According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas on Monday was $3.097. This is less expensive than a week ago, when gas cost $3.144, and a month ago, when gas cost $3.098. Monday’s price was also the lowest rate for a gallon of regular gas since Jan. 16. 

The price drop represents some good news for President Donald Trump, who campaigned on the idea that he could and would lower gas prices. However, he has mostly been burdened with increased gas prices since his inauguration, especially in February. Monday’s price was also lower than the cost of gas on former President Joe Biden’s last day in office when the cost was $3.125 per gallon. Moreover, the average price for a gallon of regular gas is much less expensive today than a year ago, when the national average price was $3.346.

In addition to the president, the drop in gas prices is also a positive development for drivers in the country. Gas prices have been contentious in the nation’s political discourse over the last few years. High gas prices have burdened the country since shortly after Biden took office, with the expensive prices affecting the economy and people’s finances. Compared to Trump’s first term, between Jan. 2017 and Jan. 2021, when the average cost for a gallon of regular gas was $2.476, gas was much more costly under Biden.  

Gas prices rose to over $3 per gallon less than six months into Biden’s term, beginning in June 2021. Nearly a year later, they exploded to $4.929, the most expensive gas in the nation’s history. However, gas prices began to drop the next month. Fuel costs rose and fell between 2022 and 2024, but through all the fluctuations, the average price for gas under Biden remained more expensive than when Trump was in office. 

GAS PRICES: SLIGHT DECREASE AT THE PUMPS TO END THE WEEK

In April 2024, fuel costs peaked for the year before starting to fall again in May. Eventually, gas prices dropped to $3.01 per gallon by mid-December. Prices slowly increased after Christmas before dropping again on Jan. 20, the day Trump began his second term. Gas prices have yet to return to under $3 per gallon.

Gas prices in the U.S. are inconsistent. They vary throughout the country, depending on which state one is in. Some states have much higher prices than others. Each week, in various areas throughout the country, the price of regular gas decreases depending on the day and week, while in others, the average cost rises. On Monday, to start the work week, prices ranged from as low as $2.658 per gallon in Texas and Mississippi to as high as $4.785 in California.