White House celebrates low gas prices for the dog days of summer

The White House is touting low gas prices this summer, a time when more Americans are hitting the road and gas prices typically go up.

“Prices at the pump keep dropping thanks to President Trump unleashing American energy. President Trump ended Joe Biden’s reckless war on American energy, and he’s making life more affordable for families as a result,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement.

Gas prices remain low as the country heads into the thick of summer. The national average for a gallon of regular gas went down one cent from a week ago to $3.16, according to AAA.

The price now matches the price of gas in summer 2021, the last time summer gas prices were unusually low.

President Trump has been big on unleashing American energy. He declared a national energy emergency on his first day in office, calling for agencies to “identify and use all lawful emergency or other authorities available to them to facilitate the supply, refining, and transportation of energy in and through the West Coast of the United States, Northeast of the United States, and Alaska.”

The White House has touted gas prices before, using them as an indication of how well the president’s economic agenda is working.

Ahead of Memorial Day, fuel savings platform GasBuddy said travelers could expect to spend an average of $3.08 for a gallon of gas, which was 50 cents per gallon less than the previous Memorial Day. When adjusted for inflation, the Memorial Day gas prices were the lowest since 2003, excluding 2020, when prices were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

GasBuddy said in May that drivers can expect to see even lower prices as summer gets into full swing through Labor Day — a national average of $3.02. Prices could even hit below $3 a gallon toward the end of the summer.

GasBuddy found in a survey from May 6-12 that 69% of Americans intend to travel by road this summer, a drop from 76% last year.