The Gas Price Hysteria Circus: Media Meltdown Meets Reality Check

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Listen up, you whiny weenies in the legacy media and their Democrat echo chamber: The sky is falling because gas prices ticked up a bit, and of course, it’s all Trump’s fault for finally putting the boot to Iran’s terror regime. Boo hoo. As if the mullahs haven’t been jacking up global energy chaos for decades while weak-kneed pols like Biden handed them billions to fund their proxy wars. Now, with the Strait of Hormuz looking like a demolition derby after our February strikes, prices are around $3.45 a gallon as of March 8, 2026—yeah, that’s the national average for regular, up from about $3.25 earlier in the month. But before you clutch your pearls and blame the big bad Orange Man, let’s slap some facts on the table. Are these the highest prices in recent memory? Spoiler: Hell no. We’ve seen way worse in the last few years, and a deep dive since 2000 shows this blip ain’t even close to the peaks that hammered wallets under previous admins. And while we’re at it, remember how Trump slashed regs and unleashed American energy right out of the gate in 2017? That genius move set the stage for some of the lowest prices in years. America First means drilling our way to dominance, not begging OPEC for scraps.

Pump Prices Since 2000: Peaks, Valleys, and Media Myths

Gas prices have been a rollercoaster since the turn of the millennium, spiking on wars, hurricanes, and global greed while dipping during slumps or supply surges. Let’s break it down with hard numbers—no spin, just the monthly averages for all grades from the data vaults. These are national retail figures in dollars per gallon, and they paint a picture the talking heads won’t touch.

Back in 2000, prices kicked off at $1.329 in January, climbing to a high of $1.666 in June before settling around $1.483 by December. The early aughts saw steady climbs: 2001 hit $1.738 in May amid post-9/11 jitters, but crashed to $1.127 by year-end. By 2003, with Iraq invasion vibes, March topped $1.734. Then came the real pain in 2005—Hurricane Katrina aftermath pushed September to $2.951. 2006 flirted with $3 territory, peaking at $3.025 in July.

The monster year was 2008: Global demand and speculation drove June to $4.105 and July to $4.114—the highest monthly average until later madness. The financial crash tanked it to $1.745 by December. 2009 rebounded to $2.681 in June, but stayed under $3. The 2010s brought more volatility: 2011 soared to $3.960 in May on Arab Spring chaos; 2012 hit $3.958 in April; 2013 topped $3.779 in March. 2014’s high was $3.766 in June, but then prices plunged to $2.144 by December 2015 amid an oil glut.

2016 bottomed at $1.872 in February, averaging around $2.27 for the year. Enter 2017—more on that below—but peaks stayed tame at $2.761 in September. 2018 climbed to $2.987 in May; 2019 to $2.946 in May; 2020 cratered to $1.938 in April thanks to pandemic lockdowns, ending at $2.284 in December.

The Biden era? Buckle up. 2021 jumped to $3.406 by December on supply chain snarls and green policy squeezes. Then 2022’s Ukraine invasion and sanctions frenzy: March $4.322, May $4.545, June a whopping $5.032—the absolute peak since 2000. July eased to $4.668, but that summer hammered drivers. 2023 maxed at $3.958 in September; 2024 at $3.733 in April, dropping to $3.139 by December. 2025 started at $3.196 in January, hovered around $3.27 mid-year, and dipped to $3.024 in December.

Now, early 2026: January $2.936, February $3.039, and March climbing to that $3.45 mark amid Gulf disruptions. Is this the “highest in recent memory”? Laughable. June 2022’s $5.032 was 46% higher. Even 2008’s $4.114 dwarfs it by 19%. The last few years alone saw $4.545 in May 2022 and $4.322 in March 2022—way above today’s gripe-fest. Sure, the Iran smackdown pinched supplies short-term, but that’s the cost of crushing terrorists. Long-term? American energy independence crushes prices.

Trump’s 2017 Power Moves: Deregulate, Drill, and Drop Prices

When Trump stormed into office on January 20, 2017, gas was already creeping up from December 2016’s $2.366 to January’s $2.458. Obama-era regs had strangled drillers, with prices volatile and production throttled. Trump didn’t twiddle thumbs—he hit the ground swinging with America First energy dominance.

Right off the bat, on January 24, 2017, he signed memos greenlighting the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, unlocking billions of barrels from Canada and North Dakota. These arteries boosted supply, easing bottlenecks that jacked up costs. Then, January 30, 2017, Executive Order 13771: For every new reg, axe two old ones. This gutted bureaucratic red tape choking refineries and exploration, slashing compliance costs that get passed to pumps.

March 28, 2017, sealed the deal: Executive Order 13783, “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth.” This revoked Obama’s climate action plan, ended the coal moratorium, and ordered reviews of EPA overreach like the Clean Power Plan. Result? Drilling permits exploded, fracking boomed, and U.S. output surged from 8.8 million barrels a day in 2016 to over 10 million by late 2017. Prices didn’t plummet overnight—global factors play too—but by July 2017, they eased to $2.414, and the stage was set for 2018-2019 averages around $2.77, way below prior peaks.

Trump’s blitz flipped the script: America became a net exporter by 2019, starving OPEC’s grip. No more begging Saudis; we dictated terms. Contrast that with Biden’s war on fossil fuels—cancelling Keystone Day One, January 20, 2021, halting leases—that fueled 2022’s $5 nightmare. Trump’s 2017 playbook? Pure gold, proving deregulation and domestic muscle crush prices.

America First at the Pump: Winning the Energy War

So, spare us the sobs over $3.45 gas—it’s a bargain compared to the $5 Biden bonfire or 2008’s $4 apocalypse. The media’s Trump-Iran blame game ignores 47 years of Tehran torment and how weak policies inflated prices before. Trump’s 2017 unleashing of American energy didn’t just stabilize—it built the dominance that’s now insulating us from Gulf glitches. With Navy escorts and U.S. insurance keeping tankers flowing, prices will stabilize as we drill more and export harder. No apologies for smashing tyrants; that’s how winners keep America affordable. The weeping? That’s just losers realizing the gravy train’s over.