Trump’s Energy Triumph

Strassel is either correct (which I suspect is the case) or the Dark Lord is political toast.

Trump’s Energy Triumph

He prepared the U.S. and its allies for the current troubles in the Persian Gulf.

By Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ

March 12, 2026 5:24 pm ET

The Democratic-media complex seems determined to get everything wrong about Iran, though few efforts compare with this week’s work to tag the Trump administration with a global energy crisis. Not only is this uninformed and overdone, the sudden concern over energy security comes about three years late.

They are blaming the administration, in particular Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whom Politico described as the “vaunted” team “in danger of fumbling the biggest energy crisis” of Donald Trump’s second term. The go-to quote comes from Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who ranted that “on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN. . . . Which is unforgiveable, because this part of the disaster was 100% foreseeable.”

Let’s talk about plans. That the U.S. was finally in a position to disarm Iran is largely thanks to a plan Mr. Trump initiated in his first term—to gain energy independence, which his team is now turning into energy dominance. Trump policies turbocharged a shale revolution that made the U.S. a net exporter of petroleum products and the world’s largest exporter of natural gas. Alongside was Mr. Trump’s plan to foster economic and security ties in the region against shared threats like Iran via deals like the Abraham Accords.

We are no longer hostage to Middle East fossil-fuel threats, which gives us room to weather temporary Hormuz disruptions. Domestic gasoline prices have spiked but are still notably below their highs during Joe Biden’s term. Thanks to growing U.S. exports, our allies are better positioned against fallout. And Gulf actors are working alongside the U.S. to mitigate Iran’s blockade. Some of us remember “OPEC embargo” days. No more.

The biggest threat to this plan was always the Biden administration, which halted liquefied natural-gas exports, shuttered Alaskan and Gulf drilling, snubbed Middle East partners, pressed investors to abandon fossil-fuel projects, and dispatched John Kerry to kill energy deals. All in the name of climate change. These would also be the folks who sold off the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to win an election. Want to send real fear through energy markets? Two words: Jennifer Granholm, the energy secretary who dedicated four years to ensuring your washing machine used fewer BTUs.

Speaking of secretaries, it might surprise the press to discover that the heads of Energy and Interior aren’t tasked with countering Iranian mines. That’s the Pentagon’s job. Their job is to mitigate fallout from temporary supply disruptions—which, yes, were expected. Thanks to the energy-dominance policy, and a year of building real relationships with real energy players, they have more levers to pull.

Mr. Wright has been on the phone daily with Middle East energy ministers, ties possible thanks to early travel to the region, including five days he spent with Saudi energy chief Abdulaziz bin Salman (with whom he struck a landmark civil nuclear-energy deal). That allowed the U.S. to position regional players for a possible conflict. That beats an awkward Biden fist bump.

The International Energy Agency announced it is releasing the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in history—400 million barrels—after Mr. Wright rallied member nations to the need. Mr. Wright has been pressing the IEA for a year to drop its climate obsessions and get serious about its fossil-fuel mandate. That work is paying off.

The U.S. has been refilling the SPR with money earmarked in last year’s reconciliation bill. A plan! It will now release 172 million barrels, and here’s a fun aside: Rather than sell it straight (as the Biden team did), Mr. Wright is exchanging it on the market for futures contracts (which are currently betting prices will fall). This means the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will get back 200 million barrels for the price of its 172 million. How refreshing: An energy secretary who understands energy markets.

Mr. Burgum—fresh off expanding a Venezuela-U.S. energy partnership—is flying to Japan to reassure Pacific allies that American export capacity is expanding dramatically. He’s keeping the machinery running to follow through on his promises. Interior this week announced $47 million in bids from a second Gulf of Mexico lease sale. It has issued 6,000 permits for oil and gas leasing in the past year alone—more than the Biden administration did in four years.

Hormuz is causing disruptions, but those are likely to be short-lived. As the U.S. gains ground against Iran’s offensive capabilities, it can devote more assets to restoring shipping lanes. Mr. Wright on Thursday explained it as “short-term pain for the long-term gain” of denying Iran the ability “to hold the world hostage whenever it wants.” Indeed. The ability to do it at all—and weather the short term—will be thanks to a Trump team that had a clear-eyed, multifaceted, fossil-fuel energy plan.

Write to kim@wsj.com.