Donald Trump just told struggling Americans to suck up the gas prices. His one-word description of their pain has them wondering whose side he’s on

Donald Trump told struggling Americans to “suck up” rising gas prices, calling them “peanuts” as the country deals with one of its worst energy crises in decades. The comment came during a press conference, when Trump was asked about his plans to address soaring gas prices caused by the ongoing war with Iran.

Instead of offering any concrete solutions, Trump talked about how things had been going well before America had to “take a little journey” and “do something with Iran.” He did acknowledge that gas prices have gone up since then, but showed little concern for those affected.

“You want to see the world exploded? You want to see a problem? And this is peanuts,” Trump said, according to HuffPost, seemingly unaware of the real financial struggles many Americans are facing every day.

Trump’s “peanuts” comment comes as millions of Americans feel the real weight of rising gas prices

Despite the high cost of gas, Trump’s administration has taken several steps to try to bring prices down, including releasing record amounts of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, waiving the Jones Act, invoking the Defense Production Act, and pausing Russian oil sanctions. 

Trump has argued that a temporary spike in energy prices is a small price to pay for preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Critics, however, have not been shy about calling out his leadership failures, much like when Jon Stewart unloaded on Trump after his China trip.

But for many Americans, that is little comfort. Chris Haenel, a Pittsburgh resident, spends $80 a week on gas and estimates he is paying an extra $30 a week compared to before the Iran war. “Every day, I drive by the gas station and it’s just insane,” Haenel said. “I’m 60 years old and trying to save for retirement, but this is limiting how much I can save.”

According to estimates from Brown University’s Climate Solutions Lab, Americans are facing an estimated $43 billion spike in energy costs since the Iran war started, with gasoline alone costing consumers about $24 billion. The pain is felt most by those with long commutes or those living in areas with limited public transportation.

Gary Auerswald, a retiree in Illinois who lives off Social Security with his wife, said the prices have essentially trapped them at home. “The high price of gasoline is killing us. It’s a back-breaker,” he said. “We can’t see our great-granddaughter because that’s a long and expensive drive. We’re basically pinned at home.”

Trump’s comment sparked anger on social media, with many saying the president is out of touch. “‘Peanuts’ isn’t how my constituents would describe the spiking gas prices that make every day a struggle,” one social media user wrote. 

The White House responded by saying Trump remains committed to “fully unleashing American energy dominance and lowering costs,” but the numbers tell a different story. This kind of dismissive behavior has also been seen in Trump’s moves to take down disloyal Thomas Massie, showing a pattern of prioritizing loyalty over public concern.

Just 21% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of gas prices, according to a CNN poll released last week. A majority of Republicans also disapprove of how he has handled the issue, and 75% of Americans say the war with Iran has had a negative effect on their finances. Auerswald put it plainly: “It’s not a small price to pay. It’s a big price. He doesn’t care about us.”