Trump’s Misguided Tweet on California Gasoline Prices

California’s proposed fuel efficiency standards for cars don’t have anything to do with the state having the highest gas prices in the country, but that’s what President Donald Trump suggested in a tweet.

The state is pushing for higher fuel efficiency standards than the Trump administration has proposed for vehicles nationwide, and the president said those standards “just aren’t doing the trick,” linking them to gas prices.

Gasoline prices in California are much higher right now than anywhere else in the country, as Trump noted. Gasoline price experts say prices spiked over the last few weeks in California due to unexpected refinery outages that reduced the gasoline supply. With the outages now repaired, that temporary bump should begin to recede over the next few weeks, experts told us.

But California gasoline prices consistently exceed the national average due to the state’s high gas taxes, environmental fees and the cost associated with the state requiring a cleaner-burning gasoline blend.

Since 2015, however, prices have risen