Falling gas prices are yet another blow to the Trump campaign

Despite Trump’s exaggerations, he’s not entirely wrong. Gas prices have risen in recent years. They hit a high of about $4.93 a gallon in mid-2022, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration, which assembles and analyzes data from the US government. That high came just months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February of that year, causing fuel prices to spike.

But, a month before the election, gas prices are falling, upending Trump’s attack strategy. Gas prices have declined steadily for the last five months, in fact, according to the American Automobile Association. Andrew Gross, a spokesperson for AAA, said that trend is likely to continue.

“There are now 10 states with gasoline averages below $3 a gallon, which means thousands of retail outlets east of the Rockies are selling gas at similarly low prices,” Gross said in a press release, which noted that gas demand is low, as is the current cost of oil at about $70 per barrel.

The national average price for a gallon of gas was $3.30, a 6-cent decline from the previous week, AAA said.