Philly Democrats call Trump-promoted Freedom Fuel stations a ‘PR stunt’ that won’t solve high gas prices
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon said she visited a Freedom Fuel station in her district and the cost of gas is already going up compared to its $3.47 launch.
Philly Democrats criticized President Donald Trump’s recent promotion of Freedom Fuel gas stations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as an effort to fool people about the high price of fuel rather than a long-term solution to the problem.
“This appears to be a PR stunt of some sort, which is designed to distract people from the fact that gas prices have gone up because the president started a war against Iran,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, who represents Delaware County and parts of South Philadelphia.
Questions still abound about who is behind the Freedom Fuel Network, which popped around the region last week with 25 gas stations sporting the branding.
No entity is registered in Pennsylvania or New Jersey with the name, but an application for a trademark was filed in Delaware on July 1, two days before the July 3 launch that has been heavily promoted by the White House.
Trump was posting about it on Truth Social even before that, praising the retailer’s patriotism and promising that gas prices nationally would fall soon after they surged following his decision to attack Iran earlier this year.
“This Retailer is taking the lead, and others should follow. They are doing this because they love the U.S.A. We are proud to celebrate America’s 250th Birthday in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Birthplace of our very special, one-of-a-kind Declaration of Independence, and where I won BIG in the Presidential Election!” Trump said on Truth Social last month.
The stations started selling gas at $3.47 a gallon on July 3, a nod to the 47th president, according to the White House. Scanlon said that when she stopped by Friday morning, prices were already going up just seven days later.
“I actually went to one this morning just to get a sense of what was going on,” Scanlon said. ”They may have started with a price of $3.47, but it’s already going up; this one was at $3.57″
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat who represents Philadelphia, said these stations are too little, too late for constituents who have been feeling squeezed by gas prices.
“Gas was $2.98 a gallon before Trump’s disastrous Iran War. Prices then jumped 50% — the biggest jump in gas prices in American history. These few discounted gas stations are a band-aid on a gunshot wound," Boyle said in a statement to the Inquirer.
Boyle has been outspoken about gas prices while in office. In April, he announced a bill to suspend the federal gas tax when gas prices exceed $4 per gallon.
The average gas price in Philadelphia as of Saturday was $3.99 per gallon, about 11 Cents above the national average, according to AAA’s fuel price tracker.
Gas prices peaked in May but have remained volatile due to the ongoing conflict with Iran. Following U.S. attacks, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz — an essential trading route —causing gas prices to spike. Recently, the U.S. and Iran resumed attacks, marking the end of a three-week ceasefire.
“In no uncertain terms, the ceasefire is OVER!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday.
U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, a retiring Philadelphia Democrat, said that ending the war in Iran would be the long-term solution for lowering gas prices.
“As of now, it [Freedom Fuel stations] doesn’t sound like a long-term solution,” Evans said. “Gas prices are high because Trump has been more focused on vanity projects like a ballroom than on ending his over-four-month illegal war of choice — a war which both houses of Congress have now voted to stop.”
According to the White House, Freedom Fuel is an independent company that the Trump administration does not fund, nor was the company buying gas at a discounted price.
But the White House has heavily been promoting the effort. It posted a video to social media Tuesday featuring patrons at Freedom Fuel gas stations crediting Trump.
“I thought gas was more expensive, but it’s not. So thanks Trump for saving me some money!” a man says in the opening of the video, which touts the prices as being 50 Cents lower than the Pennsylvania average.
Scanlon said that identifying the people funding the initiative would make clear the motive for the low prices and whether they would be there to stay.
“Someone is making it worthwhile for these independent stations to rebrand themselves and sell at under market rates,” she said. “I mean, they’ve got to be making up that money somehow. So the question just is, who is doing it and why? Although it seems there can be no other reason than to prop up the president’s faltering poll numbers.”
