US gas prices soar as America hit with life-threatening Arctic front

Donald Trump has long bragged about bringing down energy prices, despite the huge increase in the price of gas futures

Gas prices in the United States have skyrocketed as more Americans use their heating to stave off the cold, amid the life-threatening Arctic front currently blasting the country.

The cost of gas futures shot up by more than 50 percent over the last two days, putting them on track for their biggest weekly gain in over 30 years, according to Bloomberg.

The surge in costs comes as experts at AccuWeather warn that more than 100-200 million people are cranking up the heat in their homes, as the weather continues to get colder.

"Potentially hundreds of thousands of people may go without electricity and heat for days,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter warned, adding that more than two dozen states will be in the storm’s path in the coming days.

Much of the East Coast and Midwest will also see snow and sleet this week, with roads expected to be clogged and thousands of flights cancelled. Some areas have even been told to expect temperatures that feel 20 or 30 degrees lower than the actual temperature, as Arctic air sweeps across the country.

The United States has been blasted by an Arctic front, which is set to worsen as the week goes on (Kalamazoo Gazette)

“I think people are underestimating just how bad it’s going to be,” Ryan Maue, a meteorologist, told The Independent.

But while Americans are turning on their heating and paying higher gas prices, Trump has been in Davos, Switzerland, claiming to have brought down such costs.

The reality of his claims is a complicated picture. While an argument could be made that Trump has brought down oil prices, the price of electricity has actually gone up.

Household electricity bills grew by 6.7 percent during the first year of Trump’s second presidency, according to an analysis of Energy Information Administration data by The Guardian. That meant that the average household paid nearly $116 more for energy under Trump than they did during Biden’s final year in office.

Meteorologists have warned that some areas will only see highs of -14 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday (National Weather Service)

Residents in Washington, D.C., saw the biggest increase in energy costs, with bills jumping by a staggering 23 percent. Indiana saw the second-largest increase, with costs rising by 17 percent.

“Instead of reducing electric bills by 50%, the president’s actions have raised the cost of home energy for all Americans,” Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, told The Guardian. “It used to be the poorest Americans who struggled with their power bills, but now we are seeing more and more middle-income families who have to make sacrifices to avoid being shut off.

“But there’s a limit to how much people are able to sacrifice, which we are very concerned about.”

However, despite the huge increase in energy prices, the actual cost of oil has dropped under Trump.

When he took office in January 2025, a barrel of oil cost $73.15, and that price fell to $58.88 by the end of the year, according to the EIA.

The cost of a gallon of gasoline, paid by drivers at the pump, has also fallen by 10 percent.

However, the cost of gas is not under the president's direct control. Instead, the biggest factor influencing gasoline prices is the cost of crude oil, which was cheaper last year due to a global oversupply.

Donald Trump has long bragged about bringing down energy costs, despite evidence suggesting the price of power has risen (AFP via Getty Images)

Trump’s pressure on OPEC may have caused prices to fall slightly, according to Dan Pickering, the chief investment officer at Pickering Energy Partners, but that is far from the only factor.

"I think if we look at oil down 20% in 2025, that you have to say that political dynamics drove at least half of that," he told NPR. "And as we go into 2026, I think those dynamics will still be at play."

Despite experts' warnings that energy costs could be reduced by greater investment in renewable energy, Trump has repeatedly refused to build more wind farms in the United States.

Speaking at Davos, he said that only “stupid people buy windfarms” and criticized Europe for investing in them.

James Coleman, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said, though, that investing in energy sources beyond oil could cut costs.

"As a general matter, the thing that you can do that most clearly helps reduce prices is to remove barriers to new energy investment," Coleman told NPR. "And the thing that basically just increases prices is increasing uncertainty or barriers to energy."

The Independent has contacted the Department of Energy and the White House for comment.