Average gasoline price in the US under Trump has exceeded the Biden-era figure

Average prices have caught up with and exceeded the previous administration's figure

Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed former president Joe Biden — from the war in Ukraine to high prices in the United States. However, as Kun.uz notes citing Reuters, less than two years after Trump's return to the White House, the average price of motor fuel under him has exceeded the figures of his predecessor's four-year term. Since Trump took office, the average retail price of gasoline has been $3.472 per gallon (3.78 liters), whereas under Biden it stood at $3.471. Reuters cites data from the AAA association, which tracks prices daily at roughly 120,000 filling stations across the country.

Current prices are well above the averages, and diesel became more expensive earlier

Current prices at filling stations differ substantially from the averages and from one another: according to AAA, the national average is $4.266 per gallon, with the most expensive gasoline in California ($5.996) and the cheapest in North Carolina ($3.463). The average price of diesel under Trump surpassed the Biden-era figure even earlier and stands at $4.343 per gallon versus $4.078 under his predecessor. A month ago, the price of diesel at filling stations reached a record $6.523 per gallon.

Context: how 2026 differs from the 2022 energy crisis

Kun.uz draws attention to the difference between the two periods. In 2022, despite the energy crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fuel did not rise in price as much as in the current year: the production and supply of gasoline and diesel were not disrupted, and the European Union imposed an embargo on Russian fuel imports only from February 2023. In 2026, by contrast, despite the US and Israel's war against Iran and Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the price of crude oil did not rise as sharply — however, the halt in exports of petroleum products from Middle Eastern countries led to a sharp increase in their prices on the world market.

The political dimension: elections and a controversial diesel purchase

Rising fuel prices have become one of the main topics ahead of the midterm congressional elections. According to the outlet, having failed to quickly defeat Iran, Trump arranged to purchase diesel from Russia — a decision that contradicts the law on the embargo on Russian energy resources passed by Congress in 2022. It has drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties and experts, especially since, as Kun.uz notes, this measure cannot reduce the price of diesel on the American market.