‘Pinocchio’: White House scorched over false claims on lower Thanksgiving costs

The White House proudly touted Sunday evening that Americans were enjoying the “lowest holiday gas prices since [the COVID-19] pandemic,” only to be rebuked moments later after critics noted the statement was categorically false.

“Global markets called; they don't take your credit,” wrote X user “Dr. Cole,” a prominent political commentator who’s amassed more than 255,000 followers. “Lies that small should embarrass even you.”

The average cost for gas in the United States as of Nov. 18 was $3.08 per gallon, according to the online lending marketplace Lending Tree. In 2020, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, gas costs reached record lows, dropping to as low as an average of $1.88 per gallon in May of that year.

As pointed out by critics, however, the average cost for a gallon of gas was cheaper just a year ago, approximately 0.2 percent cheaper in November of 2024 at $3.07.

The White House touted the supposed record-low gas prices on its official social media account on X, only for the post to be slapped with a “Community Note” – a crowd-sourced context-adding tool – declaring the White House’s statement to be false, citing a report from the American Automobile Association.

“Pinnocchio,” wrote X user “VIX,” an apparent former statistician who’s amassed more than 6,000 followers.

Others, like X user “Ambrose Pike,” who’s frequently posted content critical of President Donald Trump, noted that even if gas prices were cheaper, the savings were negated by the rising costs of groceries, which have increased since last year by as much as 29% for some products like orange juice, or 14 percent for ground beef.