Asked about Republican plans to cut food aid to low-income families, Donald Trump gave a rambling and dishonest answer that culminated in an unexpected way. “Energy’s down,” the president claimed, apparently referred to consumer costs. “Gasoline? They’re now buying — they’re buying gasoline now for $1.99.”
It was, among other things, a familiar lie. In fact, in recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly claimed, in a variety of settings, that consumers in unnamed states are paying $1.98 per gallon. During an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” earlier this month, the president told host Kristen Welker:
Did you see oil prices? Did you see gasoline is now below, in many cases, in many states, below 2 dollars a gallon? $1.98, $1.99, $1.97? … I have it down to $1.98 in many states right now. When you go that much lower on energy — which is ahead of my prediction because I really thought I could get it down into the $2.50s — we have it down at $1.98 in numerous places.
None of this was even close to being true. According to AAA’s price tracker, the national average in the United States is $3.18 per gallon, and literally zero states have prices below $2.60 per gallon.
What’s more, when White House officials have been pressed for evidence to substantiate the president’s claims, they’ve offered nothing.
To be sure, Trump lying is hardly unusual. But what strikes me as notable about these claims about gas prices is the simple fact that they’re unnecessary, easily discredited, and ultimately self-defeating lies.
The problem is simple: American consumers will know the president’s claims aren’t true every time they pass a gas station. Whenever people fill up their tanks, they’ll know that they aren’t paying “$1.98, $1.99, $1.97.” Just as notably, it would be just as easy for Trump to tell the truth. There are different ways to measure energy costs, but by any fair measure, the price Americans pay for gasoline has, in fact, gone down since the president returned to the White House. The drop is largely the result of international fears of a recession, and not because of anything Trump did — in fact, domestic energy companies have faltered during the president’s second term — but if he wants to tell the public that gas is cheaper now than before Inauguration Day, that would be true. But as is too often the case, Trump isn’t satisfied with a flattering fact, instead preferring to peddle made-up nonsense that even his most loyal sycophants would struggle to believe.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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