KC area drivers sound off on high gas prices, the Iran war. ‘We all know who to blame’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gas costs about $1 more in Kansas and Missouri than before the war began on Feb. 28.
- Oil prices have risen above $100 per barrel during the war.
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll found about 77% of registered voters partly blame Trump.
Gas prices across the Kansas City metro are rising from a market shock due to the United States’ ongoing war in Iran, pushing oil prices to over $100 per barrel.
A gallon of gas costs about $1 more in Missouri and Kansas than it did before the war began on Feb. 28, according to the Center for American Progress. Missouri and Kansas enjoy some of the lowest gas prices in the country, but the surge is still hitting people’s pocket books.
“It’s just higher. So that means that you get less treats for yourself. You have to feed your car instead,” Thaylia Smith told The Star as she filled her tank at a Shell station on 3742 Main Street in Kansas City, where gas was $3.59 a gallon on Friday.
To understand how gas prices are affecting people in the Kansas City metro, The Star visited five gas stations in Jackson and Johnson counties on Friday and spoke with over 30 people at the pump. Gas prices hovered at $3.53 in Jackson County and as low as $3.52 in Johnson County, according to the American Automobile Association.
People were largely frustrated with the rising gas prices, but differed on where blame should be placed.
Some customers are shifting behavior to adapt to higher costs at the pump. Smith said she was at the Shell to take advantage of the rewards program.
Others accepted fluctuating gas prices as something they’ve come to expect over the past several years. Though prices have climbed at a fast rate since the war started, there were similar market shocks in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Karla Flores told The Star that she’s making fewer trips with the increase in gas prices.
“I only use it to go where I need to get at this point,” Flores said at a Quiktrip on 6835 Truman Road in Kansas City, where gas was $3.59 a gallon. “I only use it to work, pick up my kids, take them where they need to get, and get back home.”
Flores, when asked who she blames for the rising cost of gas, said, “We all know who to blame.” She said it’s one factor she’ll consider when she goes to the ballot box in November.
“I always keep everything in mind,” she said.
The price of gas in the KC area
Overall, the cost of gas is below its peak after the financial crisis in 2008, when average gas prices nationally exceeded $4. Adjusted for inflation, it would be closer to $6 in 2026.
“You’ve got to have gas, you really can’t complain. It’s a bother, but not too bad right now,” Leonard Lewis said at the Main Street Shell station. “It’s pretty much been like this the past couple of years. It’s cheaper in the wintertime and in the summertime it goes higher.”
But others may simply wait for prices to come down. At the start of the war, President Donald Trump said the military operations would only last six weeks. But as we enter week 8 of the war, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for oil and gas, will continue for “as long as it takes.”
Trump downplayed the rising costs, telling reporters on Thursday that the war’s impact on the stock market and oil prices are lower than he expected.
“I thought oil would go up to maybe $200 a barrel. And oil is a very different number than anyone thought,” Trump said, according to CNBC. “In fact, this country is much lower [than others] because we have all the oil we can use.”
But a majority of voters do blame Trump for the rise in gasoline prices, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday. It found that about 77% of registered voters said Trump is at least partly responsible for the rise in gas prices.
“This Trump and Iran and all that right now, I don’t know how high it’s going to go this summer, but I’m expecting $5,” Lewis said.
Kansas City drivers respond
Smith, at the Shell station in Kansas City, said numerous factors are contributing to the rising gas prices, adding that she believes oil companies are reaping profits while regular people’s pockets get stretched thin. Last month Rystad Energy, a market research firm, estimated that U.S. shale oil producers could see a $63 billion boost in sales from the war in Iran.
“The government is not cooperating like it’s supposed to, and the oil companies, it’s just like all the rich keep getting richer and it doesn’t help us any down the road,” Smith said.
Luis Morales, on the other hand, didn’t want to lay the blame solely at the government’s feet.
“Stuff happens, they try to make the best decisions, that’s what I see. I don’t know if it’s the right one or the wrong one,” Morales said at the Truman Road Quiktrip.
Dave Schuler was filling up his company truck at a Quik Trip on 20605 Shawnee Mission Parkway in Shawnee Friday afternoon, where gas was selling for $3.44 per gallon. He said his personal vehicle is a similar truck that gets 15 miles per gallon.
“I am looking for a commuter car just to drive back and forth to work, and I plan on saving almost as much in gas to make the payments on the truck,” he said.
Schuler said he doesn’t blame the high prices at the pump on the war in Iran because “gas prices always go up and down, no matter who’s in charge.”
“I’m not necessarily a Trump fan, but I don’t see where it’s all his fault,” Schuler said.
Owen Dawson, who was filling up at the Shell station on 11240 South Lone Elm Road in Olathe, where regular gas was $3.55 per gallon Friday afternoon, said his car only takes premium gasoline, making stops at the gas station especially expensive. Premium gasoline was $4.40 there on Friday afternoon, but Dawson’s rewards card saved him 20 cents per gallon.
The 16-year-old said he’s not sure who to blame for high prices at the pump, but he’s frustrated nonetheless.
“There’s fun stuff I want to do, but just having to think about gas and stuff, I can’t really do that,” Dawson said.
Oil prices have an impact on voting behavior, according to decades of academic research. In 2022, gas prices surged to nearly $5 a gallon and Republicans were able to flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
One of the issues at the top of voters’ minds was the economy as inflation and gas prices rose.
