Ron DeSantis broke with his own party on the night before the midterm elections, telling Republicans to stop gaslighting voters about high gas prices.
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The Florida governor made the comments Monday night on Straight Shooter with Stephen A., Stephen A. Smith’s SiriusXM show. He said gas costs more because of the war with Iran, and that Republicans who won’t say so out loud are losing voters’ trust.
“Gas is higher. It hurts people, working class people, and it’s higher because of the Iran conflict,” DeSantis said. “If you can’t admit that to voters, then you’re gaslighting them, and they’re not going to listen to you on other things.”
Gaslighting is when someone tries to convince you that what you’re seeing with your own eyes isn’t real. Voters have watched the price at the pump climb while some Republican leaders tell them it isn’t that bad or blame former President Joe Biden. DeSantis told Smith that approach is backfiring.
AAA numbers show how far prices have moved. The national average for a gallon of regular started 2026 under $3. It has stayed above $4 since late July and was about $4.23 as of Oct. 29. AAA has tied the increases to high crude oil costs and instability in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway near Iran that a large share of the world’s oil travels through.
Trump has been one of the loudest voices downplaying the problem. In April, when a reporter asked how much longer Americans would be dealing with high gas prices, Trump answered, “Well, they’re not very high.” DeSantis made clear his message applied to Trump too.
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He also explained why he thinks the war has hurt Republicans politically. “So here’s the thing with Iran and why I think it’s been a big, big drag,” DeSantis said. “We have some of our voters who’ve checked out because they’re like, I didn’t want any more Middle East wars and now we’re doing it.”
Trump ran in 2024 promising to keep the country out of new wars overseas. DeSantis told Smith he believes Democrats could make “potentially big gains” this cycle.
DeSantis isn’t the only Republican raising the alarm. House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan told Axios last month, “I don’t think gaslighting works.” Axios also reported that gas prices have been the top issue raised at Republican campaign stops, and the complaints are coming from loyal donors and supporters rather than undecided voters. In Texas, Senate candidate Ken Paxton was caught on audio blaming his struggles in the race on “the war, the gas prices, diesel.”
DeSantis has been pointing to gas prices all year. Earlier in 2026, he told reporters in Tampa that gas prices are what people are “more sensitive about than anything else.” Florida limits governors to two terms, so DeSantis is not on the ballot again.
Voters head to the polls today, with control of the House and Senate on the line.
