HOUSTON, Texas — Americans have paid more for gasoline and diesel at the pump on average during President Donald Trump's second term than they did under his predecessor, Joe Biden, according to AAA data reported by Reuters on Monday, October 26.

Source: Reuters, via 94.7 The Beast

The price of a gallon of regular gasoline has averaged $3.472 since Trump took office almost two years ago, edging out the $3.471-per-gallon average for Biden's term, AAA data cited by Reuters show. Reuters noted the gasoline gap itself is a tenth of a cent.

The diesel gap is much wider. Diesel has averaged $4.343 a gallon under Trump compared with $4.078 a gallon under Biden, Reuters reported. U.S. diesel hit a record high of $6.523 a gallon on September 22, as the wars in Ukraine and Iran disrupted global fuel supplies.

Why it matters for truckers and households

Diesel powers trucking, agriculture, heavy industry and shipping, so a higher diesel average feeds into the cost of moving groceries, building materials and other goods. OilPrice.com, reporting the same AAA milestone independently on October 26, said AAA put Monday's national gasoline average at approximately $4.29 a gallon, compared with about $3.05 a year earlier, and cited GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan as expecting gasoline to stay above $4 and diesel above $6 through Election Day.

Source: OilPrice.com

Reuters said surging fuel prices are a political problem for the administration a week before the November 3 midterm elections, when Republicans are defending narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on October 19 put Trump's approval rating at 31%, with 23% of adults approving of his handling of the economy, Reuters reported.

What is solid

  • AAA data cited by Reuters: gasoline averaged $3.472 a gallon in Trump's second term to date against $3.471 under Biden; diesel averaged $4.343 against $4.078.
  • U.S. diesel reached a record $6.523 a gallon on September 22, per Reuters.
  • The Reuters/Ipsos poll published October 19 put Trump's approval at 31% and economy approval at 23%, per Reuters.

What is only claimed

  • What happens next and who is responsible: the White House, in an updated Reuters account, said prices would drop drastically once the Iran conflict ends; critics and market analysts point to the Ukraine and Iran wars disrupting supplies — the causes and the outlook remain argued, not settled facts.

Reuters said the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the initial report. In an updated Reuters account, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said that once the Iran conflict comes to an end, gas prices will drop drastically, and pointed to increased oil flows from the Persian Gulf.