Graphic Truth: Get gassed up for your roadtrip

Paige Fusco

As August 2024 draws to a close, gas prices across the United States are continuing on their downward trend, offering relief to American roadtrippers. The national average for regular gasoline stands at $3.36 per gallon, down from $3.45 at the beginning of the month. This decline is part of a broader pattern, with prices falling steadily since May.

Historically, August tends to see higher gas prices due to increased summer travel demand in the US and Canada. However, this year bucks the trend, with prices lower than in previous months and significantly below last year’s levels. To thank we have record US oil production, reduced demand from China, and a relatively calm hurricane season so far.

Looking ahead, some analysts predict prices could dip below $3 per gallon before Thanksgiving, potentially remaining low into 2025 – a trajectory that could have significant implications for the upcoming US presidential election. This should be good news for Kamala Harris, as high gas prices can be a killer for the incumbent party.

However, Donald Trump’s campaign points to the fact that gas prices hit historic lows during his presidency. While presidents never have much control over gas prices, this was especially true during Trump’s time in office, when the pandemic halted travel, which lowered demand.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

Frederic Werner discusses the importance of AI for global impact at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, in an exclusive Global Stage interview with GZERO's Tony Maciulis. They discuss the future of AI and its role in solving humanity's challenges, from harnessing quantum computing to closing the digital divide.

- YouTube

Elon Musk wants to start a new political party and it’s already making waves. In this episode of Ian Bremmer’s Quick Take, Ian unpacks Musk’s so-called “America Party,” driven by Musk’s frustration with both Republicans and Democrats.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan leave the St Paul’s Cathedral, where a service of commemoration took place to mark the 20th anniversary of the deadly July 7, 2005, London bombings in which four suicide bombers targeted London's public transport system, in London, United Kingdom, on July 7, 2025.
REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe
- YouTube

As Independence Day approaches, President Trump is delighted to learn that one of America's most ferocious revolutionaries has... mellowed out. #PUPPETREGIME

Demonstrators with US and Ukrainian flags rally near the U.S. Capitol ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C., USA, on March 4, 2025.

Matrix Images/Gent Shkullaku

Here’s a short guide to making sense of why the US cut shipments of Patriot interceptor missiles to Kyiv and how it could affect the course of the Russia-Ukraine war.