The $1.99 Gas Lie
Trump’s Favorite Soundbite vs. the Numbers That Tell the Truth
“We had a couple of states where gasoline was at $1.98 a gallon.” — Donald Trump, April 22, 2025
This is the kind of number that sounds great in a rally speech. It’s specific, it’s nostalgic, and it paints a picture of cheap gas we all wish we could see again.
There’s just one problem: it doesn’t exist.
So before this number becomes political folklore, let’s check it against the facts.
Stay Informed. Stay Loud.
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$1.99 Gas? Not in This America
Trump has repeated the $1.98 claim often, suggesting it was reality in multiple states. But if you check the actual data, it never happened.
Here’s what the record shows:
PolitiFact found no U.S. state with an average gas price anywhere near $1.98 this year. The lowest statewide average in April 2025 was $2.66 in Mississippi.
CBS News, using GasBuddy data, confirmed no single gas station sold regular unleaded for $1.98. The cheapest real price? $2.11 and even that was rare.
In other words, the “$1.99 gas” is a political ghost story.
So why does this number keep surfacing if no one’s actually paying it?
Why This Number Keeps Showing Up
Energy analysts have a likely explanation: wholesale vs. retail prices.
Wholesale RBOB gasoline futures occasionally fall below $2.00 a gallon.
Retail prices include taxes, transportation, and markups.
Claiming $1.98 as if it’s a pump price is like quoting the price of raw flour and pretending that’s what bread costs at the store.
It’s technically a number, but it’s not the one that matters to anyone filling up their tank.
And when we check what Americans are really paying, the gap is hard to ignore.
Real Gas Prices Right Now
If we look at actual numbers from July 30, 2025, here’s the truth:
National Average: $3.14 per gallon
Lowest State Average: $2.70 per gallon (Mississippi)
Lowest Verified Station Price: $2.51 per gallon (North Carolina)
Even the cheapest stations in America are still 50 cents higher than the $1.99 talking point.
For most Americans, the gap is more than a dollar.
Economic Nostalgia vs. Reality
The $1.99 number resonates because gas prices are emotional. They’re a billboard for our economic mood, something we see every day and feel in our wallets immediately.
But the claim confuses economic memory with economic reality:
In 2020, gas briefly fell under $2.00, but only because the COVID-19 pandemic froze global demand and oil prices collapsed.
That drop was an accident of history, not a policy victory.
And that memory often collides with the hard truth of how gas prices actually work.
What Really Moves Gas Prices
Presidents don’t set pump prices. Here’s what actually drives costs:
OPEC+ production decisions
Geopolitical shocks (wars, sanctions, supply disruptions)
Refinery capacity and seasonal demand spikes
Hurricanes and weather-related outages
Speculation in energy futures markets
Leaders can nudge these trends with policy, but they can’t conjure $1.99 gas by willpower or tweet, which is why reducing a complex market to a $1.99 slogan misleads voters.
Why It Matters
A misleading price claim might seem minor, but it works because it feels right to struggling households. It’s clear. It’s simple. It’s emotionally satisfying.
That’s why repeating a number like this — without context — isn’t harmless spin. It misleads voters and turns a complex economic story into a false nostalgia loop.
That’s why clear, repeatable facts are the antidote to repeatable myths.
Verified Sources
PolitiFact: No $1.98 gas anywhere in the U.S.
FactCheck.org: Claim likely came from wholesale futures, not real pump prices
CBS News: GasBuddy confirms no station under $2.11
Final Thought
Everyone wants cheaper gas. Everyone remembers when it felt easier to fill the tank, but nostalgia doesn’t pay at the pump.
Gas was not $1.99. Not then. Not now. Not anywhere.
Check the signs, check the data, and don’t let a soundbite drive the story.
Stay Informed. Stay Loud.
Subscribe to The Coffman Chronicle for no-BS political analysis, action guides, and daily truth bombs you won’t get from corporate media.
$2.95 here
BULLSHIT!!!