With gas prices hitting an average of $4.48 per gallon as of Monday, fuel costs have become a major point of contention ahead of the midterm elections.
Amid public concern and declining poll numbers regarding his economic management, President Donald Trump is pushing back, arguing that his record on fuel affordability remains better than when Joe Biden was in office.
“Gas prices were much higher under Biden than under ‘TRUMP,’” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social this past Sunday. “So were almost all other prices.”
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides context for these claims. When Joe Biden was inaugurated in January 2021, gas prices averaged $2.38 per gallon, a figure largely influenced by the economic slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time Donald Trump took office in January 2025, the average price at the pump had risen to just over $3.10 per gallon. Notably, Trump had campaigned on a promise to bring gas prices below $2 per gallon during his term.
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The current surge in prices is largely attributed to the war between the U.S. and Iran, which began on February 28. While voters are feeling the squeeze at the pump, Trump has maintained that the economic trade-off is necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
He has consistently reassured the public that prices will tumble shortly after the conflict concludes, while continuing to frame his overall economic record as stronger than the previous administration’s.