CNN’s Abby Phillip corrected MAGA pundit Scott Jennings to his face after he wrongly insisted that gas prices are lower now than when Donald Trump re-entered office.
During a typically argumentative roundtable debate on Wednesday night’s episode of NewsNight, Jennings sparred with Democratic political consultant Neera Tanden over Trump’s deeply unpopular war in Iran.
Tanden said the result of Trump declaring the peace deal with Iran “over” and renewing attacks on Tehran will ultimately mean “we all pay more for gas because prices of gas and prices of oil go up, as they did today.”
Jennings tried to shut Tanden down by asking her what the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. is currently, and how it compares to the highest price under President Joe Biden.
Jennings then tried to argue that gas prices are “lower today” than they were when Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
“No, it’s not, no, it’s not, and no, it’s not,” Phillip said as the panel talked over one another.
“Gas is not lower today than when Trump took office, and it’s not lower today than it was before Trump started the war.”
Biden’s term in office was plagued by record-high gas prices and decades-high inflation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In 2022, the national average gas price hit an all-time high of $5.02 a gallon, according to AAA. However, by the time Biden left office, it had fallen to $3.12.
The current national average is $3.84, following a slight rise after Trump declared he has no intention of negotiating with Iran to end the conflict after the two countries exchanged fire this week.
While that figure is down from the $4.16 average recorded a month ago, it is still higher than the level when Biden left office in January 2025, as well as the national average in July 2025, and the $2.98 cost recorded just before Trump started the war in Iran on Feb. 28.
Gas prices during Trump’s second term have also approached the record high set in 2022, peaking at $4.56 in mid-May.
“You can dismiss the gas thing, but it’s a real thing that people are going to the gas pump, filling up their tank, and it’s costing them 70 bucks,” Phillip said.
