WEST BERLIN, N.J. — Politics aside, $3.47 is a good deal on gas.
That was the message from customer after customer at the President Donald Trump-backed Freedom Fuel locations in the Philadelphia region.
Few knew their bargain tank of gas was at the center of a somewhat mysterious project the Trump administration touted.
Freedom Fuel in West Berlin, N.J., offered gas at $3.47 a gallon, cheaper than most other stations in the area.
The administration highlighted the patriotically rebranded stations as proof "President Trump is leading the charge to lower gas prices this summer," according to a White House social media post.
The gas wasn’t quite the lowest-priced in the region. At least two nearby stations started their prices at two cents cheaper per gallon.
Still, $3.47 a gallon was cheaper than many other stations, and customers were glad for a deal. Many said money was tight and the cost of gas was a sore subject.
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"It’s nice to save a little bit of money because I’m a college student trying to get through college," Airah Miller said, pumping gas at the Freedom Fuel in Warminster, Pennsylvania.
Miller just learned the station was part of a Trump administration-backed project that the White House said aims to lower "the price at the pump to $3.47 for our 47th President."
Few if any customers reporters spoke with knew about the Trump administration's connection to the station.
Dan Soboloski uses his Dodge truck for work as a traveling mechanic. He's had to add in fuel surcharges for some jobs.
Dan Soboloski, getting gas in New Jersey, said he's "not political at all" and doesn't vote.
He fueled up his Dodge Bighorn, a work truck the traveling mechanic says he uses for his business, D&D Mobile Solutions. He typically fuels up at least twice a week, spending about $75 each time.
"I have added gas fees," he said, "I incorporate it into my invoices, and I tell customers, 'Look, gas prices are high,' especially if I have to travel for a job."
He wasn't aware of the White House's efforts but said, "it's nice they're noticing, and they're trying to do something about it, because gas prices are ridiculous."
AAA said the national average price of fuel was $3.79 on Tuesday.
Regular gas cost $3.89 Wednesday at the Shell station across the street Freedom Fuel station, where gas was $3.47 a gallon, in West Berlin, N.J.
What the White House said about gas prices
A woman pumps her gas Wednesday at a Valero gas station, which was turned into a Freedom Fuel offering unleaded gas for $3.47 a gallon, in Bristol, Pa.
The White House announced the initiative Tuesday in a social media post. Video shows customers thanking Trump for lowering gas prices, which the White House told USA Today were in the Philadelphia-South Jersey region.
The war with Iran drove up gas prices, and on Wednesday, Trump said a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was "over" during a morning meeting with other NATO leaders.
Details about how the "Freedom Fuel" project works or is funded weren’t publicly released. USA Today contacted the White House for additional information.
At a Freedom Fuel station at Street Road and High Avenue in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a manager declined to answer questions. The gas station, which appeared to be a BP brand normally, advertised regular gas at $3.47 a gallon, nearly 40 cents less than the Sunoco across the street, where regular gas was $3.99 a gallon. Further down Street Road at the Liberty gas station, regular gas was $3.89 a gallon.
"Gas is one of those things that, regardless of who you voted for or who you don’t vote for, you need gas to get to where you’re going," Andre Goripow said at the Southampton, Pennsylvania, station. "Best thing to do is get the cheapest price you can and keep it moving." He lives nearby and didn’t know about the Trump connection to the gas price.
Gas cost $3.47 a gallon for regular Wednesday at the Freedom Fuel station in West Berlin, N.J.
'A drop in the bucket'
Many customers at Freedom Fuel stations expressed frustration about the cost of living, particularly the cost of gas.
"Everything is just so expensive, if I can get gas for 50 cents cheaper, I’ll take it," Brittany Graham said at the Warminster station as she taught her daughter how to pump gas. She says she’s conservative but not necessarily a Trump supporter, and knowing this is a Trump-backed initiative didn’t change things for her.
Another New Jersey customer, Jim Tunstall, filled up his small SUV. The Vietnam veteran said he doesn't support Trump. He said he long patronized the gas station because it's near his home and typically cheaper than Wawa and other nearby stations.
Jim Lehman, filling up his truck while visiting from South Carolina, said gas prices in the region are "ridiculous." While he was at the gas station — it was most recently a Sunoco, with Sunoco stickers still on the pumps — for its typically lower prices, he dismissed the role the Trump administration might play in that.
"It's a drop in the bucket," he said, "and (Trump)'s not doing enough at all" to keep prices low.
