President Trump said Tuesday he is open to banning diesel exports from the United States as American freight drivers and farmers confront record prices at the pump — a populist energy move that breaks sharply with free-trade orthodoxy, The Washington Times reported.
“I’ve said, ‘Let’s not send out the diesel,’” Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at United Nations meetings in New York. “I’ve called for it.”
Diesel has skyrocketed to over $6.50 per gallon, according to the AAA motor club — a price that would have been unthinkable just two years ago. Because freight trucks run on diesel, the pain at the pump doesn’t stay at the pump. It filters through the entire economy, driving up the cost of groceries, building materials, farm equipment, and virtually everything else that moves by truck. Which is nearly everything Americans buy.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, sitting alongside Trump at the UN meetings, said the administration is weighing whether an export ban is feasible or advisable. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and other Senate Republicans have already called for the move, arguing that American fuel should stay in America while prices remain at crisis levels.
The price spike stems from a brutal combination of geopolitical pressures. Iranian forces have tightened their grip on oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. Meanwhile, Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries have knocked out significant refining capacity. The result is a global diesel squeeze that is hitting American consumers hardest.
Not everyone in the administration is sold. Some officials worry the ban may not immediately lower domestic prices and could backfire if trading partners retaliate or if higher global prices boomerang back on U.S. consumers. Others note the logistical challenge of distributing domestic supply to every corner of the country without the export market acting as a pressure valve.
The broader context is the war in Ukraine itself. Trump signaled optimism that a deal between Kyiv and Moscow is within reach. “We have a very good relationship going, the two of us,” Trump said of Zelenskyy. “The president and I are trying to figure out a solution. I think it’s going to happen, I really do.” Zelenskyy returned the sentiment: “I hope that we will end this war, and President Trump will help us to end this war.”
Resolving the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran would likely be the quickest path to diesel relief — but in the meantime, Trump is making clear he’s willing to use the levers he has. Whether a diesel export ban is the right tool or a political signal, the message to American consumers is unmistakable: this president puts domestic prices first.
Source: washingtontimes.com
