President Trump touts oil and gas production in Texas visit

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Nexstar) — President Trump touched down on Texas soil for the second time since returning to the White House.

Trump visited the Port of Corpus Christi where he delivered remarks to applaud his economic and energy policies. The president reflected on the past year of his second term. He said he took over a country that was “dead” and has unlocked its potential.

“I ended the Biden export ban, and I told our great Texas energy workers to very simply drill, baby, drill,” Trump said to a crowd of supporters. Trump touted the rise in oil production and gas exports and lower prices at the gas pump.

According to AAA, the current average price of regular gasoline in Texas is $2.60. The average price of regular gasoline in 2022, the middle of President Joe Biden’s term, was $3.47.

Todd Staples, the president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association said the president’s visit to Corpus Christi underscores the fact that energy dominance begins in Texas.

“The Lone Star State has reached a high-water mark in crude oil and natural gas production, benefitting American consumers by dramatically increasing supply and lowering prices at home and exporting the remainder to allies and trading partners,” Staples said in a statement.

But Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at the University of Houston, said Trump’s policies have increased the cost of doing business. Hirs points to tariffs on steel and aluminum, which raised the cost of building energy infrastructure and drilling wells. He said the oil industry is spending more and getting less in revenue.

“We’re getting $20 a barrel less than we were before the president took office, and we’re spending $3 to $5 to $10 a barrel more,” Hirs said.

Hirs said that resulted in layoffs in the oil industry. The Texas Oil and Gas Association reported in January this year that upstream oil and gas employment remained flat in 2025, referencing data from the Texas Workforce Commission.

“Even as companies adjust to lower prices and shifting market conditions, the Texas oil and natural gas industry employs hundreds of thousands of Texans across the value chain because of the industry’s regional breadth and diverse activities, from LNG exports to pipeline construction,” Staples said in his statement.

Hirs did say that liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports did fairly well this year.

“We have been able to help our European allies go without the natural gas from Russia,” Hirs said.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to Corpus Christi a day ahead of the president to sign an order that expands the amount of LNG exported from the Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi LNG terminal. This will allow Corpus Christi LNG to be the second-largest exporter of LNG in the United States.

“This creates jobs and wealth in the United States, and it better energizes our allies abroad and lifts everyone up,” Wright told a group of reporters.

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