Tennessee
Trump touted gas prices under $2.30. Tennessee gas prices say otherwise
Gas prices are much higher than Trump claimed in Tennessee.
Analysis of President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address
USA TODAY’s Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page takes a closer look at President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address.
President Donald Trump bragged about low gas prices during his State of the Union address Feb. 24, but prices are considerably higher than he claimed — even in Tennessee, where gas usually costs less than the national average.
AAA.com’s national average gas price stands at $2.98, almost an entire dollar-per-gallon higher than Trump’s claims of gas costing “$1.99 in some states” based on CNN fact checking. Here’s how Tennessee’s actual gas prices compare to Trump’s claims.
How much does gas cost in Tennessee compared to Trump’s claims?
Tennessee’s current gas price is $2.56 a gallon, according to AAA. That is about 57 cents higher than the prices Trump said gas cost in some states during his State of the Union address. It is also 26 cents higher than the $2.30-per-gallon price Trump claimed was common in most states, according to CNN.
Tennessee is one of the few states selling gas for under $2.60 a gallon. In fact, the Volunteer State has some of the lowest gas prices in the nation as of late February. TN average gas prices are down 24 cents a gallon year-over-year from $2.80 a gallon.
State gas prices have been on the decline in recent weeks. In contrast, some American drivers are paying over $4 a gallon for gas in 2026.
States with the highest gas prices in 2026
| State | Gas Price according to AAA |
| California | $4.63 |
| Hawaii | $4.40 |
| Washington | $4.35 |
| Oregon | $3.92 |
| Nevada | $3.71 |
States like Oklahoma ($2.43), Kansas ($2.54) and Mississippi ($2.52) boast low gas prices, but the national average remains high.
While Trump touts gas prices under $2, national average is closer to $3
Petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan, released a statement titled, “The Real State of Fuel Prices,” before — and after — Trump’s address, which pointed out that the average price nationally for gas is closer to $3 a gallon.
In his State of the Union speech, Trump said gas “reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor,” calling it “a disaster,” and added “it is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states. And in some places, $1.99 a gallon.”
A few weeks ago in Iowa, he claimed he even “saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline.”
Gas prices, De Hann said, are lower on average than they were a year ago, but sub-$2 gas is “extremely rare.” Moreover, he pointed out that a president — whether to blame or credit — has limited control over the price of gasoline.
What a petroleum analyst says about Trump’s gas price claims
Gas prices did reach $1.85 a gallon in early January in Iowa De Haan said, but prices there “have since risen” and “at this moment, only 8 out of roughly 150,000 gas stations nationwide are selling gasoline below $2 a gallon.”
Of those, four stations are in Texas, one is in Oklahoma and three are in Kansas.
De Haan also said that the lowest statewide average is $2.33 a gallon in Oklahoma, and that for about a month, prices at certain stations in Colorado “fell well below $2 per gallon, with some dropping into the $1.60s.”
But they were “highly localized competitive events.”
Mostly, De Haan pointed out, gas prices are determined by the global oil market, and partly by weather. Lower oil prices now, in contrast to when Biden was in office, means lower gas prices.
In addition, a surge of oil production by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a cartel of oil-producing countries, has put downward pressure on prices. The freezing weather this winter has, too.
Frank Witsil of The Detroit Free Press contributed to this story.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com
Tennessee rowing won the program’s first SEC championship in a thrilling finish on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge.
The title came down to the final race with the varsity eight boat, which had the lead against Texas going into the final 250 meters. The Longhorns made a late push to overtake the Lady Vols, but the 1V8 crew held on for the victory to secure the SEC championship on May 10.
Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 to win the title. It’s the first time the Lady Vols have won a conference championship since 2013 when they were a member of Conference USA.
The program’s first SEC title comes in the third season under coach Kim Cupini, who has transformed Tennessee into a national powerhouse.
“Phenomenal to see that from the team”, Cupini said in a school release. “Texas coming in was the number one team in the country and had that undefeated eight. So to see the varsity eight clinch like that was awesome. I have to take my hat off to the full team to get enough points to win the SEC Championship and bring that championship home, especially here at home in Tennessee. So, I was super impressed and super proud of them.”
Tennessee moves on to the NCAA Championships at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, from May 29-31.
Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 with four total wins, which also included the 2V4, 3V8 and 3V4.
The 1V8 boat finished with a time of 6:06.939 for the win. The first varsity eight crew has beaten eight ranked opponents on the season.
The 2V4 was a crucial comeback win for Tennessee. The second varsity four crew fell behind early but caught up to and overtook Texas in the final 500 meters for the win, finishing with a time of 7:12.677.
“I think the boats on the water saw that,” Cupini said. “To be able to race from behind in the event and win is incredible. The second four, we were going crazy on that. It was a group that just got together the other day. They row together a lot as a team and as a group, but that lineup hasn’t been together. So to see them pull that off and get the win was incredible.”
Tennessee swept the third varsity races, with the 3V8 finishing with a time of 6:29.409 and the 3V4 finishing with a time of 7:16.747. The Lady Vols placed second in the 2V8 and 1V4, losing to Texas by a combined 11 seconds.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
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Things went sideways quickly at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Friday as the No. 4 Texas Longhorns fell into an early hole and never recovered in a 5-1 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers that included another shoulder injury sustained by junior second baseman Ethan Mendoza.
After spending 15 games last year as the designated hitter following a shoulder injury sustained diving for a ground ball, Mendoza left the game in the first inning on a similar play, leaving head coach Jim Schlossnagle without much optimism that the Arizona State transfer will be able to return to action this weekend.
Without Mendoza in the lineup, Texas struggled at the plate against Tennessee ace Tegan Kuhns, who recorded a career-high 15 strikeouts in seven innings. Throwing 113 pitches, Kuhns allowed just four hits and one walk in his scoreless outing as the Horns ultimately struck out 19 times, leaving the bottom of the order without much production — sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez struck out all four times he came to the plate and junior designated hitter Ashton Larson, junior infielder Casey Borba, and freshman center fielder Maddox Monsour all struck out three times apiece.
Junior right fielder Aiden Robbins did have two hits — a double and a solo home run in the eighth inning — but didn’t receive help from the rest of the lineup.
And sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis looked human, a rare occurrence in his sterling career in burnt orange and white, allowing RBI doubles in the first and second innings and giving up another second-inning run on a wild pitch. Volantis recovered to throw three scoreless innings before redshirt senior right-hander Cody Howard pitched the final three innings, giving up two runs on two hits.
Texas tries to bounce back on Saturday with first pitch at 5 p.m. Central on SEC Network+.
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