As Americans prepared to head to the polls in the 2026 midterm elections, President Donald Trump pointed a finger at the Houthi movement in Yemen, saying the group was trying to drive up oil prices at a moment when energy costs could sway voters.
Beyond the accusation, Trump warned that the United States might respond with retaliation if the Houthis continued their campaign. Trump warned of potential retaliation if the Houthis continued their attacks.
Trump also floated the idea of bringing Turkey into the equation, suggesting that Turkish President Erdogan could be enlisted to support Saudi interests. He later added that he believed Erdogan would comply with his requests, hinting at a coordinated effort to counter the Houthis.
In response to the Houthi advance, a Saudi‑led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to prop up the internationally recognized government.
The president’s remarks came amid growing anxiety that Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure could disrupt global oil supplies and choke key shipping routes. He warned that such disruptions threatened to push energy prices higher, a scenario that would reverberate far beyond the Arabian Peninsula.
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Trump repeatedly characterized the Houthis’ actions as "very badly," a phrase he used to condemn their attacks on Saudi Arabia. The wording appeared in multiple statements, underscoring his frustration with the group’s conduct.
The briefing noted that the Houthis have controlled parts of Yemen since 2014, establishing a durable presence that has allowed them to launch sustained operations against the Saudi‑backed government and its allies.
In response to the Houthi advance, a Saudi‑led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to prop up the internationally recognized government. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support the government.
Trump insisted that the Houthis were not merely acting out of local grievances but were deliberately trying to drive up oil prices to influence the U.S. midterm elections. He linked the timing of the attacks to the electoral calendar as a strategic calculation.
The president warned that he would consider future actions against the Houthis if they persisted. Trump warned that he would consider future actions against the Houthis if they persisted.
In a separate comment, Trump said he believed President Erdogan would do as he asked, reinforcing the notion that Turkey could be persuaded to align with U.S. and Saudi objectives in the region.
Trump described the Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia as being carried out "in a very nasty way," emphasizing the brutality and effectiveness of the group’s recent offensive.
He further claimed that the Houthis had "emerged again" after a long silence and that this resurgence was "probably at the behest of Iran." The accusation tied the group’s actions directly to Iranian direction.
Amid the foreign‑policy remarks, Trump reiterated his belief that he had already won the elections in a massive landslide, stating that he would be there after the vote and would never forget the moment.
The briefing supplied concrete numbers from the latest Houthi attacks: 13 people were killed and 300 were wounded, giving a human toll to the escalating violence.
On October 13, 2026, Yemeni government forces launched the "Dawn of Yemen" operation, a major offensive aimed at pushing back Houthi advances on multiple fronts.
The same day, reports noted a simultaneous US‑Iran conflict and a broader US‑Iran war, indicating that the regional confrontation was intensifying on multiple fronts.
Finally, on October 14, 2026, Trump formally accused the Houthis of trying to drive up oil prices, bringing his earlier allegations into a explicit statement timed just after the flurry of battlefield developments.