U.S. Vice President JD Vance invoked earlier gasoline surges to argue that overseas conflicts can raise fuel costs, pitching domestic production as a buffer for American households at a Montana campaign rally.
Vance acknowledged voter concern about fuel prices at the Monday event in Belgrade, Montana. He pointed to price increases in 2022, 1979, 2001 and 2007, saying, “They skyrocket every time some tin-pot dictator decides to throw a tantrum.”
The Independent reported that some users on X applied the phrase to President Donald Trump, while others questioned the political risk for Vance. He framed increased U.S. energy output as a way to reduce the effect of Middle East conflicts on American families.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) put the weekly average price of regular gasoline at $4.284 a gallon on Oct. 19, down from $4.331 on Oct. 12. Separately, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that its gasoline price index rose 9.1% in September and accounted for more than half of that month’s consumer price increase. EconoTimes previously covered gasoline’s role in September inflation.
The rally came ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3, midterm elections.
