Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump falsely claimed Thursday that some states saw gas prices fall to just $1.98 on Wednesday.
Trump was responding to a journalist who asked him at the White House how long Americans can expect to experience higher prices because of his trade policies.
Trump claimed Americans have already seen the situation “get much better,” alleged the reporter is not “truthful,” then added, “You have gasoline that hit $1.98 yesterday in a couple of states.”
That’s not true. No state had an average gas price even close to $1.98 per gallon on Wednesday. The two states that were tied with the lowest average gas price on Wednesday, Mississippi and Tennessee, were both at $2.70 per gallon, according to data provided by AAA.
The national average was about $3.17 per gallon on Wednesday, per the AAA data. And Wednesday drivers were unlikely to find even an individual gas station selling a gallon for $1.98 or less.
GasBuddy, a firm that tracks prices at tens of thousands of gas stations around the country, found zero stations selling for under $2 on Wednesday, said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis. The lowest price GasBuddy found on Wednesday was $2.19 per gallon at a station in Texas. Of more than 500 metro areas whose prices are tracked by AAA, the one with the lowest average price, Abilene, Texas, was at about $2.57 per gallon.
Trump has repeatedly made false claims about prices as he attempts to defend his tariff plans, which...
By Matthew Knott and Nick Bonyhady April 19, 2025 — 5.54pm , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any tim...