‘Do you know where that tanker is from?’ the president said in response to a Free Beacon question. ‘Venezuela.’
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas—President Donald Trump declared that the United States is “witnessing a historic American energy boom like we’ve never seen” during a speech he delivered from a Southern Texas oil and gas port on Friday afternoon. “This port is right at the center of the action,” he said.
Trump delivered the remarks surrounded by oil workers, lawmakers, and trucks draped with signs that read “American Energy Dominance”—and in front of massive oil tankers docked at the port. “Do you know where that tanker is from?” the president quipped in response to a question from the Washington Free Beacon prior to the event. “Venezuela,” he said in reference to the operation he ordered to capture Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro, an action that has led to increased oil imports into the United States from the South American country.
The speech can best be described as a victory lap in which the president recapped some of his top energy and economic achievements in the year since taking office. He said his actions have brought prices down and stimulated the economy: “On my first day back in office, it all changed. Our country started coming back.”
Trump touted his actions slashing dozens of environmental regulations, rescinding the de facto electric vehicle mandate, fast-tracking oil permitting, opening up oil and gas leasing on federal lands, and boosting natural gas exports. In short, he said, his administration has told Texas workers to “drill, baby, drill.”
That “drill, baby, drill” mantra clearly struck the right chord for the workers and supporters in attendance, who chanted the phrase multiple times throughout Trump’s speech. During an impromptu visit to a local burger chain following the speech, Trump was again met with those same chants.
It has all, according to Trump, had an immediate impact.
“This is the beginning of the Golden Age,” he remarked. We’re going to be reading about this in 100 years. We’ve got to keep it going.”
According to federal data, as of Friday, the average gas price is about $2.94 a gallon, a little lower than the price when Trump took office in January 2025 and far lower than the $5 a gallon it hit in 2022 under former president Joe Biden.
In addition, oil production hit an all-time high in recent months and natural gas exports continue to skyrocket.
“I see, firsthand, every day, the valuable contributions by President Trump,” said Jesse Robinson, a director of asset management at the Corpus Christi port.
One hurdle for the president, however, has been stubbornly high electricity prices across the United States.
An estimated 80 million Americans report struggling to pay their utility bills while natural gas and electricity are two of the fastest drivers of inflation, according to an analysis from the energy nonprofit PowerLines. And in 2025, utility companies requested a staggering $31 billion in rate increases, the largest-ever increase.
The Trump administration has sought to tackle the issue by forcing coal plants to remain open and pushing tech companies to generate their own power for large energy-hungry AI data centers. It has also quietly opened the door to more permitting for solar projects.
The speech, meanwhile, is part of a broader administration push to tout its year one economic gains. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and EPA administrator Lee Zeldin have all traveled the country in recent weeks and months with a similar message focused on affordability.
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