An otherwise unremarkable gas station in Bristol, Pa., lured passing drivers this week with something many had not glimpsed in months: a price of $3.47 per gallon.
The former Valero station is one in a chain of 25 newly branded Freedom Fuel gas stations in the Philadelphia region, promoted by President Trump and the White House but with no information about who owns them — or why they are willing to undercut competitors by at least 50 cents a gallon.
“They are doing this because they love the U.S.A.,” Mr. Trump said of the stations in a social media post on July 1, crediting “a VERY smart retailer, located throughout the Northeast.”
The questions mattered little to many who stopped for gas at the Freedom Fuel in Bristol, about 20 miles outside Center City Philadelphia, one night this week. What mattered to Jerrod White, a delivery truck driver, was that he was spending $75 to fill his tank instead of the $100 he had grown used to since Mr. Trump went to war with Iran in February.
“It’s about time somebody did something about it,” Mr. White, 46, said as he pumped fuel. “I don’t really care who’s behind it, as long as somebody’s trying to make a difference.”
On Tuesday, the White House released a video featuring a Freedom Fuel gas station in Philadelphia, with customers lauding Mr. Trump. A narrator noted that the $3.47 price tag was “for our 47th president.” A man who said he was headed to the Jersey Shore waved a handful of cash and said, “Thanks, Trump, for saving me some money.”
The video, and the social media post from the White House, came as the United States and Iran exchanged strikes and gas prices started rising again; the national average price was $3.88 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA, up from $3.82 a week ago. In Pennsylvania, the price on Friday was $3.99.
But a White House spokesman said the Trump administration had no role in the effort but to praise it.
“The administration is not involved in the company, nor has the administration given the company any funding. There is no other entity or person subsidizing the lower gasoline costs,” the spokesman said in a statement. “They are simply reducing their margin to make prices at the pump more affordable for drivers in Philadelphia and New Jersey. This retailer is taking the lead, others should follow.”
Jeff Lenard, a spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores — whose members sell much of the fuel purchased around the country — said the $3.47 price point is not sustainable.
He said the wholesale price of fuel in the Philadelphia area is more than $3 a gallon, and that doesn’t include state and federal taxes or delivery and operating costs, including credit card fees.
Mr. Lenard added the Freedom Fuel gas stations appear to be mostly small operations with a limited selection of food and other merchandise, meaning they would be dependent on fuel margins.
“I don’t see how they can make money selling fuel. They need to have some other way to make money, whether it’s in-store sales, or a carwash or something else,” he said. “The question everybody is asking is who is taking the loss?”
Tom Kloza, chief energy adviser for Gulf Oil, said that while he knows nothing about Freedom Fuel’s business model, low-cost promotions are generally short-lived. He noted that in recent years, the markup has been about 40 cents a gallon, typically used to cover expenses including insurance, taxes, credit card fees and labor.
“We occasionally see retailers sell at below cost for grand openings, or special promos tied to holidays,” Mr. Kloza said in an email, “but the period where one sells at the disadvantaged prices is measured in hours and not days or weeks.”
By Friday morning, the Freedom Fuel station in Bristol had raised the price to $3.57 per gallon, according to the gas price tracking app GasBuddy.
Public records show only that Freedom Fuel Network was registered as a limited liability company less than a month ago in Delaware.
A website was registered on June 13 but offers no information beyond a list of station locations, the phrase, “Your savings begin here” and a prompt to contact the company. A message submitted on Thursday went unanswered.
Freedom Fuel Network submitted a trademark application for its logo on July 1 and lists Anna Vishev as the attorney of record. In an email, Ms. Vishev, whose office is based in Staten Island, said she was not authorized to disclose any information about the company.
At the Freedom Fuel station on Bristol Pike, a busy corridor linking Bristol and other suburbs to Philadelphia, customers patiently waited — at one point, in a line six cars deep — to take turns squeezing the handle on the pump nozzles. Inside, Sikander Kumar, 24, manned the register and deflected questions about the Freedom Fuel Network.
“I don’t want to talk about politics,” he said. “It’s all about cheap gas and keeping customers happy.”
In conversations about the gas, drivers drew a direct line between the president, the prices and their personal politics.
James Limer, 79, a retired union carpenter from Bristol, felt that his faith in Mr. Trump was being rewarded at the red, white and blue-themed station festooned with eagles and American flags.
“I love it. I know he’s going to bring prices down. I have all the confidence in him to do it,” he said.
Kevin Ogden, 35, a track worker for Amtrak who lives in Croydon, Pa., felt that the Freedom Fuel stations were just another positive example of the president’s leadership.
“Trump is doing great things for the economy and for the whole United States,” said Mr. Ogden, who had a “Family Above Everything” tattoo etched across his collarbone. “This is my first trip to a Freedom Fuel gas station, and it’s great. I just want this plan to keep on going forever.”
While Mr. Ogden knew that Mr. Trump had promoted Freedom Fuel, most people interviewed at the Bristol station and another in Philadelphia on Wednesday did not until a reporter informed them. For some, the news dampened their excitement about the price.
Edward Rogers, 71, a retired chemical operator who stopped by the gas station on the way home, questioned whether the reduced prices promoted by the Trump administration will meaningfully help working-class people like him.
“How long is this lower price going to be here? Why did Trump start the war with Iran back up again?” Mr. Rogers said. “He did it because he doesn’t have to stand in line to get gas. He’s not hurting the way the average person is.”
At another Freedom Fuel gas station about 12 miles away, in Northeast Philadelphia, Ani Zeytunyan, 23, a medical assistant, had no idea that Mr. Trump touted the company that took over what used to be a Shell gas station in her neighborhood. There, the price was $3.57 per gallon on Wednesday night.
She stopped in with a friend to buy vape pens and gas. But upon learning of Mr. Trump’s role, she vowed not to return, even if that meant paying higher gas prices.
“I don’t support Trump and his choices, including the war with Iran,” Ms. Zeytunyan said. “I’m not coming back. Somehow, everything always leads back to Trump.”
