'A Good Thing' — Leavitt Defends Spiking Gas Prices on Fox News Even as Brent Crude Hits $84 a Barrel

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to Fox News on Sunday to defend rising petrol prices in the United States, framing the post-Iran-strike surge as a necessary and temporary cost of war — and predicting it would ultimately prove 'a good thing' for global energy markets. The remarks came as Americans found themselves paying significantly more at the pump than just a week prior, drawing fresh scrutiny over the administration's messaging on affordability.

Leavitt told 'Sunday Morning Futures' that the current situation is 'a short-term disruption for the long-term gain of taking out the rogue Iranian terrorist regime and finally ending their restriction of the free flow of energy in the Middle East and in the Strait of Hormuz.' She insisted that prices would recover, pointing to what she described as President Trump's broader 'American energy dominance agenda' as the mechanism that would bring them back down.

Prices Tell a Different Story

The numbers behind Leavitt's reassurances were stark. The national average price for regular petrol rose to $3.32 (approximately £2.47) per gallon on Friday, up from $3.25 (approximately £2.42) the previous day and $2.98 (approximately £2.22) a week prior, according to AAA. US crude, meanwhile, settled at $90.90 (approximately £67.77) per barrel on Friday—a 12.2 per cent jump from the day before. International benchmark Brent crude had climbed to more than $84 (approximately £62.60) per barrel, up from roughly $71 (approximately £52.90) per barrel the week prior.

The spike followed the launch of joint US-Israeli military strikes against Iran, an operation the Trump administration has dubbed 'Operation Epic Fury.' Leavitt's briefing last Wednesday was her first since those strikes resulted in the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly 20 per cent of global daily oil consumption typically flows—has been a primary driver of the price increase, according to energy analysts.

'Wholeheartedly Focused on Keeping Prices Stable'

Leavitt sought to project confidence in a series of appearances across the weekend, outlining several steps the administration said it was taking to cushion the blow. She noted that President Trump had announced political risk insurance for cargo vessels and oil tankers navigating the Strait of Hormuz, and that the US Navy was prepared to escort tankers if necessary. The administration has also pointed to expanded access to Venezuelan oil markets following the fall of the Maduro government, though analysts have suggested the practical impact of that supply would be limited in the near term.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Leavitt said the administration was 'wholeheartedly focused on keeping prices stable,' adding that 'it is the president's belief and his economic team's belief that the economy continues to be very strong' and would 'weather any of the temporary impacts of Operation Epic Fury.' Energy Secretary Chris Wright similarly said that the price bump was 'a very small price to pay' for the administration's stated objectives in Iran.

Not everyone accepted that framing. Viewers who caught Leavitt's Fox News appearance took to social media to push back. One wrote, 'Average gas prices are skyrocketing,' while another warned, 'We'll see how the folks feel at midterms about how temporary these will be.' A CNN poll conducted between 28 February and 1 March among 1,004 Americans found that a strong majority—59 per cent—opposed Trump's ongoing military operation against Iran.

Midterms Loom as Affordability Takes Centre Stage

The political stakes around petrol prices are considerable. Affordability has been one of the defining issues of Trump's second term, and Democrats have increasingly used cost-of-living arguments on the campaign trail ahead of the November midterms. Energy analyst Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy said that prices would likely face 'a lot of downward pressure ahead of the midterms, just because gas prices go up in the spring and they fall in the fall,' suggesting some natural relief may arrive before voters head to the polls, regardless of the Iran situation. He added that Venezuela would need 'years of investment' before it could make a material difference.

With midterm elections approaching and affordability already dominating the political conversation, how quickly—and how substantially—prices return to pre-conflict levels could shape the electoral landscape in November. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most strategically sensitive chokepoints in global energy supply, and any sustained disruption there carries consequences that extend well beyond American petrol stations.