“When losses happen, somebody’s got to pay for it.”
Called Freedom Fuel Network, the enterprise encompasses dozens of gas stations throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, USA Today reported, although it isn’t exactly clear which locations are open for business. Plastered in American flag decals and “Freedom Fuel” branding, the gas stations seem to be selling unleaded gasoline for the fixed-price of $3.47 per gallon, about 32 cents cheaper than the current average price in the US.
According to GasBuddy, nearby prices range from $3.85 to as much as $4.49 — no doubt reflecting the slower drip of oil from the president’s costly war on Iran, which burst back into active fighting this week.
As head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy Patrick De Haan told the Philadelphia Inquirer, the current price of crude oil means there’s no way Freedom Fuel’s $3.47 price point can turn a profit.
“Stations selling at this price, it’s not sustainable,” De Haan explained. “Generally, when losses happen, somebody’s got to pay for it.”
De Haan raises an obvious question: who is paying for it? If the stations are losing money on every gallon, somebody has to make up the difference somewhere — whether out of Trump’s pocket, that of a friendly donor, or the taxpayer’s. And if it’s a private company taking the hit, how long until they stop subsidizing Pennsylvania drivers?
Already, the stunt seems to be distorting local markets. As of Wednesday, a nearby Sam’s Club in Dresher dropped its price to match the $3.47 figure — surely good news for anybody buying gas in South Eastern Pennsylvania, but as always, the devil is in the details.
When the (Venezuelan) oil is stolen and the wars are paid for by the taxpayers, everything is profit.
Forgot about this oil reserve, I was thinking he’s laundering Russian oil
I’ve been waiting for it to crop up. Right after the illegal attack on Venezuela, Trump bragged about personally having a tanker of oil that no one ended up wanting. We had a stable oil supply. Then not too long after that, the attacks on Iran started. I have no idea if it’s anything in the grand scheme of grifting and cons and murder but I’m guessing it was a factor in some way.
I always assumed he decided he needed Venezuela’s oil after he was told he would be attacking Iran soon.
I’ve assumed Trump thought oil= money, not realising Venezuelan oil is among the most expensive to refine. America does however have refining capacity for that type of oil, as to turn the Venezuelan oil profitable he’d attack Iran and hurt international energy trades
My immediate thought is that his billionaire friends (likely oil barons) are subsidizing it until the day after the election, at which point they will reap the profits/bribes. My money is on stolen Venezuelan oil as well.
Its probably just an advertising campaign to try to win the midterms. “SEE, FREEDOM.GAS. VOTE FOR FASCISM PLZ.”
Also, isn’t there already a gas station chain branded Freedom? Are they violating trademarks?
The economics of importing Russian oil and distilling it into gasoline illicitly do not add up. More likely this is just regular ol gas being sold at a discount as funded by our billionaire overlords
russia doesn’t even have gas for themselves… Kazakhstan is giving them fuel.
Wouldn’t that just be some perfect shit-icing on the shit-cake. If the Freedom Fuel is from Russian oil.