Fact Check: Did Trump urge MBS to bring down oil prices for his voters ahead of midterms?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid criticism of the Trump administration over rising gas prices, a rumor circulated on social media platforms claiming President Donald Trump urged Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to lower oil prices for his voters. The claim garnered criticism and speculation, with many calling for a fact-check.
Claim: Trump urged Mohammed bin Salman to reduce gas prices
The claim spread as a post on X, showing a conversation between the president and the Saudi leader.
The alleged conversation begins with Trump stating, “MBS, bring oil down to $50. I need cheap petrol for my voters," to which MBS replied, “Donald, bring weapons price down. I need cheap F-35s for my war."
Trump then hit back, saying, “You want cheap weapons? I want cheap oil," to which MBS refuted, stating, “You want cheap oil? I want $90 oil. My city in the desert needs money."
The conversation ends with Trump asking, “So we both want cheap but sell expensive?" to which MBS replied, “Welcome to business, my friend."
The post has garnered tens of thousands of views as of this writing, with many believing it to be an actual conversation between the two leaders. In contrast, others remained skeptical and questioned its authenticity.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire
The claim, however, is false, as there are no records of such a conversation between Trump and MBS.
There are no publicly available statements, press conferences, interviews, or social media posts from the two leaders about the gas price deal.
If such an exchange had really taken place, credible news outlets would have widely covered it, making headlines, but a Google search for the claim yielded no such media reports.
Moreover, the claim originated from a satire account, and netizens still appeared to believe the claim despite the post explicitly stating the conversation was an imagined phone call.
Americans blame Trump's policies for gas prices
The claim surfaced as voters are blaming rising gas prices on those in power, and regular gas has averaged $4.35 a gallon nationwide as of this month, according to the Energy Information Administration data.
According to a poll by AP-NORC from late September, 65% of Americans say Trump’s policies are behind the stubbornly high prices, rather than the outside events.
Nearly half are concerned about affording gas, up sharply from 39% back in July, while only 17% approve of how Trump’s managing the cost of living.
