Trump's stinging two-word rebuke of his Energy Secretary after shock admission gas prices could stay high until 2027

By CHARLIE SPIERING, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 17:17, 20 April 2026 | Updated: 17:20, 20 April 2026 Donald Trump contradicted his Energy Secretary Chris Wright after he suggested that gas prices might not drop significantly until next year. As a result of Trump's war on Iran, gas prices increased by over a dollar and currently average over $4 a gallon, according to AAA.  It's a top issue of concern to most Americans, who say that economic issues are notably the biggest factors driving Trump's low approval rating, which currently stands at 43 percent. Wright was asked by CNN's Jake Tapper about when gas prices would fall back to under $3 a gallon in an interview on Sunday. He suggested gas prices might not drop until 2027, which could spell trouble for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.  'I don't know,' Wright replied. 'That could happen later this year. That might not happen 'til next year. But prices have likely peaked, and they'll start going down. Certainly, with a resolution of this conflict, you'll see prices go down. Prices across the board on energy prices will go down.' 'No, I think [Wright is] wrong on that. Totally wrong,' Trump told The Hill in a phone conversation on Monday. Trump agreed with Wright, however, by predicting that the end of the war in Iran would help reduce gas prices. President Donald Trump rebuked his energy secretary for admitting that gas prices might not go down until next year  Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright spoke about gas prices with CNN's Jake Tapper 'As soon as this ends,' Trump told The Hill, when asked for his own prediction, referring to the end of the ongoing conflict. Trump has said he believes gas prices could come down as early as November before the midterms. 'I think they'll be much lower. Before midterms? Much lower,' he said in an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo last week.  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also predicted last week that gas prices could get back in the $3 a gallon range by the summer. 'I'm ‌optimistic ⁠that during the summer we will see gas with a ​three ​in ⁠front of it, sooner rather ​than later,' he ​said to reporters at a press briefing. The President continues pushing for a deal with Iran as the US-Iran ceasefire approaches the deadline. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner are expected to continue talks in Islamabad, Pakistan this week to push for an end to the conflict with Iran. Late last week, both the United States and Iran said that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen for commerce amid the ongoing ceasefire agreement, prompting oil to close at $90.38 a barrel. But the United States fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, putting future peace talks in doubt. The aggressive action also prompted jittery oil prices to spike back up. Gas prices are seen at an Exxon station as the price of oil and gas has surged amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran Vice President JD Vance (R)  Jared Kushner (L) and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (C) continue working for peace negotiations in Iran Despite several months of lower than usual gas prices in the first year of Trump's second term, gas prices rose significantly as tensions with Iran escalated into a war in late February and early March. A spokesperson for the Energy Department did not respond to a request for comment. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.