No, Trump didn't say drive downhill. The gas prices post is fake
- Trump's old Tweet said Obama should be fired for gas prices.
- A post about Trump suggesting people drive downhill to save gas appears to be fake.
- Trump called rising gas prices due to the war in Iran "a very small price to pay."
President Donald Trump had bragged about low gas prices for months. Then the war in Iran happened.
U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that serves as a chokepoint for about a fifth of the world's oil. It has prompted rising gas and oil prices, which Trump has repeatedly said will come back down once the war is over.
More than two months after the war started, gas prices are still high, and Trump has commented on it several times. But on social media, old posts and new fabricated posts are swirling. What's real, and what's fake? Here is what to know:
This Donald Trump post about gas prices is fake
An image on X with millions of views shows a screenshot of a May 1 post appearing like it came from Trump's account, but it is fake.
"Gas prices are a little high right now, maybe because we're WINNING too much, but that's okay because REAL Americans know how to adapt," the post said before giving some "very smart tips" to conserve gas, including keeping tires inflated, driving downhill and filling the tank at night.
The post does not appear on Trump's X account or Truth Social account. The border of the post also does not match the current X style.
Old Tweet from Trump on gas prices resurfaces
A real post from when X was called Twitter and Trump was a private citizen shows Trump saying former President Barack Obama should be fired over high gas prices. The post, still live today, is from Trump's real Twitter/X account.
Archives of Trump's posts show he repeatedly criticized gas prices during Obama's presidency.
What has Trump said about rising gas prices?
"That's a very small price to pay for getting rid of a nuclear weapon from people that are really mentally deranged," Trump said on May 5.
During a news conference on May 4, Trump said he expects the price of gasoline to drop "substantially" following the end of the Iran war.
"I see it going down very substantially when this is over, I think very rapidly too, at levels that you've never seen because there's a lot of energy out there, ships all over the world that are loaded up with it," Trump said. "They can't do much with it because they got kidnapped by a pretty evil place. But we're taking care of it."
Earlier, on May 1, Trump said gas prices would "come crashing down as soon as this war is over."
How much have gas prices risen?
On May 5, the national gas price average rose to $4.48, up from $4.18 last week, according to AAA. California had the highest gas prices in the U.S., with drivers paying up to $6.13 on May 5, AAA reported. Oklahoma had the lowest prices, with an average of $3.9 on May 5. Before the war started on Feb. 27, AAA found the national average price of gas was $2.98 per gallon. Prices typically rise in the spring with demand for summer travel, but this time last year, the price of gas was $3.165, according to AAA.
Though talks of a ceasefire are in the works, tensions rose after the U.S. launched "Project Freedom," an effort to unilaterally reopen the Straight of Hormuz, on May 4.
On May 4, Iran launched attacks on the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. sank six small Iranian boats, which were targeting commercial vessels near the Straight of Hormuz, Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said. Iran also launched missile and drone strikes on the UAE, sparking a blaze at an oil facility and leaving three people injured.
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Threads,Bluesky andTikTok.