AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 22: A person finishes pumping gas at a Valero gas station on October 22, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Valero Energy Corp. is scheduled to release third quarter earnings later this week. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)© Check Your Fact
A viral post shared on Facebook claims gas prices have dropped by an average of $4.00 across “red states” in the U.S.
Verdict: False
The claim is false and originally stems from a Nov. 7 article published on the satire site “Esspots.com.”
Fact Check:
Gas station and convenience store chain Sheetz will reduce the price of its Unleaded 88 gas by $0.40 per gallon ahead of Thanksgiving, according to CNN. The offer lasts until the end of November, the outlet reported.
The post, which has received over 4,000 likes as of writing, claims gas prices have dropped an average of $4.00 across “red states.”
“Gas Prices Drop an Average of $4 Across Red States,” the post reads. “This Is Just the Beginning,” it adds. An article shared via a comment on the post repeats the claim.
The claim is false and originally stems from a Nov. 7 article published on the satire site “Esspots.com.” The content of the Esspots.com article matches that of the article shared via the Facebook post exactly.
According to its “About” page, Esspots.com is a “subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in Satire and Parody News” and “your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America.”
Likewise, the website’s “Disclaimer” page reiterates it is a “website that specializes in satire, parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only,” it continues.
In addition, the average gas price in the U.S. as of Nov. 20 is $3.066, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). Similarly, data from YCharts places the average gas price in the U.S. at $3.191 on Nov. 4 and $3.175 on Nov. 11. A spokesperson for AAA directed Check Your Fact to its website when contacted regarding the claim.
Furthermore, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Nov. 19, PolitiFact debunked the claim, indicating it had originated via the satire site.
