The White House launched 25 Freedom Fuel gas stations, all selling fuel at $3.47 per gallon.
The White House announced the initiative on July 7 with a video of customers thanking President Donald Trump for lowering gas prices on Texas. The White House told USA TODAY in an email July 7 that the stations are located in the greater Philadelphia area.
In the video, a customer claimed that the gas station saved him money. “I thought gas was more expensive, but it’s not,” said the man, whose identity was not released. “Thanks Trump for saving me some money.”
The move comes as Americans remain concerned about gas prices at the pump ahead of the November midterm elections. But the price of Freedom Gas is slightly lower than the national average.
The national average price of fuel on Thursday, July 9 was $3.84, according to AAA data. The average price of gas in Pennsylvania on Thursday, July 9 was $3.99.
The USA TODAY Cars team looks at why Trump is trying to lower gas prices and whether his latest “Freedom Fuel” effort is likely to be sustainable.
Why are gas prices so high?
Earlier this year, gas prices began rising in all 50 states, bringing the national average to nearly $5 in May. Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois saw significant increases, according to GasBuddy, a fuel industry analyst.
Gas prices are determined by the price of crude oil, which is traded on global markets and has seen costs rise due to the US-Iran war. At its peak, Brent crude rose more than 55% and reached nearly $120 a barrel.
This sharp increase was caused by shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the International Energy Agency, in 2025, about 34% of global crude oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Gasoline prices began to fall in June after the United States and Iran reached a temporary agreement to end the war, effectively reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, costs at the pump are largely driven by these four components: crude oil, refining costs, distribution and marketing, and federal and state taxes.
On July 7, average gas prices in Hawaii, California, and Washington were all above $5 per gallon. Meanwhile, Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas had some of the cheapest numbers, according to AAA data.
The locations of Freedom Fuel gas stations are available on the company’s website.
How else has Trump tried to lower gas prices?
Trump has previously pressured gas retailers to lower prices at the pump, and accused them of raising prices at a time when oil barrel prices were beginning to fall.
Trump is also pressing Congress to pass legislation that would allow the sale of higher ethanol gasoline as U.S. lawmakers grapple with rising gas prices that have left many Americans reeling in an election year.
In an updated 2026 budget request sent to Congress on June 24, the White House requested a new law that would codify the “permanent, year-round sale” of E15 gas, which is gasoline blended with 15% ethanol. Doing so, the White House said, would be “an immediate and needed policy change that will expand consumer choice, support domestic fuel production, and provide additional flexibility in fuel markets.”
What are people saying about Trump’s ‘freedom fuel’?
Analysts are skeptical that Trump’s steps to lower gas prices will be sustainable without major changes to the military situation in Iran.
“One of the biggest misconceptions I see: People believe that oil and gasoline have a fixed relationship,” Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, wrote in an X post. “They don’t. Crude oil is the biggest input cost, but gasoline has its own market. Sometimes they move together. Sometimes they move in opposite directions.”
De Haan predicted in a separate X post that gas prices were likely to rise in the coming days.
“With news of Russia suspending diesel exports, markets have accelerated their climb,” he wrote. “Additionally, diesel’s current national average of $4.75/gal could slide back to $5/gal in the next week or two, while the national average gas price could reach $4/gal. Oil+refining surges.”
Environmentalists sharply criticized Trump for offering gas at “artificially low prices” while he dismantles federal fuel economy standards.
“Before this short-term gimmick made headlines, Trump’s EPA provoked Congress into an unlawful attack on the Advanced Clean Car Program, which has ensured access to cleaner, efficient cars for more than 40% of the state’s passenger vehicle market for the past 15 years,” Elias Asher, program associate at Sunstone Strategies, an Oakland, California-based climate policy-focused consulting firm, said in an email.
Asher called the launch of “Freedom Fuel” stations “a hypocritical attempt by Trump to convince Americans (at least those living near these gas stations) that he cares about how much they’re paying at the pump.”
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach him at (email protected). Keith Lang is an automotive reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at (email protected).
Reporting by Michelle Del Rey and Keith Lang, USA TODAY/USA TODAY Network, via Reuters Connect.