During a visit to a migrant detention facility in Florida on Tuesday, President Donald Trump again exaggerated gas prices, falsely claiming that gasoline had dropped to $1.99 per gallon in five states.
“Gasoline just hit $1.99 today in five states — $1.99, isn’t that a nice sound?” Trump said while speaking at the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center near Ochopee. “We just hit, in five states, $1.99, $1.98.”
But data from AAA and GasBuddy show that this claim is completely untrue.
What the Data Actually Shows
According to AAA, the lowest state average for a gallon of regular gas on Tuesday was around $2.71 in Mississippi. The fifth-lowest, Louisiana, stood at $2.79. The national average sat at approximately $3.18.
GasBuddy, which monitors tens of thousands of gas stations across the country, reported no station nationwide selling regular gas for below $2.26 per gallon that day. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, confirmed that the last time any state averaged under $2 per gallon was in January 2021, amid plummeting demand during the pandemic.
A Pattern of Exaggeration
President Trump has repeated similar false claims in recent months. In April, he stated that gas prices had fallen to $1.98 in “a couple” of states. He later bumped that number up to three states — again, with no data to support it.
Tuesday’s claim of five states marks a new, baseless escalation in this ongoing narrative.
A Missed Opportunity for Accuracy
Notably, Trump could have relied on accurate statistics to make a similar point. As CNN reported earlier Tuesday, Fourth of July weekend gas prices are projected to be the lowest for the holiday since 2021, according to GasBuddy.
The White House did not respond to CNN’s request for clarification on the president’s remarks.
Despite the lack of factual support, President Trump’s false claims continue to grab headlines — often overshadowing valid, positive economic trends he could otherwise highlight truthfully.
