Daijiworld Media Network – Colorado
Colorado, May 16: Despite rising fuel prices and growing economic concerns across the United States, many supporters of US President Donald Trump continue to stand firmly behind his approach towards Iran and the ongoing tensions in West Asia.
Residents in farming communities across northeast Colorado said they were willing to bear the burden of higher petrol prices if it meant preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
At a liquor store in Wiggins, Colorado, Amy Van Duyn said fuel prices had risen sharply since Trump returned to the White House last year.
“I used to fill my tank for $36. Now $36 gets me half a tank,” she said.
Her co-worker Tonyah Bruyette said the rising cost of fuel was affecting household budgets and grocery spending, but she still supported the president.
“We’re putting it in the tank rather than on our table,” Bruyette remarked, while adding that she still believed Trump was “fighting for” ordinary Americans.
Wiggins is located in Morgan County, where Trump reportedly won by a large margin during the 2024 election.
Nationally, however, Trump’s popularity on economic issues appears to have weakened amid soaring fuel prices linked to the conflict with Iran. Petrol prices in several parts of the country have crossed $4.50 per gallon.
According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, nearly eight out of 10 Americans blame Trump for higher gasoline prices, while only 30 per cent approved of his handling of the economy.
When asked recently whether Americans’ economic hardships were influencing his approach towards Iran, Trump replied that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons was his primary concern.
Democrats criticised the remarks, accusing the administration of becoming disconnected from the economic anxieties of ordinary citizens.
However, interviews conducted across Colorado’s Highway 52 corridor revealed continued support among many conservative voters, who argued that national security concerns outweighed temporary economic difficulties.
Jim Miller, a retired commodities broker from Prospect Valley, said Americans needed to be willing to make sacrifices during difficult times.
“I struggle like everybody else does, but I’m willing to sacrifice a little,” he said, comparing the current situation to wartime hardships faced by earlier generations.
In Roggen, trader Mike Urbanowicz said rising fuel costs were hurting the agricultural sector and criticised Trump’s expectations of quickly resolving the crisis. Still, he said he preferred Trump over Democrats, whom he accused of pushing the country towards socialism.
“I voted for Trump because the alternative is so bad,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Fort Morgan, 22-year-old Lexys Siebrands, who previously identified as a Democrat but later shifted towards the Republican Party, said conflict with Iran appeared inevitable.
Her mother, Jyl Siebrands, also backed Trump despite concerns over fuel prices.
“It’s just where we are with this war. People just have to give it time,” she said, adding that she remained fully supportive of the president’s handling of both the war and the economy.