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OPINION:
Energy is more than fuel; it is also a weapon. It requires leaders who understand and appreciate its potential.
In a world of chaos, including Iran’s missile barrages and proxy wars near the Persian Gulf, controlling energy means shaping outcomes. President Trump gets that.
While the left plays politics with gas prices, Mr. Trump’s “America First” energy dominance turns crises into quick corrections. Look at the current Iran conflict. Oil spiked to $119 a barrel amid strikes and threats in the Strait of Hormuz, but within days, it plunged nearly 27%. That is no accident. It is American muscle flexing, proving why 2026 is worlds apart from President Biden’s bungled 2022 mess.
Flash back to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prices soared, and Democrats’ playbook was all blame, no barrels. They scapegoated the industry first. California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused oil companies of “gaslighting” Americans with high prices, and then Vice President Kamala Harris whined about “padding profits.” Mr. Biden labeled it “war profiteering.”
Zero solutions, only finger-pointing. Then came the tax increase proposals. Mr. Biden floated higher taxes on windfall profits. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, pushed tax legislation, and Mr. Newsom demanded a special session to punish producers. The national average gas price climbed to $5.01 a gallon anyway because taxing supply doesn’t create more of it; it only kills investment.
Worst of all, they raided the Strategic Petroleum Reserve like a political piggy bank. Created after the 1973 oil embargo to address real emergencies such as wars, disasters and supply cuts, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve lost 290 million barrels under Mr. Biden’s direction. The left was silent as Mr. Biden slashed the reserve from 638 million barrels to a dangerous 347 million, the lowest since 1983.
The move was timed for the 2022 midterms, not markets. Gas prices still hit record highs, proving it was window dressing.
Fast-forward: Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer is now demanding that Mr. Trump tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve “immediately.” He forgets the inconvenient truth that every Senate Democrat, including him, voted against refilling the reserve less than a year ago when prices were lower.
The current spike is real, but it’s also temporary.
U.S. production hit a world record 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025. The Permian Basin alone pumped 6.3 million barrels a day. Pre-conflict, prices held steady at $60 to $70 for more than a year, shrugging off OPEC games and global noise. Why? Mr. Trump’s policies: more federal leases, fast-tracked permits, no Securities and Exchange Commission threats or Environmental Protection Agency overreach.
Capital flows freely, rigs are efficient with artificial intelligence and technology, and investors know the rules won’t flip.
In 2022, Mr. Biden’s hostility toward canceled leases, delayed approvals and “Indigenous knowledge” excuses stifled response, keeping prices elevated months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Today, our dominance absorbs shocks. Energy is a weapon. Mr. Trump wields it to shield wallets and smack adversaries.
Speaking of adversaries, China’s Achilles’ heel is energy dependence. The country imports more than 70% of its oil, much of it through the Strait of Hormuz, now a flash point in the war zone. When disruptions happen, China’s factories grind to a halt and its economy slows. America’s energy gives us leverage. We can outproduce, stabilize markets and deny adversaries easy wins.
Fun fact: China produces 80% of the world’s solar panels and 72% of the world’s wind turbines. So an oil disruption shouldn’t hurt it, right?
Mr. Trump gets it: Energy dominance is a huge part of geopolitical chess. Starve China’s imports indirectly through a secure U.S. supply, and we blunt its aggression in Taiwan or the South China Sea.
Cuba is a smaller-scale cautionary tale. Reliant on Venezuelan and Russian handouts, Cuba has blackouts and fuel shortages under socialist mismanagement that show what happens without independence. In contrast, the “energy dominance” approach builds strength here to project power there.
Democrats are still stuck in blame mode, rehashing their greatest hits of failure. Mr. Schumer and his allies have a short memory and no plan — just talking points.
Mr. Trump’s policies deliver: lower volatility, stronger security and jobs for energy workers in the Permian Basin, the Gulf of America and across the country. These employees didn’t set records through handouts; they did it with a government that got out of the way. Washington finally cleared the path, and the results roared.
Energy is indeed a weapon, and in Mr. Trump’s hands, it is pointed toward victory. This spike is different from the 2022 nightmare because America’s arsenal is loaded. No more begging OPEC. We’re dominant, prices are dropping, and the world is on notice.
Keep drilling, America. President Trump has the right blueprint.
• Larry Behrens is an energy expert and the communications director for Power the Future. He is the author of the new book “Power Restored: President Trump’s First Year and the Revival of American Energy Leadership.” You can follow him on X/Twitter @larrybehrens.
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