Donald Trump said he would back proposals to halt American diesel exports as US diesel prices climbed to more than $6.50 a gallon. The move would reach far beyond drivers at the pump, because the United States exports 1.3 million barrels of diesel a day and ships nearly a quarter of refinery output as diesel.
Trump said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, “I've called for that too. I've said let's not send out the diesel. We make a lot of diesel. That could have a little bit of an effect on regular automobile gasoline,” tying the idea to pump prices and the wider fuel market. The US price spike has added pressure before November's mid-term elections, where fuel costs can shape voter anger fast.
Trump and the United Nations General Assembly
Scott Bessent said officials were assessing “whether a full or partial ban would work” without disrupting refinery capabilities. That leaves the White House weighing a blunt supply squeeze against the risk of upsetting refinery flows that keep diesel moving through the US market. Cutting US diesel exports could help American drivers in the short term, but it could also push up prices internationally.
Trump repeated that point later on Tuesday during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, saying, “It is a serious hit on the Russians” and “It's also a serious hit on the price of diesel.” The setting mattered: Russian refining capacity has taken a serious hit, and Kyiv has intensified drone attacks on Russian processing plants in recent months, adding pressure to global diesel supplies.
Ashley Hinson and Iowa pressure
Republican lawmakers had already pushed the issue before Trump spoke. Ashley Hinson said on Monday that Iowa consumers were “being squeezed and shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump.” Dan Sullivan went further in Alaska on Tuesday, urging a “temporary pause of American diesel and exports.”
Those appeals show the domestic politics around diesel are no longer abstract. Drivers in US states are facing a market where national average prices crossed more than $6.50 a gallon, while Western allies including the UK and the Netherlands depend on American fuel to cover deficits left by sanctions on Russian energy. A restriction could ease pressure inside the United States and tighten it elsewhere.
Scott Bessent on refinery capacity
The unresolved issue is whether Trump would order a full or partial ban. Bessent’s assessment keeps the decision tied to refinery capacity, not just campaign-season pressure, and that is what will decide whether the proposal becomes policy or remains a threat to exports. For now, the clearest next move is inside the administration: whether officials think the US can curb diesel flows without breaking the system that makes the fuel in the first place.
Kelly Loeffler says SBA is advancing diesel exhaust fluid rollbacks, a separate policy move that shows how fuel rules are moving on several tracks at once. Another example is Petrobras Cuts Diesel 0.3515 Reais on July 1, Gasoline Effect Flat, which shows how quickly diesel pricing decisions can spread beyond one country’s borders.
