Humble man that he is, President Trump would probably be reluctant to accept the praise he deserves for his dramatic achievements in closing out the fossil fuel era and moving toward a clean energy future.
President Trump’s closing of the strait of Hormuz would never have occurred to Joe Biden. This historic achievement, raising gas prices by 50% in the US and even more around the world, has done more to spur the adoption of electric vehicles, solar panels, and batteries than the Inflation Reduction Act ever dreamed of.
But that’s not all. Trump has succeeded in uniting the world, even European former colonial powers, in moving toward a fossil free future. He has made it clear that counting on stable fossil fuel prices and supply lines is an anachronistic fantasy. And he has bailed out China’s overproduction of new energy products by supercharging global demand.
Perhaps most impressive is the way that Trump has shown that the $1.2 trillion dollar defense budget, most of which is aimed to protect global fossil fuel supplies, is a waste of money. Asking for an extra $200 billion was especially clever, as it demonstrated the futility of trying to control all the world’s oil resources plainly for all to see.
To be sure, there are some weak points in this impressive record. President Trump continues to pretend that he is a strong supporter of fossil fuels, even while he is systematically hastening their demise. Some may feel that his wanton bombing of Iran and the kidnapping of the president of Venezuela are a bit over the top in his campaign to discredit fossil fuels. And the spike in the price of fuel is likely to spur a recession, hurting millions of working people in the U.S. and around the globe. And the glut of fossil fuels used in the war so far is a problem as global heating continues unabated.
It’s still too soon to see if his strategy to destroy the credibility of the Republican Party succeeds in November with an overwhelming Democratic victory. And whether the Democrats will accept the opportunity he has offered them by implementing a sweeping Green New Deal is open to question.
Note: Just to be sure that I’m on the right track, I asked AI, “Is Trump uniting the world to move beyond fossil fuels?” AI responded indignantly, “No, President Donald Trump is actively championing a fossil-fuel-heavy agenda and is not uniting the world to move beyond them.” So there is some room for debate on this topic.