FACT CHECK: Did A Mobil Gas Station Put Up Signs That Say ‘F*** Joe Biden’?
An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a gas station with signs that reads “Fuck Joe Biden.”
Verdict: False
The image has been digitally altered. The original image does not mention Biden and lists regular gas prices.
Fact Check:
The national average for the price of gasoline has recently eclipsed $5 per gallon, setting a new all-time high, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). Several factors including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a decline in domestic oil-to-gasoline production and the summer increase in traffic are leading to higher prices, The Associated Press reported.
The Facebook image, shared over 680 times, appears to show a Mobil gas station sign that reads, “Fuck Joe Biden.” A message board at the bottom of the sign reads, “bring back Trump.” In December 2020, Trump’s last full month in office, gas prices averaged $2.19, according to a chart provided by the Energy Information Administration.
The image is digitally altered. A reverse image search revealed the photo was originally taken in West Hollywood in March 2022 by Robert Gauthier of the Los Angeles Times and later shared on Getty Images. The photo shows regular gas prices and does not include any political messages.
“West Hollywood, CA, Tuesday, March 8, 2022 – The Mobil station at the corner of La Cienega and Beverly advertise prices higher than the norm throughout the Los Angeles area,” reads the image description.
The current price of gas in California is $6.43 per gallon, making it the state with the most expensive gas in the country, according to a June 15 estimate from AAA. Check Your Fact has previously debunked an image claiming to show a California gas station with $9 a gallon gas prices.