President Donald Trump's critics were dismayed Thursday after new data showed fuel prices hit an all-time high ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Data from GasBuddy shows that the U.S. national average price of diesel set a new record of $5.820 a gallon on Thursday, surpassing the previous daily record of $5.819 a gallon set in June 2022. The price spike occurred just days ahead of the Labor Day weekend, which is often one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
Trump's critics sounded off on social media.
"Lovely. It’s not like high diesel prices will be passed along in lots of other agricultural and industrial products ..." Aaron Astor, historian at Gettysburg College, posted on X.
"It is not just that the prices are going up," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) posted on X. "It’s that they are being driven up intentionally, with tariffs, the war in Iran, and yanking food and healthcare assistance. They are making life more expensive on purpose, and I’m not sure that’s really ever been done before."
"Trump set a record," journalist Mark Ames posted on X.
"Over 70% of goods in the US are transported by truck," Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, remarked on X, suggesting that the fuel price spike could make other goods more expensive for Americans.
"It’s a new nominal golden age," Matthew Yglesias, a journalist, posted on X.