'He can’t help himself': Trump tells a new 'unnecessary' lie

22 May

U.S. President Donald Trump shows a copy of an article that he said is about white South Africans who had been killed, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Asked about Republican plans to cut food aid to low-income families, President Donald Trump gave what MSNBC producer Steve Benen described as “a rambling and dishonest answer” that included the sentence: “Energy’s down … Gasoline? They’re now buying — they’re buying gasoline now for $1.99.”

This, according to Benen, was a lie — and an unnecessary one at that.

“The president doesn't have to lie about gas prices, but he apparently can't help himself. … In fact, in recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly claimed, in a variety of settings, that consumers in unnamed states are paying $1.98 per gallon,” said Benen, who cited Trump’s recent appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” where the president told host Kristen Welker that gasoline prices are below “$2 a gallon. $1.98, $1.99, $1.97. ... I have it down to $1.98 in many states right now.”

“None of this was even close to being true,” said Benen, according to AAA’s price tracker, which puts the national average price for gasoline at $3.18 per gallon.

“Literally zero states have prices below $2.60 per gallon,” said Benen. “What’s more, when White House officials have been pressed for evidence to substantiate the president’s claims, they’ve offered nothing.”

While Trump lying is “hardly unusual,” Benen was similarly outraged at the pointlessness of the fabrication.

Thanks to international fears of a recession due to Trump’s tariffs, and the market value of oil companies tumbling amid geopolitical tensions and a glut in oil supply, the price Americans pay for gasoline “has gone down since the president returned to the White House,” said Brenen.

“But as is too often the case, Trump isn’t satisfied with a flattering fact, instead preferring to peddle made-up nonsense that even his most loyal sycophants would struggle to believe.”

Read the full MSNBC blog here.

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