Trump Weighs Diesel Export Ban as US Gas Prices Hit Record High President Donald Trump says he is very seriously considering a diesel export ban as US diesel prices hit a record $6.50 a gallon. Top cabinet officials and Republican lawmakers warn it could backfire. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration is very seriously considering a ban on US diesel exports, a move his own top energy officials had ruled out for months, as diesel prices hit record highs and gasoline costs climb. Trump made the comment to a reporter during a golf tournament in Illinois, according to an account of the exchange. The potential policy shift comes as the national average price for a gallon of diesel has reached around $6.50, up nearly $3 from $3.69 a year ago, according to AAA. The average price of regular gasoline has risen to $4.48 a gallon from $4.09 a month ago.Cabinet Officials Warn Against Diesel Export BanEnergy Secretary Chris Wright, who oversees oil and gas production and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, said last week that the blunt tool of banning diesel exports definitely does not work. He warned it would put upward pressure on gasoline prices and jet fuel prices. In May, Wright said the ban was then absolutely ruled out.Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that same month called export curbs bad on all accounts. Their public opposition had stood for months before Trump's comments on Sunday.Trump acknowledged the risk himself, saying a ban can oftentimes lead to a little bit of an increase on gasoline for cars, so we are looking at it very seriously. He added that the administration may do it. This is a U-turn from the position his cabinet secretaries had taken.Republican Lawmakers and Oil Donors Push BackA chorus of Republican lawmakers has spoken against the possible ban. Texas Senator John Cornyn told Semafor last week that the ban is a gimmick that will not work. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, also of Texas, said any implemented ban would be a mistake.Cruz told NBC News it would have massive harm to the refining industry. He noted the US refines more diesel than it consumes, and a ban would end up forcing refiners to reduce production, so it would backfire badly. Both Louisiana Senators, John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, have also come out against any potential ban. Kennedy told reporters last week that everything he has read tells him it will not do any good.The gambit has also upset some MAGA donors in the oil industry, who say the ban would only make a bad situation worse. Opponents argue that since the US produces more diesel than it uses, the policy would quickly fill domestic storage tanks. Once that happens, producers may be forced to pump less oil, harming the refining industry further.Advocates for keeping the fuel stateside say it could ease costs for consumers, namely farmers and truckers who rely on gas to produce and transport food. Given the steep recent increase in fuel prices, some experts have warned those costs will be passed on to consumers at grocery or department stores.Global Conflicts Drive Fuel Price SurgeStrikes on oil refining sites across the Middle East resulting from the Iran war, in addition to attacks on energy-producing facilities in Russia and Ukraine, have steeply driven up prices in the last month. The US-Israel war on Iran has caused US gas prices to sharply rise in the last seven months. Strikes on oil facilities in the Middle East and the US blockade on Iran's energy have restricted global supply.Trump's recent consideration of a diesel export ban comes as Republicans face increasingly dismal odds of retaining control of Congress after this November's midterm elections. According to prediction market Kalshi, Democrats have a 92 percent chance of winning control of the House of Representatives. In the Senate, Democrats have a 62 percent chance of taking control. Both are all-time highs for the party's chances, showing that bettors increasingly see a blue wave forming as the Iran war, gas prices, affordability concerns and more bog down Trump and the GOP.The diesel export ban debate places the president in a precarious position. Republican lawmakers and oil industry executives, who are often MAGA-aligned donors, have warned the administration against the ban that is now under strong consideration. The outcome could affect fuel prices, the refining industry and the political landscape ahead of the midterms.