Maria Bartiromo’s Reaction: Trump’s Dire Gas Price Forecast Shocks Viewers

Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo was visibly taken aback when Donald Trump cautioned her about the potential for gas prices to climb even further.

During her segment on Sunday Morning Futures, Trump discussed the repercussions of the Strait of Hormuz’s closure, emphasizing how it continues to affect global oil supply.

He noted that the escalating fuel costs, which have already impacted American motorists significantly, might remain elevated until the midterm elections in November. This revelation prompted a noticeable reaction from Bartiromo.

When questioned by Bartiromo about the possibility of decreasing gas prices before the elections, Trump replied, “It could stay the same, or perhaps rise a bit.”

He added emphatically, “I don’t think this situation will last much longer. They’re exhausted, Maria. They’re exhausted.”

He went on to call for a more ‘free and fair press in this country’, after the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the US rocketed from around $3.60 last month to about $4.13 this month, according to American Automobile Association (AAA). 

‘We’ve wiped out their whole country, essentially. The only thing left really is their water, which would be very devastating to hit, I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinization plants, their electric generating plants which are very easy to hit. 

‘We could have them all done-down. And I mean, down like you couldn’t have electricity for ten years because it takes you ten years to build those plants from scratch.’

Maria Bartiromo was left briefly stunned by Donald Trump during the pair’s telephone interview on this week’s ‘Sunday Futures’

Trump spoke to Bartiromo over the phone from Miami, Florida. Trump touched down at the White House later in the day

He emphasized how Iranian naval forces in the region had been decimated already.   

Trump swept to victory over Joe Biden by hammering the former president for the soaring living costs and promising to drive them down, with many of those who voted for him now outraged by surging prices.  

Earlier in the day, Trump revealed the US Navy would begin a blockade of ships entering or leaving the strait following a collapse in US-Iran ceasefire talks over the weekend.

The blockade began Monday at 10am EST as promised. Bartiromo asked in advance whether the arrangement will rattle already hampered global energy markets.

‘I think so,’ Trump replied, ‘I think so’. 

He said that ‘eventually it’s going to be lower’ and that ‘it’s going to be all or none, and that’s the way it is,’ he said at another point.

‘It might not happen initially, but it’s going down,’ he maintained.

The strait – through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows – has been essentially blocked since the conflict began. Iran has been in control of who can pass, causing oil prices to skyrocket.    

The rest of the interview touched on topics ranging from the conservative’s frustrations with NATO to the 2020 election. Trump said some members of the North Atlantic alliance have been unhelpful to his war effort.

‘It could be, it could be the same, or maybe a little bit higher,’ Trump said of what to expect with gas prices, which went up from around $3.60 last month to about $4.13, according to American Automobile Association (AAA)

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‘I’m very disappointed in NATO. They weren’t there for us. We pay trillions of dollars for NATO, and they weren’t there for us,’ he told Bartiromo at a point, after several countries refused to offer up their bases and airspace.

He hinted that the US’s financial commitments to the coalition could be in jeopardy

‘We’re guarding against Russia… We spent trillions of dollars doing it.’ Trump said. ‘And I think that’s going to be under very serious examination.’ 

He blamed former President Joe Biden for the current arrangement, calling his predecessor ‘grossly incompetent.’

‘Look, the election was rigged. You know that? I know that. Everybody knows that now,’ Trump said.   

‘Yep,’ Bartiromo replied.

‘And it’s all come out, and it’s coming out,’ Trump continued, before getting to the blockade.

All ships passing through the strait will be stopped by the US, he said. The war in Iran entered its 45th day Monday. 

Heading into the 2026 midterm season, Republicans control both the House and the Senate. Trump’s approval ratings amid the financial fallout continue to hit new lows. The president’s approval is historically seen as a gauge of looming elections.