Washington Post correspondent tries to slam president Trump on gas price 'lie', gets tripped up on the pesky details of math and averages

Brad S. | 5:43 PM on April 06, 2020

When Trump Derangement eclipses your journalistic principles it can be sad. For you, the journalist. For the rest of us, it can become pretty funny.

The latest ”gotcha” is involving President Trump and his mentioning of gas prices. In a recent speech, he made a comment about the cost per gallon falling below $1.00. James Hohmann, who is a correspondent for the Washington Post, really felt he caught President Trump in a lie, and he attempted to dunk on him — and he ends up on the disabled list as a result.

Trump just said he's seeing gasoline selling for 91 cents a gallon.

AAA says the national average is $1.94.https://t.co/N0X7mrfrBm

— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) April 6, 2020

Interesting — Hohmann has come up with this ironclad proof that Trump lied about this, yet there is all of this bothersome evidence lying around.

Lakewood, Ohio pic.twitter.com/xLxLeWl2uR

— Rachel Mullen (@rachelfromohio) April 6, 2020

"A station in Cleveland, Ohio, is now selling gas for 94 cents per gallon, GasBuddy users report. Incredibly the price is actually up from March 29, when it sold a gallon of gas for just 89 cents."https://t.co/iM64On7kY0

— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) April 6, 2020

89 cents in Galveston,Tx

— cleatus van damm (@barrydaniels3) April 6, 2020

99 cents in Kentucky. 1.99 in parts of Massachusetts.

— Writer, CR HIATT⭐⭐⭐ (@CR_HIATT) April 6, 2020

92¢ in Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/NRpG9U4WiN

— Semi-Casual Observer (@CasualSemi) April 6, 2020

Gas here in my area is $2.50! AAA is lying!

Either that or you haven't figured out how averages work. Whichever.

— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) April 6, 2020

Could that be the case? These are the people who are railing loudly about the president mentioning anything about medications, who love to correct the man who is advised daily by healthcare experts. And basic arithmetic principals such as fractions elude them.

You see, averages factor in highest AND lowest prices. So even though $1.94 is the average, it’s true that all *possible* prices actually include amounts quite a bit higher & quite a bit lower than that. You know, because of the definition of “average.”

— Don’t Stand So Close to Dawn (@aurora_g96) April 6, 2020

Those who can math, do.

Those who can't, become correspondents for @washingtonpost

— Here comes Ordy Cottontail! (@OrdyPackard) April 6, 2020

Who would have guessed someone who is a journalistical presser and can science good while being an expert at medicationatics might have some trouble with mathing like this. But here we are, having to explain how averages work.

We mean, based on averages, stuff is completely as it seems.

There are no short men in the US because the average height is 5’10”.

— A Standard Deviation (@ARogueEngineer) April 6, 2020

There are no poor people in America because the average income is $48,672.

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) April 6, 2020

The average American has 1 testicle https://t.co/ZUqGjLdUiC

— Kyle Beckley (@Kyle_Beckley) April 6, 2020

I just saw $1.43 for regular. Next time i drive by, I’ll tell the manager to raise the price to the “average” so your take is not as stupid.

— GregEsq (@GregEsq) April 6, 2020

Sure, his take is what was stupid.