Republican Rep. Mike Collins said he expects fuel prices to fall once the election is over, making the prediction in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday, one week before Georgia voters decide one of the country's closely watched Senate races.
"You're gonna see prices come down. It's amazing what election day is gonna do," said Collins, a trucking company owner who is challenging Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Rising energy costs remain a major issue in the contest.
Collins said he spoke privately with President Donald Trump after Saturday's rally in Perry, Georgia, where the president announced a $4.2 billion investment by German automaker Audi. According to Collins, Trump is eager for input from those around him. "He always wants to know what you think. He wants to know what everybody thinks," he said. Collins added that he told the president that well over half of the rallygoers he spoke with were attending a Trump rally for the first time.
Collins also said Trump boosted a new campaign ad focused on the Laken Riley Act, legislation Collins championed in Congress. By his account, the president shared the ad online and it has drawn more than 7 million views.
Trump said Saturday that Audi would build a new facility in the Macon area with plans to produce roughly 200,000 vehicles a year. Collins credited his work on the Port of Brunswick for helping Georgia land the project. After becoming chairman of the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee in 2025, he said, he made the port an early priority and discovered it had not been fully dredged in more than 10 years. "Took me about 3 months, got the money, got it dredged," he said. He argued that shallow channels had limited cargo volumes and that the improvements made Georgia more appealing to automakers. "One of the reasons that they picked Georgia was because that port is ready to go down there," Collins said. Ossoff has called for more details about the Audi project.
The interview also touched on a Washington Times report from Sept. 26, which cited Federal Election Commission records showing Ossoff's campaign spent nearly $3,000 on hair and makeup, more than any other Senate candidate at the time. Asked whether he wears makeup, Collins joked, "Some people might want to suggest I put a bag over my head." He then said, "I can't help it that they hired Pee-wee Herman's makeup artist," echoing Trump's own references to the fictional character at the rally. Collins also said Ossoff is positioning himself for a possible 2028 presidential run, which he described as his own reading of the senator's voting record, endorsements and fundraising.
Asked where he differs with Trump, Collins said he would have moved faster on allowing off-road diesel into trucks, arguing that more diesel supply in the transportation market could help lower prices. He defended the president's broader economic agenda, saying lower taxes, deregulation and domestic manufacturing investment would ease household costs. Ossoff has campaigned on health care, affordability and economic issues, and has criticized Trump's tariffs and the economic effects of the war with Iran, arguing that administration policies have raised costs for Georgia families.
Collins closed the interview with a forecast of victory. "I'm gonna win this race next week. I'm gonna be your next U.S. senator from Georgia," he said, adding, "We're gonna just pick up that old desk, move it across the rotunda, and continue to deliver."
The election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, and early voting in Georgia runs through Friday, Oct. 30. The Ossoff campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
