President Donald Trump has already saved Americans billions of dollars at the gas pump, less than one year into his second term – with even more savings likely on the way.
As prices soared across the board during the Biden administration, families felt the pinch most when they stopped to fill up their tank. Almost immediately after taking office, Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, a move that killed thousands of jobs in addition to making fuel more expensive. He also placed a “moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters,” which accounts for “nearly 25 percent of U.S. oil and gas production,” according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and launched a regulatory assault on the oil and gas industry.
As a result of these policies, gas prices skyrocketed, eventually climbing above $5 per gallon. As of this Christmas, however, with Trump back in office, the average price for a gallon of gasoline nationwide had plummeted to $2.79 per gallon, the lowest in four years.
But perhaps the most outrageous part of Biden’s policies was the fact that he inherited a historically good situation from President Trump. As a Senate Republican Policy Committee report pointed out in 2022, Biden fumbled an easy touchdown on the one-yard line. “As of June 6 [2022], the national average cost for a gallon of gasoline was $4.88, an increase of more than 100% from the week Joe Biden took office, when it was $2.39 per gallon,” the report noted.
It was obvious to most Americans that higher gas prices were a feature, not a bug, of Biden’s agenda. During his 2020 campaign, Biden made clear that he was all-in on the left’s efforts to force Americans to abandon gas-powered cars and purchase electric vehicles. What better way to accomplish that goal than engineer a massive spike in gas prices?
But since Trump took office, he has reversed these costly policies while putting money back into the pockets of working Americans.
Over Christmas week alone, Americans saved an estimated $500 million on fuel costs thanks to Trump. Total savings since Trump took office amount to tens of billions of dollars.
The lower prices are a result of a Day One strategy by Trump “to unleash America’s affordable and reliable energy and natural resources.” An executive order signed moments after Trump took the oath of office revoked Biden’s costly green energy mandates and ordered federal officials to promote energy independence.
Trump followed this up with a “national energy emergency” declaration, which slashed permitting time for new oil projects from years to just under a month.
“We are cutting through unnecessary delays to fast-track the development of American energy and critical minerals—resources that are essential to our economy, our military readiness, and our global competitiveness,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in April. “By reducing a multi-year permitting process down to just 28 days, the Department will lead with urgency, resolve, and a clear focus on strengthening the nation’s energy independence.”
As a result of these changes, the country set a new record for domestic oil and gas production in 2025. The Department of Energy reported in December that the U.S. now produces more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined at 24.2 million barrels per day.
The gains are expected to keep coming as the administration continues to create more supply. The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) signed last July “reopened millions of acres for offshore oil and gas leasing and requires at least 30 offshore lease sales each year from 2026 to 2039,” Representative Craig Goldman (R-TX) explained recently in The Daily Signal.
“These reforms will jump-start domestic energy production and help deliver lower energy costs for families and businesses,” Goldman predicted.
He contrasted the Trump administration’s approach with that of Biden. “In 2022, President Joe Biden canceled all the remaining offshore lease sales in the Gulf of America and Alaska,” Goldman wrote. “Only after pressure from a federal court and Congress did the Biden administration authorize one lease sale every two years in the Gulf of America.”
In contrast, Trump is opening up millions of acres of land for responsible exploration in Alaska.
These smart policies, taken together, are leading experts to predict oil prices will continue to drop in 2026.
The United States Energy Information Administration “forecasts the Brent crude oil price will be about $55 per barrel on average in the first quarter of [2026], down from $69 per barrel [in 2025],” as reported by Houston Public Media. The price of gasoline for cars is tied to the Brent crude price, translating to big relief at the pump.
Other experts agree with this prediction.
“There’s going to be a steady pressure on crude oil to be lower in price,” Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a University of Houston scholar, told the school’s public news station. “A lot more supply is coming online.”
Lower gas prices benefit not only drivers, but also everyone in the economy, according to a Rice University researcher.
“Not only do they impact the pocketbooks of gasoline consumers, households, families, they also play a significant role in driving consumer and business confidence as well as, you know, the approval ratings of politicians who are in office at the time,” Mark Finley told Houston Public Media.
Trump’s playbook is simple, but effective: cut regulations, open up land for drilling, and promote energy independence. America has been blessed with abundant natural resources, and the country deserves to benefit from them.
As gas prices continue to fall, the price of everything else will follow. “Affordability” was Democrats’ favorite buzzword in 2025, but they may soon find that Republicans have the upper hand on that issue thanks to President Trump.
Matt Lamb is a contributor for AMAC Newsline and an associate editor for The College Fix. He previously worked for Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action, and Turning Point USA. He previously interned for Open the Books. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Examiner, The Federalist, LifeSiteNews, Human Life Review, Headline USA, and other outlets. The opinions expressed are his own. Follow him @mattlamb22 on X.
