Jim Hagen can find a bright side to anything. South Dakota’s boundlessly boostful Tourism Secretary tells South Dakota News Watch that Trumpflation at the pump could send more vacationers to South Dakota:
While it may seem counterintuitive, South Dakota tourism secretary Jim Hagen said the Rushmore State’s extensive travel industry could actually benefit from higher gas prices.
In an interview with News Watch, Hagen said South Dakota has outperformed other states in prior years when gas prices were high or rising.
Furthermore, recent national surveys show that 90% of Americans said they will travel this summer despite higher costs, and that many are considering driving to a destination rather than flying, Hagen said.
“They want to travel regionally, and they’re opting for that over more expensive, long-haul air travel trips or more expensive, longer road trips,” he said. “They’re going to travel to destinations that are closer to home. And the silver lining is that South Dakota is seen as a regional-drive market and because we really are the ultimate road trip destination” [Bart Pfankuch, “SD Tourism Leader: High Gas Prices Could Hold ‘Silver Lining’,” South Dakota News Watch, 2026.05.11].
The Trump Administration yesterday signaled that it could consider suspending the 18-cents-per-gallon federal gasoline tax to ameliorate the $1.50 Trump’s war on Iran has added to the pump price since February.