Trump accuses Houthis of driving up oil prices ahead of US midterms

U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Yemen’s Houthi movement on Tuesday, October 13, accusing the group of coordinating with Iran to artificially inflate global crude prices and disrupt domestic energy markets just weeks before the United States midterm elections.

What accusations did Donald Trump direct at the Houthis and Iran on Truth Social?

Writing on his Truth Social platform, President Trump claimed the Houthis had resurfaced after a period of relative calm following U.S. strikes in 2025, alleging that Tehran was directing the renewed escalation. "The Houthis are behaving very badly," Trump wrote, charging that the group had returned "in a very nasty way, hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the U.S. Elections — NOT NICE."

Addressing suggestions that electoral considerations might restrict Washington's military options, Trump dismissed the idea that the upcoming vote would constrain his policy: "Somebody should explain to them that I'm not running in the Elections... but I'll be there after the Elections, and I will never forget!" Speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn before boarding Marine One for a campaign trip to Alaska, Trump acknowledged discussing the security crisis with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman but refused to reveal whether he had authorized joint combat operations against the group, remarking, "Do you really think I can tell you that? I'd love to tell you, but I'm not going to tell you that."

How does the Middle East energy crisis intersect with US midterm election politics?

The president’s sharp rhetoric reflects acute sensitivity in Washington over energy affordability, which has emerged as a dominant voter concern with less than three weeks remaining before the November elections.

The Republican Party faces closely contested races to preserve control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, prompting Trump to headline rallies in competitive swing districts and traditionally conservative strongholds. With delivered crude benchmark prices hovering near historic peaks and retail gasoline prices straining household budgets, any sustained supply disruption threatens to intensify economic dissatisfaction at the ballot box.

The tension comes amid an increasingly volatile security theater across the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. The Houthi cross-border campaign—marked by weekend missile strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that killed 13 people and Tuesday's fire at an Aramco complex in Dhahran—has coincided with Iran's ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and a worldwide shortage of crude supertankers. Despite Houthi warnings of immediate retaliation against American assets if the US intervenes militarily, defense officials in Washington continue to evaluate deterrence options with Gulf allies.

According to CBS News, the Pentagon has placed regional naval and strike assets on heightened alert while the administration monitors pump price volatility across key electoral states.