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The list of things going poorly for Donald Trump is long, but high gas prices are arguably at the top. Thanks largely to his war of choice in Iran, the president who pledged “gasoline below $2 a gallon” has instead delivered a national average that currently stands at $4.37. Diesel costs, which recently topped $6 per gallon and are driving up prices for everyone, have especially strained farmers, truckers, and other core Trump constituencies.

Voters seem to have noticed. The New York Times and Siena University, political polling’s most respected dynamic duo, recently surveyed likely voters in five red states where Democrats are putting up a strong showing. In each, voters disliked Trump’s handling of gas prices more than any other issue. The polls also showed Democrats running for Senate and governor tied or leading in four of the five states, including Texas, Ohio, and Alaska.

Gas prices have caused headaches for presidents before, and their spikes and ebbs correlate closely with presidential job approval. That fact seems to have triggered a Trumpian scramble to tame prices before Election Day, while also inviting Iranian counter-efforts to keep them high.

Even presidents have limited means to manipulate gas prices, but that hasn’t stopped this one from trying. Over the summer, after........

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