White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has come under fire for allegedly spreading ‘fake news’ on social media. This comes after she posted a graphic, which aired on Fox News, about the price of gas in the U.S.
Leavitt, who is a key part of the Trump administration, has landed in controversy because of a post on social media. On December 9, she shared a graphic stating that the average price of gas in the country is $2.95 per gallon.
She also wrote on Instagram Stories that the ‘best is yet to come’. Leavitt then posted comments from her followers in which they mentioned how much they had paid for gas in various states.
KAROLINE LEAVITT: “The Democrats are the greatest con artists in American politics. They are pretending to champion the issue of affordability, when they themselves created the worst inflation crisis in a generation.” 🎯
pic.twitter.com/pl2GaTa5c7
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephant) December 9, 2025
“I paid $2.52 this morning,” a user told Leavitt. Replying to them, she wrote that the prices are ‘getting lower and lower’. Another user said that they paid $2.25 in Fayetteville. This prompted Leavitt to thank them for sharing their inputs. A user from Colorado said that they paid $1.99. Responding to them, Leavitt said ‘This is what you voted for!’
Shortly after that, the White House stated in a press release that the nationwide average for regular gas is at its lowest level in 1,681 days and may fall even lower in the coming days, according to the trends. According to GasBuddy, the average price per gallon for gas has fallen below $3 in 37 states, and it is under $2.75 in 22 states. Prices have dipped to about $2.50 in five states.
@FoxBusiness What is up with @larry_kudlow today?
Not once, but in 2 different segments he was touting how cheap gas is under Trump; that the average gas price in EVERY STATE including California is now less than $3 a gallon. 15 States today are over $3, with 3 over $4 🤔🇺🇸🚀 pic.twitter.com/lDswCRXdVU
— Judy A. Jones (@EastGlacierMT) December 9, 2025
The press release credited President Donald Trump for the falling gas prices. It also mentioned that some stations in at least four states sell gas below $2 per gallon. Leavitt shared the White House’s statement on X with the caption ‘Gas Prices Plunge to New Multi-Year Low — and They’re Trending Lower’.
But that’s when the backlash exploded. Critics mentioned on social media that the president does not directly control gas prices.
“Gas prices aren’t controlled by the president even if Trump did something like release reserves it would only temporarily affect prices. He doesn’t control OPEC,” a user wrote on X. Another user contradicted Leavitt by saying that the bank balances of Americans are ‘plunging’. They also referred to Trump as ‘Dozing Don’, referring to instances of him falling asleep during meetings.
“Only thing plunging is Americans bank accounts. Thanks to dozing Don’s zero understanding of how tariffs work.” Netizens also pointed out that gas prices drop every year during the holidays and added that the Trump administration has nothing to do with it.
“What EXACTLY has this Administration done to reduce the price of gasoline??” someone else wrote. “Shocker the gas came down, as it does, every year during the holidays. NEXT. What’s the hotline to report Fake News?,” read a post.
Trump’s second term has come under fire in recent times, with netizens criticizing his polarizing policies. As such, Leavitt’s actions have just given these detractors another reason to attack the administration. Talk about adding fuel to the fire!
