{"id":638445,"date":"2026-07-20T15:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=638445"},"modified":"2026-07-20T15:20:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:20:00","slug":"us-gas-prices-cross-politically-sensitive-4-level-closely-watched-by-trump-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=638445","title":{"rendered":"US Gas Prices Cross Politically Sensitive $4 Level Closely Watched By Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden\">US Gas Prices Cross Politically Sensitive $4 Level Closely Watched By Trump <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p>The U.S. national average for a gallon of regular 87-octane gasoline has climbed back above the politically sensitive $4 threshold as U.S. military forces and Tehran enter a ninth day of tit-for-tat strikes. This level is significant because it is where fuel costs begin to alter spending and driving behavior among working-poor households, while also weighing more broadly on consumer sentiment, making it a key pressure point closely watched by the Trump administration ahead of the midterm election cycle.<\/p>\n<p><a data-image-external-href=\"\" data-image-href=\"\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/HNoNtWlW4AAFiBW.jpg?itok=wA9c65Ml\" data-link-option=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.zerohedge.com\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/HNoNtWlW4AAFiBW.jpg?itok=wA9c65Ml\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"c49956b7-b276-4f7e-bea7-7be04046fbc7\" data-responsive-image-style=\"inline_images\" height=\"448\" width=\"500\" class=\"inline-images image-style-inline-images\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/HNoNtWlW4AAFiBW.jpg?itok=wA9c65Ml\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regular unleaded gasoline climbed above $4 a gallon on Monday, according to new data from the American Automobile Association, ending roughly one month below the politically sensitive threshold after the interim peace deal that temporarily eased Gulf area tensions.<\/p>\n<p><a data-image-external-href=\"\" data-image-href=\"\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/2026-07-20_07-11-35.png?itok=u8P0kKcp\" data-link-option=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.zerohedge.com\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/2026-07-20_07-11-35.png?itok=u8P0kKcp\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"1f46f860-a24c-431c-8b2d-e497007a6c92\" data-responsive-image-style=\"inline_images\" height=\"183\" width=\"500\" class=\"inline-images image-style-inline-images\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/2026-07-20_07-11-35.png?itok=u8P0kKcp\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With the U.S.-Iran conflict now caught in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/geopolitical\/iran-says-two-tankers-exploded-hormuz-chokepoint-ship-traffic-near-standstill\">escalation spiral<\/a> and domestic retail fuel prices rising sharply, pressure on the Trump administration to pursue a diplomatic off-ramp is likely to intensify.<\/p>\n<p><a data-image-external-href=\"\" data-image-href=\"\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/Snag_404a4c3.png?itok=g8trrhur\" data-link-option=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.zerohedge.com\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/Snag_404a4c3.png?itok=g8trrhur\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"9ea49bc2-aed7-4b0b-8372-7289cac4ae38\" data-responsive-image-style=\"inline_images\" height=\"263\" width=\"500\" class=\"inline-images image-style-inline-images\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/Snag_404a4c3.png?itok=g8trrhur\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Brent crude futures jumped above $90 a barrel earlier &#8211; the highest since early June &#8211; but faded in European trading. There were reports earlier that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/geopolitical\/iran-says-two-tankers-exploded-hormuz-chokepoint-ship-traffic-near-standstill\">Iran targeted tankers<\/a> in the Hormuz chokepoint and a Kuwaiti oil facility was attacked.<\/p>\n<p><a data-image-external-href=\"\" data-image-href=\"\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/Snag_3e850fe.png?itok=Uz9u7ifa\" data-link-option=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.zerohedge.com\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/Snag_3e850fe.png?itok=Uz9u7ifa\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"0f028f0f-26a9-45db-a43d-0ffa0206d81f\" data-responsive-image-style=\"inline_images\" height=\"266\" width=\"500\" class=\"inline-images image-style-inline-images\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/Snag_3e850fe.png?itok=Uz9u7ifa\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s not forget: last week, the writing was on the wall.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/energy\/us-gasoline-prices-could-top-4-gallon-within-days\">US Gasoline Prices Could Top $4 Per Gallon Within Days<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a data-image-external-href=\"\" data-image-href=\"\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/2026-07-20_06-58-30.jpg?itok=z08U1eBY\" data-link-option=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.zerohedge.com\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/2026-07-20_06-58-30.jpg?itok=z08U1eBY\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"e0c27f4e-b33a-4306-ac32-fa70ac4e1cbe\" data-responsive-image-style=\"inline_images\" height=\"312\" width=\"500\" class=\"inline-images image-style-inline-images\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/2026-07-20_06-58-30.jpg?itok=z08U1eBY\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Readers may recall that we detailed extensively how consumer behavior shifted when gas prices were above $4:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/personal-finance\/heres-what-happened-inside-gas-stations-when-gas-hit-4\">Here&#8217;s What Happened Inside Gas Stations When Gas Hit $4<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/markets\/heres-what-happened-inside-convenience-stores-when-gas-hit-4\">Here&#8217;s What Happened Inside Convenience Stores When Gas Hit $4<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/markets\/energy-drink-sales-abruptly-slow-energy-shock-shifts-consumer-behavior\">Energy Drinks Become Latest Casualty As Fuel Shock Shifts Consumer Behavior<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We suggest readers revisit Daan Struyven, Goldman&#8217;s leading commodity expert, on why gas prices are likely to remain elevated (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/energy\/three-reasons-gas-prices-are-likely-remain-elevated\">read the note here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>      <span class=\"field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden\"><a title=\"View user profile.\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.zerohedge.com\/users\/tyler-durden\" lang=\"\" class=\"username\" xml:lang=\"\">Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden\">Mon, 07\/20\/2026 &#8211; 11:20<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/HNoNtWlW4AAFiBW.jpg?itok=wA9c65Ml\" title=\"US Gas Prices Cross Politically Sensitive $4 Level Closely Watched By Trump\" \/><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US Gas Prices Cross Politically Sensitive $4 Level Closely Watched By Trump The U.S. national average for a gallon of regular 87-octane gasoline has climbed back above the politically sensitive $4 threshold as U.S. military forces and Tehran enter a ninth day of tit-for-tat strikes. This level is significant because it is where fuel costs&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=638445\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">US Gas Prices Cross Politically Sensitive $4 Level Closely Watched By Trump<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":638432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-638445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-empowerment","category-national-security","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=638445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/638432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=638445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=638445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=638445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}