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Here's what's happening at Trump-backed Freedom Fuel gas stations
The White House promoted 'Freedom Fuel' stations with $3.47 gas in the Philadelphia region. Customers said they just want cheap gas.
Phaedra Trethan Ben Shapiro Jo Ciavaglia JD Mullane
USA TODAY NETWORK
Updated July 8, 2026, 6:04 p.m. ET
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WEST BERLIN, NJ ‒ Politics aside, $3.47 is a good deal on gas.
That was the message from customer after customer at the President Donald Trump-backed Freedom Fuel locations in the Philadelphia region.
Few knew their bargain tank of gas was at the center of a somewhat mysterious project touted by the Trump administration.
The patriotically rebranded stations have been highlighted by the administration as proof that " President Trump is leading the charge to lower gas prices this summer," according to a social media post by the White House.
The gas wasn’t quite the lowest-priced in the region. At least two nearby stations started their prices at two cents cheaper per gallon.
But $3.47 a gallon was still cheaper than many other stations, and customers were glad for a bit of a deal. Many said money was tight and the cost of gas was a sore subject.
"It’s nice to save a little bit of money because I’m a college student trying to get through college," said Airah Miller, who was pumping gas at the Freedom Fuel in Warminster, Pennsylvania.
Miller had just learned the station was part of a Trump-administration backed project, one that aims to lower "the price at the pump to $3.47 for our 47th President," according to the White House.
Few if any customers USA TODAY and USA TODAY Network reporters spoke with, though, knew about any Trump administration connection to the station. A deal’s a deal.
Dan Soboloski, getting gas in New Jersey, said he's "not political at all," and doesn't vote.
Soboloski was fueling up his Dodge Bighorn, a work truck the traveling mechanic says he uses for his business, D&D Mobile Solutions. He typically fuels up at least twice a week, spending about $75 each time.
"I have added gas fees," he said, "I incorporate it into my invoices, and I tell customers, 'Look, gas prices are high,' especially if I have to travel for a job."
He wasn't aware of the White House's efforts, but said "it's nice they're noticing, and they're trying to do something about it because gas prices are ridiculous."
AAA said the national average price of fuel was $3.79 on July 7.
What the White House said about gas prices
The White House announced the initiative in a July 7 post on X. Video shows customers thanking Trump for lowering gas prices, which the White House told USA TODAY were located in the Philadelphia-South Jersey region.
The war with Iran has driven gas prices up, and on July 8, Trump said a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran was "over" during a morning meeting with other NATO leaders.
Details about how the "Freedom Fuel" project works or is funded weren’t publicly released. USA TODAY has contacted the White House for additional information.
At a Freedom Fuel station at Street Road and High Avenue in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a manager declined to answer questions. But the gas station, which appeared to be a BP brand normally, was advertising regular gas at $3.47 a gallon, nearly 40 cents less than the Sunoco across the street, where regular gas was selling for $3.99 a gallon on July 8. Further down Street Road at the Liberty gas station, regular gas was $3.89 a gallon.
"Gas is one of those things that, regardless of who you voted for or who you don’t vote for, you need gas to get to where you’re going," said Andre Goripow at the Southampton, Pennsylvania, station. "Best thing to do is get the cheapest price you can and keep it moving." He lives nearby and didn’t know about the Trump connection to the gas price.
'A drop in the bucket'
Many customers at Freedom Fuel stations expressed frustration about the cost of living, and the cost of gas, in particular.
"Everything is just so expensive; if I can get gas for 50 cents cheaper, I’ll take it," said Brittany Graham at the Warminster station as she taught her daughter how to pump gas. She says she’s conservative, but not necessarily a Trump supporter, and knowing that this is a Trump-backed initiative didn’t change things for her.
Another New Jersey customer, Jim Tunstall, was filling up his small SUV. A Vietnam veteran, he said he doesn't support Trump, and had long patronized the gas station because it's near his home and typically cheaper than Wawa and other nearby stations.
Jim Lehman, filling up his truck while visiting from South Carolina, said gas prices in the region are "ridiculous." While he was at the gas station, most recently a Sunoco (with Sunoco stickers still on the pumps), for its typically lower prices, he dismissed any role the Trump administration might play in that.
"It's a drop in the bucket," he said, "and (Trump)'s not doing enough at all" to keep prices low.
Phaedra Trethan reports for USA TODAY. Ben Shapiro, Jo Ciavaglia and JD Mullane report for Bucks County Courier Times.
Contributing: Michelle Del Rey, USA TODAY
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