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US President Donald Trump has been called socialist-adjacent after he lauded a new initiative lowering the price of gas across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Launched in June, the Freedom Fuel Network includes 25 gas stations across the two states, offering gas at a lower price than their competitors.
The network kicked off in the aftermath of the Iran war, which saw the price of gas skyrocket. Fuel at any of these stations is $3.47 a gallon in a nod to the 47th President, with gas being 32 cents cheaper than the national average on the day of its launch, July 7.
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Trump publicly applauded the initiative, generating rumours that his administration could be directly profiting off it. Now, the White House has confirmed they’re not directly involved in the Freedom Fuel Network, nor have they funded it.
“The administration is not involved in the company, nor has the administration given the company any funding. There is no other entity or person subsidizing the lower gasoline costs," a White House spokesman said (via The New York Times).
"This retailer is taking the lead, others should follow.”
As a People op-ed argued that the Freedom Fuel Network is a concept that would be more likely to be spoused by New York City socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani than Trump, the initiative has attracted criticism on social media, with users on Twitter/X pointing out that prices have gone up after the POTUS took office for his second term.
Additionally, it appears that pumps have already increased the initial price since the Freedom Fuel Network started operating, with some gas stations going from $3.47 a gallon to $3.57.
A new report also suggests that one of the Freedom Fuel gas stations used to charge $2.99 per gallon during Biden’s administration in November 2024, months before Trump second term began.
"You raise prices, then pretend when they go down you’re some savior,” former Rep. Adam Kinzinger wrote on Twitter/X. “Besides, all your supporters spent the last half year telling us presidents don’t control gas prices?”
“Going through all that trouble and the best they can do is $3.47 per gallon? What a joke,” said Jared Holt, a senior researcher at Open Measures, a company that monitors social media activity.
“[For what it’s worth], gas averaged $2.87 on February 1 before the war,” CBS News reporter Kathryn Watson added.
Gas prices have gone up significantly since Trump launched his offensive against Iran on 28 February, with prices of gas per gallon surpassing $4 for the first time since 2022. The national average has since fallen after Trump signed a ceasefire with Iran in mid-June, though the volatile situation between the two countries suggests that a further increase could be on the horizon.
