Trump voters enraged their '15 MPG' SUVs suddenly draining their budget

A man wearing a MAGA hat stands as people attend a vigil for Right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. 2025. REUTERS_Jim Urquhart

More of President Donald Trump’s own voters are turning on him over two of the most controversial issues besetting his administration: His war against Iran and the rising oil prices that come of it.

“I'm hating these gas prices,” one Trump voter said in a recent Bulwark survey. “The car I'm driving currently is a giant SUV, so it's already terrible. It's 15 mpg, so yeah, sucks right now.”

Bulwark Editor Sarah Longwell said voters view gas prices as a stand-in for how the economy is doing.

“They drive past gas stations every day, they fill up their cars every week, they know what that number used to be, and they see what the new number is, and they are really upset about that new number," said Longwell. "It's the same thing with grocery prices. People talk about the price of eggs. It's not that people are mad about just the price of eggs, right? It's a stand-in for a conversation about how expensive grocery prices are.”

Longwell added that gasoline's position as a unit of measurement for the greater economy was the reason little stickers on gas pumps in 2024 proclaiming Biden saying, ‘I did this,’ were so devastating.

Another Trump voter complained that “gas prices are up — the prices are going up everywhere ... and I don't appreciate it.”

"War happens, gas prices jump up, what, a full dollar? And we probably won’t see that drop back down for another years because that’s just regular," complained yet another voter who went Trump in 2024. "You now when Covid happened food prices rose all the way up and you’re still not seeing them shrinking to what they previously were."

Other Trump voters in the survey were furious that Trump failed one of his most heartfelt promises on lowering inflation.

"Energy costs have gone up. so my electric bill has gone up 20 percent," complained another. "The tolls have gone up because I have to go into New York City for health care sometimes. Everything's gone up. I have to pay $10 to get in. Parking's gone up. The tolls, gas, even price of goods haven't gone down. So, it just seems like the prices keep going up and he promised to bring grocery prices down."

Longwell reported voters are also following the markets and seeing that, despite seemingly good results, things are not looking good for ordinary people. Their sentiment, overall, is that “people can't afford the things they need. People can't afford gas, healthcare — basic things that you need as a human to exist. And he promised — he literally campaigned on a promise to make that better — and it has just gotten worse.”

The Bulwark correspondent summarized the situation by noting, “Let me remind you that these are Trump's own voters blaming him for increases.”

Trump’s approval ratings continue to plummet as a result of the Iran war and economy, with roughly one out of three voters approving Trump’s handling of those issues. In April, an NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey showed “showed 32 percent of adults approved of Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living,” according to NBC at the time. “These surveys also deepen a trove of numbers reflecting Americans’ dissatisfaction with the Iran war, which is tied to the economy by spikes in gas prices.”

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