Why Trump can't promise high oil prices will fall after the midterms | The Business | ABC NEWS

Platypus Economics' Justin Wolfers says "The world is going to have to live with more expensive oil for some time to come." Donald Trump has made many promises about gas prices, recently saying oil prices will come down 'right after' midterms. Justin Wolfers, who is also a professor of economics at University of Michigan says: "If you want to get gas prices down, here's a hint, don't bomb the Middle East. Just not that hard." He continues: "If he (Trump) was ever going to get gas prices down, he'd do it before the election, not after, because he really wants to get his guys elected. So the fact that he hasn't done it by now tells you he's got no magic switch, no plan, no way forward." In Australia, the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, referred to the Iran war as turbo charging inflation, after the September print put the annual rate at 4.3 per cent. Justin Wolfers says there is a case to be made for the RBA to look through the energy supply shocks and not raise interest rates. "So there, I think Australia faces a genuine and serious debate. If to the extent that the current inflation is caused by high oil prices, the RBA raising rates won't lower those oil prices." He says, "I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't forget what we learn in our economics textbooks, that the argument for not going hard against a supply shock is real." Justin Wolfers also discusses the US Federal Reserve's October rate hold, Kevin Warsh's credibility and the US economic oultook ahead of the midterms. #ABCBusiness Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated. #ABCNEWS #ABCNEWSAustralia