Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) on Thursday accused President Donald Trump of being more focused on renaming things than on rising gas and diesel prices, after Trump labeled anyone who refers to “artificial intelligence” instead of “super intelligence” an enemy.

Trump Is ‘Renaming Stuff’ While Prices Soar

In his post on X, Lieu said gas and diesel prices have “skyrocketed” and that AI companies have lost control of their models and agents, yet Trump is busy “renaming stuff.”

“November is coming,” he added.

-Gas prices skyrocketed.

-Diesel prices skyrocketed.

-AI companies lost control of their models and agents.

What is trump focused on? Renaming stuff.

November is coming. https://t.co/RR3zYte1KD

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 8, 2026

Lieu was responding to a Truth Social post in which Trump said the White House considers anyone using “Artificial Intelligence” instead of the “more accurate” term “Super Intelligence” to be “the enemy.”

Iran War Keeps Oil Elevated

The national average for regular gasoline stood at $4.3612 a gallon on Thursday, up from $3.1156 a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.2847 per gallon, up from $3.6791 a year ago.

Last month, Trump said relief will come only after the midterms.

Brent Crude prices for December delivery were down 0.66% to $103.59 a barrel, while WTI futures for November delivery were down 0.57% to $90.97, at the time of writing.

The Pentagon has reportedly told Central Command to finish preparing for a possible resumption of “major combat operations” against Iran, according to Axios.

However, Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. will not take military action against Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

November Looms for Republicans

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published Thursday put Trump’s approval rating at 32% and found only 30% of his 2024 voters highly enthusiastic about voting in the midterms, compared with 48% of Kamala Harris voters.

Polymarket traders currently predict a 91% chance of Democrats winning the House and a 63% chance of winning the Senate.

Verasight CEO Ben Leff told MarketDash that voters’ views of Trump are “pretty solidified” and that falling gas prices would move voters more than “just being told” things will improve.

Price Action: On Thursday, United States Brent Oil Fund (NYSE:BNO) climbed 2.81% to close at $63.64 and fell 0.53% in extended trading, while ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil (NYSE:UCO) rose 4.49% to $57.05 and fell 1.38% to $56.26, according to Yahoo Finance.

MarketDash Edge rankings indicate the United States Brent Oil Fund has a Momentum score in the 97th percentile and a positive price trend across the short, medium, and long term.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.