Rubbish Check
Newsweek · 25 October 2026
source“Trump Says He Doesn’t ‘Give A Damn’ About Gas Prices As US Making ‘Fortune’”
R2/ 10
Lightly altered
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
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In short
Rubbish Talk rates Newsweek's headline that Trump "doesn't 'give a damn' about gas prices" a 2/10 because it is a near-verbatim quote from his Georgia rally, independently corroborated by multiple outlets, with the gas-price data in the body accurately sourced to AAA.
The Verdict
Lightly altered, bordering on clean. The headline quotes Trump directly rather than paraphrasing, and multiple independent outlets confirm he said almost exactly this at the rally. The only nudge away from a pure 1 is that "doesn't give a damn about gas prices" slightly compresses his actual remark, which was that he doesn't give a damn about criticism for mentioning oil profits while prices are high, a distinction the body of the article clarifies but the headline flattens.
What actually happened
At a Georgia rally, Trump said advisers had warned him not to tout oil-industry profits while Americans face high pump prices, then said he didn't care and would say it anyway: the US is "Trump here does a widdle baby voice to mock people who are complaining about high gas prices, explaining that the oil and gas industry is making 'hundreds of billions, trillions'" according to commentary circulating from the clip. Separately verified phrasing has him saying "I don't give a damn, I'm going to say it: We're making a freaking fortune" at the Georgia rally.
Key facts
- National average gas price was approximately $4.29/gallon on October 25, per AAA, down from $4.49 a month earlier but up from $3.06 a year ago, roughly a 40% year-over-year increase.
- Gas peaked at $3.93/gallon under Obama (May 2011) and $5.06 under Biden (June 2022), per govargus.com data cited in the article.
- A New York Times/Siena poll (3,494 voters, Oct 12-19) found 73% of likely voters disapprove of Trump's handling of gas prices, including 77% of independents and 42% of Republicans.
- Multiple independent outlets (CommonDreams, IBTimes, HuffPost) corroborate the quoted remarks, confirming the headline isn't a loose paraphrase.
What to watch for
Watch whether gas prices continue the modest month-over-month decline AAA recorded, which Trump could claim as vindication even as the year-over-year comparison remains unfavorable. Also watch for follow-up polling closer to the midterms to see if the 73% disapproval figure holds or shifts as prices move.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.
