Gas Prices Surpass Trump Era Averages Ahead of Midterms

The average price of gasoline during Donald Trump's second term has surpassed the average price during Joe Biden's term, according to data from AAA, just days before the midterm elections.

The average price for gasoline during Trump’s term in office was $3.4712 per gallon, slightly higher than the average price during Biden’s term, which was $3.4703 per gallon.

The national average gas price was $4.28 per gallon on Monday, marking a significant increase from $3.05 per gallon exactly one year ago. Biden holds the record for the highest daily national average gas price, which peaked above $5.01 per gallon in June 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Trump had promised to bring gas prices below $2 per gallon during his 2024 campaign, and the average price per gallon did drop below $3 per gallon for a few weeks in late 2025 through February of this year. However, the trend of declining prices was disrupted after the Iran war began at the end of the month.

Gas prices have fallen slightly in the last month, down from an average high of $4.49 per gallon in mid-September, according to GasBuddy data. This makes it likely that prices will remain above $4 a gallon on Election Day.

The White House has stated that once the conflict with Iran ends, gas prices will drop drastically, and the Iranian regime will not have a nuclear weapon. This statement was made in response to a Wall Street Journal report detailing increased oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz despite the Iran war.

The average gas price is about 42 cents higher than it was leading up to the midterm elections in 2022, when drivers were paying $3.80 per gallon on average. This was noted by GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan, who called the 2022 election the “priciest election day at the pump ever.”