Newsom Blames Trump for Gas Prices. Californians Pay $1.67 More Per Gallon Because of Newsom.
Gas is $5.52 in California — $1.67 above the national average. Cap-and-trade, refinery shutdowns, and special fuel blends are the real culprit. #California
Newsom Blames Trump for Gas Prices. California's Are High Because of Newsom.
Gavin Newsom went on the attack last week, blaming "Trump's war with Iran" for rising gas prices. National gas prices have climbed to about $3.70 per gallon, up from around $3.00 a month ago. That's a real increase, and families feel it.
But in California? Gas is $5.52 per gallon. And that has almost nothing to do with Iran.
The California Premium
Californians pay $1.67 more per gallon than the national average. According to the New York Post, that breaks down to about $0.28 in higher state excise taxes, $0.13 in higher sales taxes and local fees, and $0.75 for climate programs unique to California. The state also requires a special, more expensive fuel blend that only California refineries and certain Asian countries can produce.
But the biggest driver is the state's "cap and trade" system — a scheme that sets a limit on how much carbon refineries can emit and forces them to buy expensive allowances to produce more. Those costs get passed straight to consumers.
It's About to Get Worse
The California Air Resources Board is considering raising the cost of those allowances even further. The goal isn't to offset emissions — it's to make gasoline so expensive that people are forced into electric vehicles.
Chevron President Andy Walz warned in a letter to Newsom that the policy "will cripple the survivability of the state's remaining refineries." Refining capacity has already dropped 18%. Phillips 66 and Valero are laying off workers and shutting down facilities.
Republican State Senator Suzette Valladares put it plainly: "We are one refinery away from losing another 10 percent of California's supply."
The Hypocrisy
Newsom wants to blame Trump for gas prices while his own policies add nearly $2 per gallon to the cost. Gas peaked at over $5 nationally under Biden — and Newsom said nothing. Now that prices are $3.70 under Trump and $5.52 under his own governorship, suddenly it's a crisis worth talking about.
California's 30 military bases need reliable fuel. Its 39 million residents need affordable transportation. And Newsom is systematically destroying both — while pointing the finger at someone else.
Sources
• AMAC Newsline: Newsom Gas Price Hypocrisy