By: Jacob Kim
Donald Trump promised to make energy cheaper and more abundant for the American people—a vision built on the twin promises of booming oil production and falling gasoline prices. At a recent press conference, he boasted that “gas is dropping, energy is dropping,” claiming credit for lowering household costs. But beneath the surface of that feel-good message lies a fundamental contradiction: his energy policies are not only failing to deliver the long-term relief he promised, they are also accelerating the climate crisis at a time when we can least afford it.
Yes, gas prices have fallen—down nearly 25% since January—but not because of anything Trump has done to support U.S. energy independence. In fact, U.S. oil producers are scaling back, with industry leaders admitting that domestic production has likely peaked and will begin to decline. Prices have dropped not due to expanded American drilling, but because of OPEC+ increasing supply and global demand weakening from Trump’s own trade wars and tariffs. The very policies Trump touts as helping consumers are, ironically, making U.S. energy companies less competitive and less stable.
And while he claims credit for short-term price dips at the pump, Trump is simultaneously pushing policies that undermine the energy future he claims to support. He’s gutting federal investment in renewables, defunding the National Renewable Energy Lab, canceling critical clean energy grants, and now moving to eliminate the Energy Star program, which has saved Americans over $40 billion annually by helping them buy energy-efficient appliances. Cutting a program that gives consumers tools to lower their energy bills directly contradicts his vow to reduce costs.
Worse, his continued allegiance to oil—at the expense of clean energy investment—locks the U.S. into a fossil fuel future that is both economically unstable and environmentally catastrophic. Oil prices are inherently volatile. They may be low today, but that could change tomorrow with a single geopolitical shock. In contrast, renewable energy is increasingly cheap, scalable, and secure—but Trump continues to sideline it in favor of outdated drilling slogans.
And the climate cost is devastating. Burning oil is one of the primary drivers of global warming. While Trump courts short-term political points with low fuel prices, he’s deepening our dependence on the very fuels heating the planet, intensifying wildfires, floods, and extreme weather that cost American communities billions every year. Instead of investing in clean, resilient energy systems that create jobs and stabilize the economy, Trump is betting everything on a boom-bust fossil fuel model that’s already showing signs of collapse.
The truth is, Trump’s energy agenda is not about lowering costs—it’s about clinging to the past. The world is moving forward. Global economies are investing in electrification, battery storage, and renewable energy at record pace. Meanwhile, Trump is stripping away climate protections, undercutting clean energy, and using falling oil prices—driven by forces outside his control—as political cover.
This isn’t leadership. It’s sabotage. And while it might save a few cents at the pump today, it will cost us the planet tomorrow.
Sources
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5387426/oil-prices-falling-tariffs-opec
Energy Outlook 
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