaction — offered an unusually unfiltered look at where things stand heading into November.