The US president has suggested that Yemen-based groups are “deliberately trying to drive up oil prices” ahead of the November vote.
Published October 13, 2026
US President Donald Trump said Yemen’s Houthi rebels are stepping up attacks on Saudi infrastructure in an effort to raise energy prices ahead of the US midterm elections.
President Trump on Tuesday called the Houthis’ actions “very bad” and repeatedly threatened that the United States could step up military strikes across the Middle East after the November election.
“They (the Houthis) have been silent for a long time, but they will probably re-emerge before the U.S. election at the behest of Iran, a failed state with no navy or air force, the worst economy in the world, and 301 percent inflation, to attack Saudi Arabia in a very nasty way and deliberately try to drive up oil prices,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “That’s not good.”
President Trump’s decision to start a war with Israel and Iran in February has raised concerns about soaring energy prices and the cost of living in the United States, and voters will soon decide whether the Republican Party led by the president will maintain a majority in the House and Senate.
Democrats hope to use the president’s unpopularity and voter dissatisfaction with wars and rising costs to take control of one or both chambers of Congress, allowing them to block any legislative initiatives for the remainder of Trump’s term.
President Trump added on Tuesday that he would “never forget” the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, appearing to threaten another U.S. military strike after the midterm elections, which are widely seen as a referendum on Trump’s second term in office.
“Someone should explain to them (the Houthis) that I am not running in the elections, I have already won with a massive landslide, but I will be there once the elections are over and I will never forget!” he said.
Polls show that President Trump’s war on Iran is deeply unpopular, with a recent AP-NORC poll finding that nearly 70% of voters say the war is not worth fighting.
President Trump has dismissed unfavorable polls as “fake” and cited crowds at political rallies as proof of his popularity.
