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Fact check: Trump said gasoline just broke $1.98 a gallon
1. Summary of the results
The claim about gasoline prices being $1.98 per gallon is definitively contradicted by multiple sources. The national average gas price was consistently reported at $3.18-$3.19 per gallon [1] [1] [1]. The lowest state average was $2.66 in Mississippi [1] [1], and GasBuddy, which tracks gas prices nationwide, reported zero instances of gas stations selling fuel at $1.98 [2].
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
Several important contextual points were omitted from the original statement:
- Gas prices were actually 50 cents lower than the previous year [3]
- The lowest individual station price found was $2.19 in Texas [4]
- Energy experts found no evidence of increased U.S. oil production that could support such low prices [5]
- When asked about this claim, the White House could not substantiate it [4]
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The statement appears to be part of a pattern of repeated false claims, as Trump made this statement:
This type of misinformation could benefit:
- Political figures seeking to criticize current administration's energy policies
- Oil industry stakeholders who want to downplay current gas prices
- Opposition groups who could use this as evidence of spreading misinformation
The claim's repetition across multiple venues, despite being easily verifiable as false, suggests a deliberate attempt to shape public perception rather than a simple misstatement. GasBuddy's description of this as "mythical $1.98 gas" [2] emphasizes how far removed this claim is from reality.