“Fuel rises after a trivial dictator stirs up trouble.” The story of a statement by Trump’s deputy that he retracted

- US Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledged Monday that rising gas prices have made some voters hesitant ahead of the midterm congressional elections, but argued that such price jumps happen "every time a petty dictator decides to stir up trouble," a statement that sparked angry reactions online and comparisons on social media with President Donald Trump's approach. “I would like to address the undecided voters a little bit,” Vance said during a Republican rally in Montana. “Many of you are hearing that gas prices are very high.”

Vance continued: “I agree with that, but remember - and let’s talk here about fuel prices - what happened in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and fuel prices jumped like crazy.” He added: “It rose then - by the way - to much higher levels than it is today.

We also saw sharp increases in 1979, 2001 and 2007. "It goes up like crazy every time a petty dictator decides to stir up trouble."

There is no doubt that voters feel the impact of these prices at gas stations. The price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline today is 40% higher than it was last year, while the price of a gallon of diesel has increased by about 75%. The vice president has been campaigning for various Republican candidates, including Aaron Flynt, who is in a tighter-than-expected race for a congressional seat in western Montana.

Both Vance and Trump have recently intensified their visits to Republican Party strongholds, which reflects the party's concern as it seeks to maintain its control of Congress. After someone tried to interrupt the speech, prompting security to remove him from the hall, Vance returned to focusing on an idea he often presents in his speeches: that although voters may feel frustrated with some Republican policies, Democrats will perform worse.

“Don't judge them by the mob they send to protest at our events, judge them by what they actually do,” he said. Later, Vance amended his statement; He blamed rising costs on “small dictatorships in the Middle East,” after Democrats used his previous wording to criticize Trump.

Vance turned the debate directly toward Democrats, saying the rival party's priorities had made the country overly dependent on "small dictatorships in the Middle East." He added: "Their policies are the reason Middle Eastern dictators were able to control our lives in the first place, while Donald Trump and Roger Marshall work to put an end to that every day."

Vance's visit to the state came to support Republican Senator from Kansas, Roger Marshall, who is seeking re-election and faces strong and unexpected competition from Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton. The Vice President sought to portray Hamilton - a pastor - as a mere "tool" in the hands of Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, and said: "I cannot know what is in this man's heart, but I know the authority on which Adam Hamilton relies; it is neither Moses nor Jesus, but rather Chuck Schumer."

Vance also linked Trump's "America First" movement to the concept of sovereignty, explaining that it "aims to remind the American people that their government belongs to them," and that this government must "defend Americans first and foremost." In his speech, he repeatedly focused on the needs of farmers, noting that “Roger helped us provide billions of dollars in support for fuel costs for farmers during the current harvest season.”