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Here’s what the White House press briefings won’t tell you: American families are now paying nearly $4 a gallon for gas because of a war they never voted for. And the President who launched it admits he doesn’t think about your financial situation “not even a little bit.”
A new CBS News/YouGov poll dropped on May 17, and the numbers are brutal. Only 27% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of inflation – the lowest of his second term. Even Republican support has cratered from 74% in March to just 63% now. When people describe their feelings about this administration’s economic management, 38% say “frustrated.” Another 32% say “angry.”
That’s not a partisan blip. That’s a revolt.
The culprit isn’t complicated. The US-Israeli war on Iran – launched February 28 – effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through that waterway. Iran choked it off in retaliation. The result? Gas prices spiked 5.4% in April after a record 21.2% jump in March. Year over year, you’re paying 28.4% more at the pump.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents now say gas prices are a financial hardship. One in four call them a serious inconvenience. Meanwhile, the real cost of war spending keeps climbing – and working-class communities are bearing the brunt.
According to Brown University’s Costs of War Project, the human toll of US Middle East wars has already exceeded 4.5 million deaths when counting indirect deaths from economic collapse, healthcare destruction, and infrastructure damage. Each new conflict adds zeros to that number – and to your grocery bill.
Nearly 70% of Americans say they’re not getting a clear understanding of what’s actually happening in the Strait of Hormuz. That’s not accidental. When defense contractors profit from chaos, clarity becomes the enemy. Defense stocks soared in March. Your paycheck didn’t.
The ceasefire brokered by Pakistan in early April is fragile. A US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. Tehran has vowed not to reopen the strait until the blockade is lifted and the war permanently ends. That means prices aren’t coming down anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Trump’s own words haunt this poll. He has said he doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situation “not even a little bit” when negotiating war policy. Now we have the data showing exactly what that looks like: $4 gas, shrinking household incomes, and three-quarters of Americans saying their paychecks aren’t keeping up with inflation.
Seventy percent of those surveyed said their incomes are falling behind. That’s not an economy. That’s a squeeze designed by DC insiders who never feel it themselves.
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Washington’s wars aren’t fought on distant shores – they’re paid for at your local gas station and grocery store.
