There's winning, and then there's whatever this is. Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene took a swipe at President Donald Trump on Monday, as fuel prices continue to climb amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Greene's jab came via a post on X, where she shared a screenshot of Trump's Truth Social post. In that post, Trump touted reduced oil prices and promised a drop in fuel costs once the war with Iran is won. Greene wasn't buying it.
"Wait, I thought we won the war like 50 times already!!!" she wrote, before laying out the reality check: "Diesel is nearly $6 per gallon, will soon go past $8 per gallon in California, and gas is the highest it's ever been in history for Labor Day weekend." Her punchline? "It's so much winning we can hardly take it."
The numbers back her up. According to a study from Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs, Americans have forked over more than $100 billion in excess fuel costs since the war with Iran kicked off in February. That breaks down to over $55.1 billion extra on gasoline and more than $45.52 billion in additional diesel costs.
"Fuel costs are just one part of a war's consequences, but they come directly out of Americans' pockets," the study noted.
For the roughly 131 million households out there, that's an average of $421.05 per household in extra gas spending. Texas and California are feeling it the most, with $5.1 billion and $4.7 billion in excess gas costs, respectively.
As of Tuesday, the national average for a gallon of regular gas was $4.1514, according to AAA. Diesel? That's averaging $5.9012 per gallon nationwide. In California, things are even more painful: gas is running at $5.8658 per gallon on average, and diesel is hovering near the $8 mark at $7.8276.
So while the administration may be declaring victory, drivers at the pump are seeing a different kind of outcome. Greene's sarcasm might be sharp, but the price tags are sharper.
