President Donald Trump publicly disagreed with Energy Secretary Chris Wright after Wright indicated that a significant drop in gas prices might not occur until the following year. The President’s ongoing conflict with Iran has led to a rise in gas prices, now averaging over $4 per gallon, according to AAA. Americans are particularly concerned about economic issues, which have heavily influenced Trump’s current approval rating of 43 percent. During a Sunday interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Wright was asked when gas prices might return to below $3 per gallon.

Wright speculated that this might not happen until 2027, a scenario that could pose challenges for Republicans in the approaching midterm elections. “I’m not certain,” Wright commented. “It could occur later this year or perhaps next year. However, prices have likely reached their peak and should begin to decline. A resolution to the conflict will definitely lead to lower energy prices across the board.” However, Trump voiced his disagreement with Wright’s timeline when speaking to The Hill on Monday. Still, Trump conceded that ending the war with Iran would likely help in reducing gas prices, expressing that a resolution would bring about a decrease.

Trump expressed optimism that gas prices might drop as early as November, prior to the midterm elections. “I believe they’ll be substantially lower before the midterms,” he remarked during a conversation with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo last week. Additionally, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also shared an optimistic outlook last week, suggesting that gas prices might return to the $3 range by summer. “I’m hopeful that we’ll soon see gas prices with a three in front of it,” Bessent mentioned in a press briefing. As the deadline for the US-Iran ceasefire approaches, the President remains committed to negotiating a resolution.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner are expected to continue talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, this week to push for an end to the conflict with Iran. Late last week, both the United States and Iran said that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen for commerce amid the ongoing ceasefire agreement , prompting oil to close at $90.38 a barrel. But the United States fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, putting future peace talks in doubt.

The aggressive action also prompted jittery oil prices to spike back up. Despite several months of lower-than-usual gas prices in the first year of Trump’s second term, gas prices rose significantly as tensions with Iran escalated into a war in late February and early March. A spokesman for the Energy Department did not respond to a request for comment.