Friday’s decrease marks a whirlwind month for gas prices since President Donald Trump began his term on Jan. 20. The first two weeks, gas prices dropped, quickly falling to a national average price less expensive than former President Joe Biden’s last day in office. However, Trump floated the idea of tariffs on Mexico and Canada starting on Feb. 1, and since then, gas prices have begun to climb gradually.

Gas prices have fluctuated over the last year, and the current costs are no different. For example, despite the current drop in prices, the average price for a gallon of gas is more expensive now than a month ago, when it was $3.126. However, even though today’s prices are higher than a month ago, they are concurrently less expensive than the national average price for regular gas this time last year, when it cost $3.274 per gallon. 

When Biden was president, fuel costs were controversial in the nation’s political discourse. Prices soared during his first term versus when Trump was in office shortly after he assumed the presidency. For example, between Jan. 2017 and Jan. 2021, the country’s regular gas averaged $2.476 per gallon. After Biden’s term began in Jan. 2021, the average price for a gallon of regular gas rose to $3 per gallon in less than six months. It remained over $3 per gallon, sometimes much higher than that, for Biden’s term. 

The national average price for a gallon of regular gas reached its highest level in the country’s history in June 2022, at $4.929. The following month, gas prices began to fall gradually the next month, though they would continue fluctuating between 2022 and 2024. By April 2024, fuel costs peaked for the year before starting to drop in May, eventually decreasing to $3.01 per gallon by mid-December. Prices began to rise again after Christmas.

Gas prices continue to fluctuate in different states throughout the country. This is especially true in and around Washington, D.C. Prices have considerably dropped in Delaware over the last week, falling to an average price of $2.958 per gallon. A month ago, the price was $3.232. The First State has the cheapest gas prices in the Delmarva region. 

In Maryland, gas prices have also fallen recently, with the state’s new fuel costs dropping to $3.078 per gallon. A week ago, it was $3.154, and a month ago, regular gas cost $3.349 per gallon. In Virginia, gas prices have dropped to $3.018 per gallon. This was a slight drop from last week, when the cost was $3.051, and a month ago when it was $3.076.

GAS PRICES: CONTINUE TO RISE ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Washington, D.C., has the most expensive gas prices in the region, at $3.267. Unlike the other states in the area, gas prices increased overnight in the nation’s capital. 

Nationally, the price fluctuation is similar. Some states have experienced drops at the pumps, while in others, the cost of gas has increased. The cost of gasoline ranged from as low as $2.68 per gallon in Mississippi to as high as $4.845 in California. California’s gas prices have soared over the last month, rising approximately 40 cents.