Political memes seeking to reframe Jan. 6, 2021, in a positive light are using old photos of gas prices from 2015 and 2016 out of context. Let’s take a look at the facts.
NewsLit takeaway
Posts about high gas prices can spark quick, emotional responses and serve as an easy catalyst for partisan rancor — often directed at a sitting president. But as previous posts on this blog have pointed out, “presidents don’t actually have much effect on the prices.” In this case, gas prices were used to present a counter-narrative about the state of the nation on Jan. 6, 2021, while the House select committee hearing on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol brought renewed focus on the attack. Fact-checkers have documented two variations of this “never forget” meme, both of which use out-of-context photos of gas prices taken during former President Barack Obama’s second term.
- “Viral image of gas prices is from 2015, not Jan. 6, 2021” (Grace Abels, PolitiFact).
- “‘Never Forget Jan. 6’ Gas Price Photos Date from Obama Era” (Jordan Liles, Snopes).
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