The Number Has Changed. It Got Worse.

When we last reported on consumer pain at the pump, the national average stood at $4.49 per gallon. As of Thursday, May 22, it hit $4.56 — up $0.03 in a single week and up $0.54 since April, according to Forbes.

Gingrich Goes Public With a Six-Point Plan

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich isn't just talking about the problem anymore. He's laying out a specific strategy, delivered Wednesday on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast and in a separate interview with The New York Post's Miranda Devine on Pod Force One.

The full six-point framework, reported by Just The News correspondent Misty Severi, covers:

1. Lower gas prices before Labor Day. Gingrich set a clear threshold: "If gasoline is below $4 and clearly coming down by Labor Day, the Republicans may historically win one of the biggest off-year elections in history." That's a $0.56 drop from current levels in roughly three months.

2. Address global oil markets and broader affordability. Gingrich told John Solomon that housing and healthcare costs compound the gas problem. "If the oil starts flowing the price against the means comes down, the rest of the world will relax," he said.

3. Neutralize Iran through the Strait of Hormuz. This is the hawkish core of the plan. Gingrich argues the Trump administration must prioritize opening the strait to restore crude oil flow from the Persian Gulf. Without that, prices don't fall — period.

4. Lean into Trump's primary victories. Trump endorsed candidates across six states on Tuesday, with over 30 either winning outright or advancing to runoffs. That includes ousting sitting Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, according to Just The News. Gingrich wants the White House to treat this as momentum, not a finish line.

5. Let the "One Big Beautiful Bill" land with voters. Gingrich told Pod Force One he expects 5-6% economic growth by fall, with wages rising faster than inflation once the bill fully kicks in.

6. Compile and publicize Democrats' "craziest" moves. Gingrich urged the GOP to catalog every extreme statement and policy position Democratic leaders have staked out during the Trump administration and run contrast hard.

The Iran Variable Nobody Wants to State Plainly

The U.S. entered a war with Iran on February 28, according to Just The News. Gas prices have climbed $0.54 since April — a direct consequence of disrupted Persian Gulf oil flows.

Gingrich told Pod Force One: "You can fight Iran forever as long as you get the strait open." He added that Trump's air-power approach keeps American casualties low and public outrage muted — but it doesn't fix the underlying supply crunch.

The comment thread on Lucianne.com reflects a harder-edged view from the right-leaning base: one commenter argued diplomacy with the Iranian regime is "useless" because it's religiously motivated, not transactional. Another demanded Trump "eliminate the mullets and the IRGC thugs ASAP."

That sentiment won't move oil prices. Opening the Strait of Hormuz will.

What Mainstream Coverage Is Missing

Most outlets covering Gingrich's remarks treat this as partisan cheerleading — a former GOP speaker rooting for his team. His gas price threshold, however, is falsifiable and specific. Below $4 by Labor Day = GOP wins big. Above $4 = serious trouble.

Gingrich acknowledged on Pod Force One that Democrats currently lead the generic congressional ballot by 7.6 percentage points, per RealClearPolitics — and he still cautioned against trusting public polls. Whether that skepticism is justified or convenient is a legitimate question.

Also buried: Gingrich's admission that impeaching Bill Clinton was "a mistake." He told Pod Force One the perjury case got "trivialized" by its focus on the Lewinsky sex scandal rather than Clinton's actual legal violations. "By allowing it to be about sex, it trivialized it," he said. Clinton was later held in civil contempt and had his Arkansas law license suspended for five years — the underlying felony Gingrich says got lost in the noise. Coming from the man who drove the impeachment, that's a significant historical concession.

The Real Pressure Point

Gingrich's six-point plan is coherent. Whether Trump can execute point three — actually opening the Strait of Hormuz — in 15 weeks is a different question entirely.

If he can't, gas stays above $4. If gas stays above $4, working families keep getting squeezed. If working families keep getting squeezed, Democrats don't need a great candidate or a great message. They just need a gas pump.

The midterms are November 3. Labor Day is September 1. The clock is running.