So here's a thing about oil prices: they go up, they go down, and everyone has an opinion about whose fault it is. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy decided to weigh in on the conversation this week, and he's got a pretty clear take. He thinks the media only wants to talk about it when prices go up.
Duffy took to social media platform X on Tuesday to share a clip from an event where he defended President Trump amid surging oil prices. The backdrop, of course, is escalating tensions with Iran casting a shadow over crude supplies. "There was a lot of coverage in the media when oil prices went north of $100 a barrel," Duffy said in the video. And he's not wrong—crude recently flirted with levels over $120 per barrel.
But here's his beef: where was the coverage, he asks, when Trump's "Energy Dominance initiative brought prices down"? "Isn't it funny that the liberal media only wants to talk about when oil prices go up?" Duffy questioned in his post. He pointed out that "gas prices were BELOW $3/gallon" for the first time in five years. It's a classic political move—highlight the wins, question the narrative around the losses.
The conversation isn't happening in a vacuum, though. Duffy also dug into the geopolitical chess game, questioning the "power of Iran" and its "leverage" over a "fifth of the oil" moving through the Strait of Hormuz. That narrow waterway is kind of a big deal—it's responsible for over 27% of global oil shipments. Duffy called it "appropriate" to address the leverage Iran has, especially as tensions simmer.
"I think this is going to be short-lived for the President and I think we're going to see a recovery in the energy markets," Duffy said in the video. Doubling down in his caption, he added that Trump was "doing everything he can to make sure thugs don't hold the world's energy economy hostage." Strong words for a transportation secretary, but energy and transport are pretty intertwined.
Meanwhile, the oil market itself has been on a rollercoaster. Prices had earlier dipped to around $79 a barrel after U.S. Energy chief Chris Wright (in a since-deleted post) said the Navy successfully escorted a tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Then reports emerged that Iran had placed naval mines in the Strait. Cue the price surge. President Trump issued a warning to Iran of serious consequences if the reports were true.
It's a messy situation. Iran had previously announced the closure of the Strait, which sent shockwaves through the global energy sector. Adding to the drama, the UK Maritime Trade Operations reported an oil spill off the coast of Kuwait after a tanker was reportedly hit. So when Duffy talks about Iran's leverage and the media's focus, he's tapping into a real, volatile story—one where a single strait can sway global prices and political narratives alike.
