“FREEDOM FUEL HAS ARRIVED,” the White House announced in a Tuesday X post.
What does that mean? Well, according to the post, “FREEDOM FUEL” refers to the first gas station in the Freedom Fuel Network, located in Philadelphia, Pa. There, gas will be sold at $3.47 per gallon “for our 47th President,” Donald Trump.
Gas prices have been high this spring and summer throughout the nation, but it looks like only motorists in the Philly area will benefit from Freedom Fuel prices at the moment. Meidas Touch said in a Facebook post that the Freedom Fuel station was “quietly a Sunoco until they rebranded it for a July 3 photo op.”
Following Trump’s announcement that the U.S. had joined Israel to attack Iran in late February, average national gas prices in the U.S. (and globally) spiked, in part because of Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, an important route for much of the world’s oil. Peace negotiations in June helped bring gas prices down in the U.S. However, it looks like those negotiations have soured – Trump said this week that the ceasefire with Iran is over, according to CBS News.
“We hit them hard last night,” Trump said of Iran Wednesday. He added that he thinks Iran’s leadership is “cuckoo.”
Fuel price expert Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy said the end of the ceasefire could bring gas prices close to $4 per gallon in the coming days. DeHaan also noted Tuesday that the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve fell by 6.2 million barrels in the last week to 319.5 million barrels, “the lowest level since May, 1983.”
As of Wednesday, average national gas prices were at around $3.80, per AAA data, and at $3.98 in Pennsylvania, where Freedom Fuel launched. That’s down from more than $4 earlier this year, but higher than gas prices at the same time last year. Even the Freedom Fuel price is higher at $3.47 compared to $3.15.
While gas prices climbed higher, the president’s approval rating has slipped, and The Economist said it was at 36% Wednesday. Trump has said that he wanted the Department of Justice to investigate gas stations keeping prices high amid the pace talks last month. Last week, he demanded that gas prices come down even more.
“President Trump is leading the charge to lower gas prices this summer – putting more money in your pocket,” said the White House Tuesday. According to USA Today, there are 25 Freedom Fuel locations in the greater Philadelphia area.
Americans’ concerns about affordability include more than just gas prices as inflation persist. Trump also announced this week that Walmart plans to lower prices at his administration’s request.
