Kaitlan Collins Challenges View That Gas Prices Are a 'Non-Story'

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins disagreed with her colleague Scott Jennings on Thursday, who characterized falling gas prices as a "non-story." Collins argued that the issue remains significant, particularly in light of former President Donald Trump's recent accusations against major oil companies for alleged price gouging.

Jennings had stated on "The Source" that national gas prices had fallen below $4 a gallon and that oil was trading at $71 a barrel, suggesting the topic was no longer a primary concern. "We don't run the gas price tracker on the screen anymore for a reason, you know? I mean, it's because it's a non-story," Jennings said.

Collins countered that Trump himself does not view gas prices as a trivial matter. This was in reference to Trump's recent public statements on Truth Social, where he accused "big Oil Companies" of failing to lower prices at the pump in line with declining oil costs. "The big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil," Trump wrote. "Those prices are dropping like a rock! In other words, customers are being ‘gouged.’ I have instructed the DOJ to immediately start looking into this. Gasoline prices better start going down a lot faster than what I’m seeing!"

Collins noted the parallel between Trump's stance and that of President Biden, stating, "The president doesn't think they're a non-story." She added that Trump "was sounding like President Biden yesterday, saying that these companies are gouging people, saying the DOJ, he needs, he wants to look into it, as he was arguing yesterday, because he doesn't think prices are coming down fast enough."

Gas prices have been identified as a factor contributing to declining approval ratings for Trump amid broader economic concerns among Americans. Data from CNN indicated that Trump held an 80% disapproval rating regarding gas prices earlier in the month. A Reuters/Ipsos poll also found that only about a quarter of Americans believe his policies regarding Iran were worth the associated costs.