U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump of failing to deliver on a central campaign promise to lower energy costs, pointing to newly released data showing August 2026 was the most expensive August at the gas pump in American history.
Pocan’s statement, posted to X on September 1, came in direct response to a post from GasBuddy’s head petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan, who published the record-breaking national gas price figures earlier that day. Pocan’s full post read:
“Most expensive August at the pump in American history.
$10.5 BILLION more out of Americans’ pockets than last August. Trump promised to cut your energy costs on day one. He failed.”
The Numbers Behind the Claim
De Haan’s original post, which Pocan was replying to, laid out the underlying data driving the criticism. It read in full:
“august gas prices set a new record: the national average in august was $4.056/gal, beating 2022’s august record ot $3.940/gal, costing Americans $1.35 billion more than august 2022, or $10.51 billion more than august 2025”
De Haan’s figures placed the August 2026 national average at $4.056 per gallon, surpassing the previous record of $3.940 set in August 2022, a year marked by pandemic-era supply disruptions and the early fallout of Russia’s war in Ukraine. According to De Haan, the 2026 total represented a jump of $1.35 billion above 2022 spending levels and $10.51 billion above what Americans paid at the pump in August 2025.
A Record That Held for the Entire Month
Independent tracking from AAA corroborated the scale of the increase. The national average for regular unleaded gasoline did not fall below $4 per gallon at any point during August 2026, according to AAA data, with the average sitting at $4.08 per gallon as of August 31. That marked an increase of roughly 90 cents per gallon compared to the same date one year earlier, when the national average stood at $3.18.
The five most expensive states for gas as of August 31 were California at $5.68 per gallon, Hawaii at $5.42, Washington at $5.31, Alaska at $4.88, and Nevada at $4.83. The least expensive states were Indiana at $3.39, Texas at $3.61, South Carolina at $3.63, Mississippi at $3.63, and Tennessee at $3.66.
Iran Conflict and the Strait of Hormuz Cited as Key Drivers
Unlike the 2022 spike, which analysts attributed to pandemic recovery and the war in Ukraine, the 2026 record has been linked primarily to instability stemming from the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, Operation Epic Fury, and volatility in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping corridor.
De Haan separately reported that diesel prices have surged since the U.S. military action against Iran closed off portions of the strait, noting that Western states have been hit hardest, with increases exceeding $2 per gallon since the conflict began, while every state has seen diesel prices rise by at least $1.35 per gallon.
The Venezuela Deal’s Limited Near-Term Impact
The Trump administration has pointed to a newly announced oil agreement with Venezuela, granting U.S. access to an estimated 65 billion barrels of crude, as part of its broader energy strategy. However, energy analysts have cautioned that the deal is unlikely to affect prices in the short term. Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy Program at Rice University’s Center for Energy Studies, said a significant increase in production from the underdeveloped fields involved is unlikely, adding that the agreement would have no meaningful near-term effect on the global oil market.
Trump’s Original Campaign Promise
Pocan’s criticism centers on a promise Trump made repeatedly during his 2024 campaign. At a September 2024 rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Trump told supporters his economic plan would cut energy prices in half, telling the crowd they could “get very angry” at him if it did not happen. Two days later in Pennsylvania, he pledged to cut energy and electricity prices in half within 12 months of taking office.
Gas prices stood at $3.12 per gallon on the day Trump was sworn into his second term in January 2025. Had the promised 50 percent reduction materialized, the national average would now be roughly $1.57 per gallon.
Electricity Costs Also Climbing
The gap between Trump’s campaign promises and current energy costs extends beyond gasoline. Residential electricity rates rose 18 percent between Trump’s January 2025 inauguration and April 2026, the most recent month for which federal data was available, according to Energy Information Administration figures. Utilities filed $9.2 billion in proposed rate hikes in the second quarter of 2026 alone, a 26 percent increase over the same period the previous year.
Administration Pushback
The White House has disputed characterizations of its energy record. The Department of Energy has continued to promote what it calls an “Energy Dominance” agenda, crediting the administration with record-high U.S. crude oil production and expanded natural gas exports. The Department of the Interior similarly projected that Americans would spend $11 billion less on gas in 2026 compared to prior years under the administration’s policies.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers has previously attributed elevated energy costs in some states to Democratic-led state policies rather than federal actions, pointing to what she described as costly green energy initiatives in blue states.
A Recurring Line of Criticism for Pocan
Tuesday’s post continues a pattern of criticism Pocan has leveled at both Trump and Wisconsin Republicans over fuel costs throughout 2026. In earlier posts, Pocan directly challenged Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) over rising prices at Wisconsin pumps, referencing a $4.49-per-gallon price point that he noted was two dollars higher than during an earlier photo opportunity involving Tiffany.
Pocan has also previously called for accountability over fossil fuel industry pricing practices, arguing in past remarks that the scale of profit tied to price increases amounted to a form of gouging that outweighed penalties typically imposed for comparable offenses.
Independent Fact-Checks on the Broader Promise
Nonpartisan fact-checking organizations have similarly tracked the gap between Trump’s campaign pledge and actual energy cost trends. An analysis published in January 2026 found that while gasoline prices had declined modestly during the first year of Trump’s second term, they had fallen only about 11 percent, far short of the promised 50 percent reduction, while electricity and natural gas costs had each risen during the same period. The rating classified the overall promise as “Stalled.”
Outlook Heading Into Fall
Energy analysts have suggested the trend is unlikely to reverse quickly. Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Gulf Oil, said global gasoline markets were trading well above domestic futures prices as of early August, and predicted the final months of 2026 would remain considerably more expensive than prior years, even without additional storm-related disruptions.