Karoline Leavitt admits soaring gas prices hurt Republicans in midterms

WASHINGTON, DC: Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t mince words about how rising gas prices hurt Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. On Fox News’ 'Special Report with Bret Baier', she bluntly said that the higher prices made things tougher for her party as Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress, an undeniable blow to President Donald Trump.

Talking through why Republicans came up short, Leavitt pointed to what usually happens during midterms: the president’s party tends to lose ground.

Karoline Leavitt points to midterm history but acknowledges gas price concerns

During the Fox News interview, Leavitt argued that Republicans' losses were partly consistent with a longstanding pattern in American politics.

"The reality is that nearly every incumbent president['s] party loses the midterm election," she began, adding, "I know it's boring, many people have said that already."

"There have only been three exceptions to that truth in the last 100 years..." she said. "It shows the reality of the electorate in our country and how it sways back and forth."

She brought up former President Barack Obama’s losses in the 2010 midterms, when Democrats lost 63 House seats and six Senate seats.

At the same time, she admitted that higher gas prices have made things tougher for Republicans right now.

"Barack Obama in 2010 lost 63 House seats and he lost six Senate seats," Leavitt said, noting that the former president had been out campaigning this cycle for Democrats poised to win.

However, she couldn't deny that voters were being squeezed at the pump.

"I do believe undeniably that the history and the environment was worsened by the prices at the pump," Leavitt said.

"It's just a reminder to the American people, every single day, every week, when they go to fill up their gas pump, of the economic indicators," she said. "When people are filling up their gas tank, and they see $4, $5, and $6 a gallon in some states at the pump, that's very disheartening, and I think that played out at the polls today."

Trump's Iran war and rising fuel costs became sore points

Gas prices dominated the conversation during the midterm campaign, with the national average for regular gasoline climbing to about $4.29 a gallon right before the election, according to AAA. That’s up roughly $1.23, or 40%, from the same time last year.

The spike happened after Trump ordered military strikes against Iran on February 28. Before the strikes, the American Automobile Association (AAA) said gas averaged $2.98 a gallon, as NBC News reported. Disruptions in tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and crude oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel only pushed fuel costs higher.

At a rally in Perry, Georgia, on October 24, Trump admitted his advisers had warned him not to tout the windfall oil companies were reaping from rising prices.

"We're making hundreds and hundreds of billions, trillions of dollars, but my people said, 'Please don't mention that, sir,' because people are paying a little higher," Trump told the crowd.

Predicting the headlines would accuse him of bragging while drivers suffered, he said, "I don't give a damn. We're making a freaking fortune."

The election results have intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration's economic record, with Leavitt's comments highlighting how rising fuel costs affected Republicans during the midterms.