Trump Attributes Rising Gas Prices to Lack of Refineries

President Donald Trump stated on Monday that the rising gasoline prices are influenced by a lack of refineries, particularly in Russia and California, rather than the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump made these comments in a post on Truth Social and later while speaking with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before departing for Joint Base Andrews. He mentioned that Russian oil refineries are contributing to the issue, saying, "The lack of refineries is the problem." He added, "We have tremendous amounts of oil coming out of the Hormuz Strait... but we have a lack of refineries because of the war, having to do mostly with diesel." The rising gas prices coincided with the war with Iran, which affected shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil transport. According to NBC News, Gulf oil exporters reached prewar export levels for about half of September, with a seven-day moving average for crude exports from the region at 18.3 million barrels per day as of September 30. The American Automobile Association (AAA) reported that the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $4.37 on Monday, down approximately 11 cents from the previous week.