Marjorie Taylor Greene is not happy with President Donald Trump, and she's letting the world know it. On Friday, the former Republican congresswoman from Georgia took to X to blame the president for the pain Americans are feeling at the pump.
"Diesel is now the highest in history at $5.82 national average," she wrote, adding that "the skyrocketing cost of diesel and gas are directly caused by two wars, Russia/Ukraine and Iran."
Greene didn't stop there. She reminded her followers that "Trump said he would end the Russia/Ukraine war day one and he should have never started the Iran war." In her view, these "failed campaign promises" are "hurting Americans," especially since "everything gets delivered by diesel."
This isn't the first time Greene has taken aim at Trump over the Iran conflict. Once a staunch ally, she's increasingly finding herself on the opposite side of the president when it comes to foreign policy.
What's Behind the Diesel Spike?
Diesel prices have been climbing sharply since the summer, and it's not just random market noise. Geopolitical conflicts are messing with global refining capacity in a big way.
Last year, Ukrainian drone and missile strikes took out several Russian oil refineries, which cut into the global supply of refined fuel. That's a direct hit on diesel production.
On top of that, tensions from the Iran conflict have raised alarms about oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global crude exports. When that passage is threatened, markets get jittery, and prices tend to reflect that anxiety.
Just How High Have Diesel Prices Climbed?
According to the American Automobile Association, which tracks daily retail fuel prices across the U.S., diesel averaged $5.60 a gallon on Aug. 31. That was already close to the June 2022 record of $5.816 but hadn't quite topped it.
Well, it has now. Diesel has hit a record nominal high of $5.85, surpassing both the 2022 mark and the figure Greene cited. To put that in perspective, a year ago the national average was just $3.71 a gallon.
In Georgia, the state Greene used to represent, diesel is currently averaging $5.64 a gallon, a bit below the national figure but still painfully high for drivers and businesses alike.
So, is Greene right to point fingers at Trump? That's for voters to decide. But the numbers don't lie: diesel is more expensive than it's ever been, and the reasons are deeply tied to the wars she mentioned.
