United States politics
The recordFiled October 17, 2026Checked October 17, 2026
Are gas prices lower than when Biden was president?
Trump keeps saying so. On the day he said it, the national average was higher than in nearly every week of Biden's term.
Left
Lean left · Left-leaning US report
Fact check: Breaking down Trump's rosy comparison to gas prices under Biden
Daniel Dale · October 13, 2026
In other words, average US gas prices were lower during about 95% of Biden's presidency than they were on Monday.
Right
Lean right · Right-leaning US report
Trump downplays cost of gas, praises action in Iran during rally in Ohio
Kerry Picket · October 12, 2026
President Trump called on Ohio voters to support the Republican ticket Monday night, downplaying the current higher gas prices.
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FP verdict
The central claim doesn't hold.
Sourced from U.S. Energy Information Administration, the central claim doesn't hold.
“Remember, your prices – your gas prices – are lower than when Biden was president.”
Federal data show the weekly national average was $4.471 a gallon on Oct. 12, higher than in all but 10 of the 208 weeks of Biden's term. Prices are lower than Biden's 2022 peak, and his whole-term average roughly matches Trump's so far, but that isn't what Trump said.
How the coverage differs
Based on the full articles
- Shared factsBoth report that at a Monday rally at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump told supporters their gas prices are lower than when Biden was president, and that he paired the line with his claims about Iran.
- Different emphasisCNN tests the claim against AAA data, finding “average US gas prices were lower during about 95% of Biden’s presidency than they were on Monday,” when the national average was about $4.36, and notes the only higher Biden-era days came in mid-2022. It also takes up his line that “your other prices have all come down,” which it calls a lie. The Washington Times says Trump was “downplaying the current higher gas prices,” quotes him saying “As soon as it ends, the gasoline comes down,” and spends most of its story on Ohio’s Senate and governor races and the Columbus statue.
- Material differencesNo material factual difference. Only CNN checks the claim against price data; The Washington Times reports it without assessing it. The two transcribe the line slightly differently: CNN has “Remember, your prices – your gas prices – are lower than when Biden was president,” and The Washington Times has “but remember, your prices, your gas prices, are lower than when Biden was president.”
Shows its work
How this rating was reached
- Lie
- Doesn't hold up
- Misleading
- Mostly false
- Half true
- Mostly true
- True
- Unproven
01
The claim
At an Oct. 12 rally in Youngstown, Trump said: "Remember, your prices – your gas prices – are lower than when Biden was president." CNN reports he has repeated versions of the line since at least Sept. 30.
02
What the federal data show
In the Energy Information Administration's weekly national series for all grades of gasoline, the price for the week of Oct. 12 was $4.471 a gallon. Only 10 of the 208 weekly readings during Biden's term were higher, all of them in 2022. Biden's peak was $5.107.
03
A second count
CNN, using AAA's daily averages, found the national average of about $4.36 on Oct. 12 was higher than on "only 76 of Biden's 1,460 full days as president," and that on Jan. 20, 2025, it was about $3.12.
04
The left-leaning framing
CNN's Daniel Dale wrote that the claim "is only true about a small fraction of Joe Biden's presidency," while noting Trump "could have accurately pointed out" that Biden's peak was higher.
05
The right-leaning framing
The Washington Times quoted the line: "As soon as it ends, the gasoline comes down, but remember, your prices, your gas prices, are lower than when Biden was president …" It framed the rally as Trump "downplaying the current higher gas prices" and reported that he "predicted lower gasoline prices."
06
The friendliest written case
Separately, a Sept. 30 Daily Signal contributor op-ed, written before the rally line and not about it, argued that "Inflation-adjusted average gas prices during Trump 2.0 have been about 46 cents per gallon less than during the Biden administration." It compares whole-term averages, not today's price.
07
Why it's mostly false
Trump said prices "are lower," present tense. Measured that way, by AAA or by the federal government's own weekly series, they are higher than during roughly 95% of Biden's term. The claim holds only against Biden's mid-2022 spike.
08
The buried fact
Even the friendlier comparison is closer than either side says. In the EIA weekly series, without adjusting for inflation, Biden's term averaged $3.567 a gallon and Trump's second term so far averages $3.566, a tenth of a cent apart. The op-ed's own unadjusted figure, "about 9 cents per gallon less" under Trump, doesn't match that, and it doesn't name its data series. Its case depends on adjusting for inflation; CNN's depends on comparing to a single day.
- PrimaryU.S. Energy Information Administration: Weekly U.S. All Grades All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices
- Secondary reportingThe Daily Signal (contributor opinion): The Real Story About Gas Prices, National Security, and the Economy
- Secondary reportingCNN: Fact check: Breaking down Trump's rosy comparison to gas prices under Biden
09
What each side gets right, and hides
CNN is right about the claim Trump actually made, and concedes Biden's peak was higher. The Washington Times reports the line and the higher prices without testing the comparison. The op-ed is right that whole-term averages can favor Trump once inflation is counted, but doesn't address what drivers pay now.
- Secondary reportingCNN: Fact check: Breaking down Trump's rosy comparison to gas prices under Biden
- Secondary reportingThe Washington Times: Trump downplays cost of gas, praises action in Iran during rally in Ohio
- Secondary reportingThe Daily Signal (contributor opinion): The Real Story About Gas Prices, National Security, and the Economy
10
The question to ask
When someone says prices are lower, are they comparing today's price, the peak, or the average, and which one did they leave out?
Reporting only: no specific source link.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly national average, week of Oct. 12, 2026 (EIA) | $4.471 | U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| Biden-term weeks higher than that (EIA) | 10 of 208 | U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| Average, Biden term vs. Trump second term to date (EIA, not inflation-adjusted) | $3.567 vs. $3.566 | U.S. Energy Information Administration |
Caveats and limits
Not verified
- We didn't recompute the op-ed's inflation-adjusted figures.
Caveats
- Averages are our calculation from EIA's weekly all-grades series, using Jan. 20 as the boundary between terms. EIA and AAA measure prices differently, so their figures don't match exactly.
- This story is separate from our story on September's inflation report; it rates a rally claim, not the CPI.
Sources
Primary · official record
Secondary reporting
Fact check: Breaking down Trump's rosy comparison to gas prices under BidenCNN · Daniel Dale · October 13, 2026
Secondary reporting
Trump downplays cost of gas, praises action in Iran during rally in OhioThe Washington Times · Kerry Picket · October 12, 2026
Secondary reporting
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