Apr 21, 2026
On Sunday, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed that the cost of gas "peaked a week ago," but could stay above $3 a gallon until 2027 (1).
But the very next morning, President Trump declared that Wright is "totally wrong," in his pump-price assessment (2).
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The average price of gas in the U.S. has hovered at or above $4 a gallon over the last month, according to AAA, thanks to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz following the attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. On Monday morning, the average national gas price hit $4.04 (3).
Trump told The Hill that gas prices would drop "as soon as [the conflict] ends," though it's unclear when that would be. The U.S. is currently facing off against Iran in a blockade of the strait. The temporary ceasefire expires April 22.
Trump claimed that Vice President JD Vance would lead a delegation to negotiate a deal to end the conflict, but Reuters reports that the group has not yet left and that it's not even certain that Iran would attend such a meeting (4). The president, on Sunday, also threatened more war crimes on social media (5), saying he would "knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge in Iran" if they don't accept the U.S. deal (6).
The shifting Trump administration timeline of pump promises
The disagreement between Trump and Wright over when Americans can expect sub-$3 gas is just the latest in changing administration timelines.
Wright told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that gas dropping below $3 a gallon "could happen later this year. That might not happen till next year."
Last week, however, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that he's "optimistic" that gas will hit $3 sometime between June 20 and Sept. 20 (7).
In early March, meanwhile, Wright claimed that gas could hit $3 a gallon in "weeks" — a point Tapper noted in their interview.
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Trump himself, in early April, called gas price hikes a "short-term increase" (8) and then, less than two weeks later, appeared on Fox News and said he hopes gas prices would drop by the November midterm elections, but that they could remain "the same or maybe a little bit higher" (9).
And the Department of Energy's own U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report on April 7 forecasting "retail gasoline prices to peak at a monthly average of close to $4.30 per gallon (gal) in April and average more than $3.70/gal this year" (10). Looking ahead, it forecasts an average price per gallon of $3.46 for next year (11).
Though they disagree on timelines, Wright asserted that "With a resolution of this conflict, you'll see prices go down" — a point Trump made on Monday. But even that isn't certain.
Numerous reports have noted that many Iranian oil wells are damaged or turned off, meaning that it could take weeks to get them all back online and working to capacity again (12).
In addition, Bernard Aw, Coface insurance's Chief Economist for the Asia Pacific region, told Time that "Even in a best-case scenario, prices are unlikely to fall sharply or immediately" in part because "Shipping confidence, insurance costs, and logistical bottlenecks tend to persist well after hostilities ease" (13).
Meanwhile, a new Quinnipiac poll showed that 65% of Americans either blame Trump "a lot" or "some" for elevated prices at the pumps (14).
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How to save money while filling up
Given the less-than-rosy outlook for gas prices, there are ways that you can try to save on filling up your tank.
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Finding alternative transportation, or carpooling, are obvious choices. But for those who need to drive, Consumer Reports recommends using gas apps, like those available through AAA or GasBuddy, to find the cheapest pump prices in your area (15). They also say obeying speed limits, and completing regular maintenance on your car can both help reduce gas consumption.
GasBuddy examined gas prices in every state and broke down which days of the week offer the best deals in each region, as well as trends that can lead to price swings (16). They found that Sunday and Monday, on average, are the best days to fill up, while Wednesday through Friday are the most expensive.
Other popular strategies include using grocery-store rewards cards to buy gas and earn points toward future purchases, timing car trips to make as many stops along a single route as possible, and cutting out non-essential expenses elsewhere in your budget.
You could also consider putting away your plastic and paying for gas with cash. That's because credit card transactions incur processing fees, sometimes of more than 3%, which are then passed on to the customer (17).
As such, eliminating those fees by paying with cash, Consumer Reports noted, could save you between 10 to 15 cents and a dollar a gallon each time you fill up (15).
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
YouTube (1); The Hill (2),(7); AAA (3); Reuters (4); The Guardian (5); Yahoo News (6); The New York Times (8); KOMO News (9); U.S. Energy Information Administration (10),(11); CNN (12); Time (13); Quinnipiac University (14); Consumer Reports (15); GasBuddy (16); WCVB (17)
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Mike Crisolago is a Staff Reporter at Moneywise with more than 15 years of experience in the journalism industry as a writer, editor, content strategist and podcast host. His work has appeared in various Canadian print and digital publications including Zoomer magazine, Quill & Quire and Canadian Family, among others. He’s also served as a mentor to students in Centennial College’s journalism program.
