Chris Wright, the Trump administration’s energy secretary, acknowledged Sunday that it might not be until 2027 before US gas prices come back under $3 a gallon. In a live interview with CNN’s State of the Union host Jake Tapper, Wright was asked when he thought it would be realistic for Americans to expect gas prices to drop below $3 a gallon. He replied, ‘I don’t know. That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year.’

Energy Prices and the Iran War

Wright then stated that ‘prices have likely peaked and they will start going down,’ without elaborating further. He attributed this anticipated decline to a conclusion of the war in Iran, which the US began alongside Israel in late February. Wright said that an end to the conflict would result in energy prices ‘going down.’

Tapper pressed Wright on the possibility that gasoline prices might not drop under $3 a gallon until 2027, the level they were at in December. Wright responded by saying that ‘under $3 a gallon is pretty tremendous in an inflation-adjusted terms. We had that in the Trump administration, but we hadn’t seen that in inflation-adjusted terms for quite a long time. We will get back there, for sure.’

Trump’s Campaign Promises

Donald Trump had campaigned aggressively on promises to lower gasoline prices as he successfully ran for a second presidency in November 2024. He even vowed to bring gasoline prices below $2 a gallon in a September 2024 campaign speech. ‘Energy is going to bring us back,’ he said. ‘That means we’re going down and getting gasoline below $2 a gallon, bring down the price of everything from electricity rates to groceries, air fares, and housing costs.’

US gasoline prices soared after Iran responded to attacks by the US and Israel by twice closing the strait of Hormuz, a critical transit point for global petroleum and oil supply. Trump then ordered a US naval blockade of Iranian ships. On Sunday, US forces fired on and seized an Iran-flagged container ship that attempted to run the blockade.

Gasoline prices were at $2.98 a gallon on average in the days before the start of the Iran war and climbed to $3.98 a gallon on average in late March. US gasoline price averages stabilized at more than $4 a gallon in April, and the war has been expected to lead to higher costs of other goods and services.

Public Disapproval and Shifting Views

An NBC poll on Sunday of more than 32,000 adults estimated that 67% and 68% of the public ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ disapproved of the way Trump was handling the war in Iran as well as ‘inflation and the cost of living’ domestically.

Wright’s comments on Sunday shifted from positions he had taken in earlier interviews. During a March 15 conversation with NBC’s Meet the Press, Wright was asked if gasoline prices in the US would drop under $3 a gallon by the summer and replied there was ‘a very good chance that’ll be true.’

Wright also told Tapper on March 8 about surging gasoline prices: ‘In the worst case, this is a weeks – this is not a months thing.’

As the situation continues to evolve, Americans are watching closely for any signs of stabilization in energy markets and the broader economy. The timeline for when gas prices might return to more affordable levels remains uncertain, according to the latest statements from the administration.