President Donald Trump is directing the Department of Justice to open an investigation into major oil companies, accusing them of failing to reflect lower crude oil costs at the pump — a move that immediately reignites the long-running political battle over energy prices and corporate pricing behavior.

The directive, issued early Wednesday through a Truth Social post, alleges that oil companies are not passing along recent declines in crude prices to American consumers. Trump framed the situation as “gouging,” arguing that drivers are not seeing the benefit of lower wholesale oil costs.

The announcement comes as national gasoline prices remain elevated compared to earlier in the year, even after recent declines from previous peaks. According to the figures cited, the national average sits near $3.91 per gallon, significantly lower than May highs but still about $1.14 above January levels, before the escalation of U.S. military involvement in Iran.

Trump’s post specifically claimed that “the big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil,” signaling a potential push for federal scrutiny of pricing practices across the energy sector.

For the White House, the investigation — or even the announcement of one — places renewed emphasis on a familiar theme: whether Americans are seeing real relief at the pump when headline commodity prices fall.