TikToker Emmalyn Schroeder has gone viral for tracking gas prices since President Donald Trump was elected in 2024 until now, using her Missouri town as an example.
A week after the 2024 election, on Nov. 12, 2024, premium gasoline cost Schroeder $2.289 per gallon, meaning it took $37.75 to completely fill her car’s tank.
In her TikTok video showing footage of herself filling her tank for what now seems like a dream of a price, she said:
"Let's see how much gas is when he comes to office. We'll see. We'll see if it's cheaper."
On May 4, 2026, Schroeder drove past the same gas station and saw prices had surged to $3.99 per gallon, a figure she said was already 59 cents higher than just a few days earlier and $1.70 more than what she paid in November 2024, marking roughly a 74% increase.
When she returned the following day, May 5, to actually fill up her tank, prices had climbed again. Regular unleaded gasoline had jumped to $4.19 per gallon, a 20-cent increase overnight.
She said:
"It's May 5, 2026 and this is for documentation purposes. I took a video the day President Trump was elected and gas was like around $2-and-something cents. I took a video to document that today. It is May 5, 2026, and in my small town three days ago, gas raised 59 cents overnight and went to $3.99."
"Today I just went to the gas station in my small town. It is now $4.19 from $3.99. And that's unleaded."
You can see a screenshot of the current gas price below.
@emmalyn_schroeder/TikTok/Instagram
You can see her full video below.
People are livid.
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Gas prices across the U.S. have surged roughly 50% since the U.S. and Israel launched the war in Iran, as tightening global oil supplies drove fuel costs sharply higher.
According to data from AAA, the national average has climbed above $4.50 per gallon, putting additional pressure on household budgets already strained by rising costs. On average, gas prices have increased by more than a dollar per gallon since the initial attacks on Iran.
Six states—Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington—are nearing $5 per gallon on average, while prices in California have surpassed $6, the highest in the country. Drivers in central parts of the U.S. are seeing comparatively lower prices, AAA data shows.
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