Protested by US Citizens Over Rising Fuel Prices, Trump: The Important Thing is Iran Doesn't Have Nuclear Weapons

Numerous US citizens have protested against President Donald Trump due to the high fuel prices in the United States. This rise in fuel prices stems from the war against Iran.

According to CNBC, as quoted by detikFinance on Friday (17/4/2026), a national poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that 65% of registered US respondents blame Trump for the current fuel price increase, either as the primary cause or partially responsible.

Additionally, in the same poll, only 38% of respondents approve of Trump’s handling of the US economy at present.

The poll results indicate that many US citizens are dissatisfied with the economic situation and the high fuel prices. However, this dissatisfaction appears to be largely ignored by Trump.

“Well, the prices aren’t that high,” Trump told a reporter at the White House when asked how long US citizens would have to endure high petrol prices.

According to the US leader, the current fuel price rise in the Land of Uncle Sam is not as high as anticipated from the Middle East war, which he deems important to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons.

“In fact, if you look, the stock market is rising, everything is going very well, and the most important thing we have to do is ensure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons,” he stated.

For context, fuel prices in the US have seen a significant surge since the Middle East conflict broke out on 28 February. Petrol prices have jumped by about 49% compared to the average at the start of the year.

At the beginning of 2026, the average price of regular petrol was just over US$2.75 per gallon. As of Thursday (16/4) US time, the average price of regular petrol has now reached US$4.093 per gallon.

Meanwhile, the average diesel fuel price in the US in January 2026 was just over US$3.50 per gallon. However, it has now risen to around US$5.65 per gallon.