Gas prices: On Trump’s first full day in office, the cost of normal gasoline was $3.12 per gallon

Gas prices On Trump's first full day in office, the cost of normal gasoline was $3.12 per gallon

President Donald Trump takes office as the country’s gas prices continue to rise. On Tuesday, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas increased slightly to $3.126 per gallon, according to AAA. The cost has risen gradually over the last month, during the final days of the Biden administration.

Tuesday’s price was higher than a year ago, when regular gas cost $3.077 per gallon. It is also more expensive than the average price of a gallon of regular gas during his first month in office, in January 2017. The Energy Information Administration reported that a gallon of regular gas cost $2.349 at the time.

During Biden’s presidency, people in the country faced significant fuel costs. Regular gas averaged $2.476 per gallon between 2017 and 2020, during Trump’s first term. Costs had quickly risen to more than $3 per gallon by June 2021, less than six months after Biden’s inauguration.

In June 2022, gas prices peaked at $4.929, the highest national average price for a gallon of regular gas in history. They gradually decreased the following month, fluctuating between 2022 and 2024.

By April 2024, gas prices had reached a year high before beginning to fall in May. Over the next eight months, gas prices would fall to $3.01 per gallon by mid-December. However, since then, prices have gradually risen.

While gas prices nationwide average $3.126 per gallon, they vary by state, ranging from $2.685 to $4.538 per gallon. Mississippi has the country’s cheapest gas prices, at $2.685 per gallon. Meanwhile, Hawaii has the highest average price per gallon of regular gas in the country, at $4.538.

Prices in the capital region have recently risen, with consumers in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. paying more at the pump in January than in December. According to AAA, the average price in Virginia has risen to $3.072, up from under $3 per gallon the previous week.

Despite the increase, it remains the state with the lowest gas prices in the area. Delaware was once the state with the lowest gas prices on the East Coast of the United States. The average gallon of gas in the First State now costs $3.239.

Maryland has the region’s highest gas prices, $3.35 per gallon. A week ago, the price was $3.176; a month ago, gas in the state cost only $2.90. Gas prices in Washington, D.C. were slightly lower on Tuesday, at $3.274.

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