Trump faces gasoline-price record at $4.33 a gallon

President Donald Trump faces a gasoline-price record, with AAA's national average at $4.33 a gallon on Oct. 14, up from $3.08 a year earlier, The Daily Beast reported in a news article.

The issue matters before the 2026 midterm elections because CNN data analyst Harry Enten said this year has had more days with gasoline above $4 a gallon than any year on record, according to the article.

"We are talking about for nearly half the year—for nearly half the year—we have had gasoline that has been over $4 a gallon," Enten said, according to The Daily Beast. He described the measure as an "unwanted record" for Trump.

Enten said Trump's net approval rating was minus 12 percentage points before the war in Iran and minus 22 percentage points nearly eight months later, according to his aggregate data cited by The Daily Beast. He said that was the weakest position for any president entering a midterm election.

The Daily Beast article said gasoline prices have risen since Trump launched the war with Iran in February. The supplied material does not include oil-market data, refinery figures or an official White House response establishing what drove the increase.

The article also cited the latest CNN/SSRS survey as saying two-thirds of respondents said Trump had made the economy worse, while a majority said the war in Iran had hurt their personal finances. RealClearPolitics' average had Democrats eight points ahead on the generic congressional ballot, according to the article.

The Daily Beast said vulnerable Republican House seats include districts in Texas, Ohio, Maine, Iowa, North Carolina, Nevada and Kentucky. The outlet said it contacted the White House for comment.

Source: news article, The Daily Beast, Oct. 14, 2026.