Politics

‘Over $5’: Biden Makes False Claim About Gas Prices Under Trump

Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Diana Glebova White House Correspondent
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President Joe Biden falsely spoke about gas prices under the Trump administration Thursday, claiming the most common price of gas was “over five dollars” when he took office.

“The most common price of gas in America is $3.39, down from over $5 when I took office,” Biden said while speaking on Micron’s plan to invest in CHIPS Manufacturing in Syracuse, New York.

The national average price of gas was $2.39 on Jan. 23, 2021, days after Biden took office, according to data from GasBuddy.

The national average price of gas did not reach $5 until June 2022 under the Biden administration, and it remained under $3 for the entirety of the Trump administration, according to GasBuddy.

The Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, Patrick De Haan, told the Daily Caller the average price of gas when Biden took office Jan. 18 was $2.38.

The Biden administration has made misleading statements about gas in previous months, using the “most common” price metric instead of the national average price of gas. Although the “most common” price is accurate, it does not account for what most Americans are paying at the pump. (RELATED: Biden Admin Keeps Pushing Misleading Gas Prices)

Biden and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre both stressed $3.49 as the “most common” price of gas Monday, despite the national average being $3.79 that day, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Fifteen states had average prices at or below $3.49 a gallon Monday. California had the highest average of $5.75 the same day, according to AAA.

The administration also claimed earlier in October that $3.29 was the “most common price at gas stations,” but 39 states in the country had average gas prices above that number during that time frame. (RELATED: White House Misleads Americans With Claim About Gas Prices)

The national average is currently higher than the “most common” price “because the national average has been ‘pulled up’ by regions that experienced refinery outages and skyrocketing prices in September,” De Haan told the Caller.

The White House has also blamed the record-breaking price of gas under Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian President Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine, calling it “Putin’s price hike.”