CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins pushed back against her colleague Scott Jennings on Thursday after he dismissed rising gas prices as a 'non-story,' despite President Donald Trump accusing big oil companies of price gouging.
Jennings Dismisses Gas Price Concerns
During an appearance on 'The Source,' Jennings argued that gas prices are no longer a pressing issue. 'Look, gas prices are not up, they’re down below $4 a gallon nationally; oil is trading at $71 a barrel,' he said. 'We don’t run the gas price tracker on the screen anymore for a reason, you know? I mean, it’s because it’s a non-story.'
Gas prices have dropped to $3.90 as of Friday since Trump agreed to a peace deal with Iran earlier this year. However, prices remain more than 20% above levels from the same period last year.
Collins Cites Trump's Own Concerns
Collins fired back at Jennings, pointing out that Trump himself has raised alarms about gas prices. 'The president doesn’t think they’re a non-story,' she said, referring to Trump's recent meltdown over big oil companies.
On Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social: 'The big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil. Those prices are dropping like a rock! In other words, customers are being “gouged.” I have instructed the DOJ to immediately start looking into this. Gasoline prices better start going down a lot faster than what I’m seeing!'
Collins noted that Trump's stance echoed that of his predecessor, Joe Biden. 'He was sounding like President Biden yesterday, saying that these companies are gouging people, saying the DOJ, he needs, he wants to look into it, as he was arguing yesterday, because he doesn’t think prices are coming down fast enough, so he’s been talking about that,' she said.
Economic Impact and Approval Ratings
Gas prices have contributed to Trump's declining approval ratings as economic concerns mount among Americans. CNN data chief Harry Enten reported earlier this month that Trump holds an 80% disapproval rating on gas prices. According to a five-day Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 1 in 4 Americans believe Trump's war with Iran was worth the costs.
