President Trump is reportedly gearing up for a Tuesday meeting with fuel refiners and distributors as gas prices continue to weigh heavily on American families, setting the stage for what could be a defining midterm election issue.
A White House official says the president plans to focus the conversation on boosting domestic refining capacity, a key piece of his strategy to drive gasoline prices back down for everyday consumers.
The meeting is expected to draw a broad cross-section of the industry, with refiners and distributors of all sizes — small, medium, and large — set to attend. The president will be flanked by top energy officials, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and National Energy Dominance director Jarrod Agen.
This isn’t the first time the president has taken aim at the energy sector over pump prices. Trump has consistently pressed energy companies to bring costs down for struggling Americans, and has gone as far as accusing the industry of gouging consumers outright. That accusation prompted him to direct the Justice Department to open an investigation into the matter.
The persistently high prices trace back to earlier this year, when the U.S.-Iran conflict threw global oil supplies into disarray, sending ripple effects through markets that Americans are still feeling at the pump today.
In a twist that raised eyebrows, Reuters reported that ExxonMobil — the country’s third-largest refiner — did not make the cut for Tuesday’s invite list. The White House has stayed tight-lipped, declining to release the full roster of attendees, and Exxon has yet to respond to requests for comment on being left out.
The move comes on the heels of friction between Trump and the oil giant. Earlier this year, the president publicly criticized Exxon after its CEO labeled Venezuela “uninvestible,” a comment that appeared to strike a nerve at the White House.
For everyday Americans, the numbers tell a frustrating story. AAA data shows the national average for a gallon of gas hit $4.08 on Monday — a steep 90-cent jump compared to this time last year.
As the midterms draw closer, Tuesday’s sit-down underscores the administration’s determination to be seen tackling an issue that’s hitting wallets across the country. Whether it produces tangible results at the pump is still an open question, but for now, the message from the White House is clear: the fight against high gas prices is far from over.
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