The White House promoted “Freedom Fuel” stations offering $3.47 gas in the Philadelphia area. Customers said they just wanted cheap gas.
See one Freedom Fuel visitor unfazed by Trump ties
Andre Golipou stopped to refuel at the Warminster Freedom Fuel Station. He told reporters that gas prices are more than politics.
WEST BERLIN, N.J. – Politics aside, $3.47 for gas is a pretty good deal.
That was the message I received one after another from customers at Freedom Fuel stores in the Philadelphia area backed by President Donald Trump.
Few knew that their bargain gas tanks were at the center of a somewhat mysterious project touted by the Trump administration.
The patriotically rebranded gas stations are being touted by the administration as evidence that “President Trump is leading the charge to lower gas prices this summer,” according to a White House social media post.
Gasoline wasn’t the cheapest in the area. At least two nearby stations started selling it for 2 cents less per gallon.
But $3.47 per gallon was still cheaper than many other stations, and customers were happy with the small deal. Many said money was tight and gas prices were hurting.
“I’m a college student about to graduate from college, so it’s nice to save some money,” said Ira Miller, who was filling up at Freedom Fuel in Warminster, Pennsylvania.
The White House said Miller just learned that the station is part of a Trump administration-backed project aimed at “lowering prices to $3.47 for the 47th president.”
But few, if any, customers USA TODAY and USA TODAY Network reporters spoke with knew about the agency’s ties to the Trump administration. A deal is a deal.
Dan Soborowski, who pumps gas in New Jersey, said he doesn’t vote because he’s “not political at all.”
Soborowski was refueling his Dodge Bighorn. This is a work truck used by a traveling mechanic for his business, D&D Mobile Solutions. He typically fills up at least twice a week, spending about $75 each time.
“I’ve added gas costs, especially if I have to travel for work, and I’ve built that into my bill and told my customers, ‘Look, gas is expensive,'” he said.
He wasn’t aware of the White House’s efforts, but said, “Gasoline prices are outrageous, so I’m glad they’re aware and they’re trying to do something about it.”
The national average fuel price on Tuesday, July 7 was $3.79, according to AAA.
What the White House said about gas prices
The White House announced the initiative in a July 7 post to X. The video shows customers thanking President Trump for lower gas prices, and the White House told USA TODAY that the customers are located in the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas.
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is “over,” President Trump said in a morning meeting with other NATO leaders on July 8, as gasoline prices have soared due to the war with Iran.
Details of how the Freedom Fuel project will work and how it will raise funds have not been made public. USA TODAY has contacted the White House for additional information.
At the Freedom Fuel Station at Street Road and High Avenue in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a manager declined to answer questions. But the gas station, which typically appears to be a BP brand, advertises regular gasoline at $3.47 per gallon, nearly 40 cents cheaper than the Sunoco across the street, where regular gas was selling for $3.99 per gallon on July 8th. At the Liberty gas station further down Street Road, regular gas was $3.89 a gallon.
“Gasoline is one of those things that no matter who you vote for or who you don’t vote for, you need gas to get where you’re going,” he said at the Southampton, Pennsylvania, station. “The best thing to do is to buy as cheaply as you can and sell consistently.” He lives nearby but was unaware of President Trump’s connection to gas prices.
“A drop in the bucket”
Many customers at the Freedom Fuel Station expressed dissatisfaction with the cost of living, especially the cost of gas.
“Everything is so expensive. If I can get gas for 50 cents less, I’ll buy it,” Brittany Graham said as she showed her daughter how to pump gas at Warminster Station. She says she’s conservative but not necessarily a Trump supporter, and learning this was a pro-Trump effort didn’t change that.
Another customer, Jim Tunstall from New Jersey, was loading up his small SUV with gas. The Vietnam veteran said he does not support President Trump and has long patronized the gas station because it is close to his home and typically cheaper than Wawa or other nearby gas stations.
Jim Lehman, visiting from South Carolina, filled up his truck and said gas prices in the area are “ridiculous.” While he was at the gas station, most recently using Sunoco (which still had a Sunoco sticker on the pump) because of its lower-than-usual prices, he denied any role the Trump administration might play there.
“This is a drop in the bucket. (President Trump) is not doing at all enough to keep prices low,” he said.
Contributor: Michelle Del Rey, USA TODAY
