U.S. under Trump sets new world crude oil production record as climate disasters ravage the planet

As the very wise George Carlin once said so well, “The U.S. is an oil company with an army.”

That has never been truer than this nation under the erratic, authoritarian regime of Donald Trump, who after bombing 8 countries in the first year of his second administration, on January 14, filed a lawsuit against a California law that requires oil companies to drill new wells 3200 feet from homes, schools, hospitals and churches.

Again and again, the Trump administration has promoted the Big Lie that modest laws minimizing the impacts of oil and gas drilling upon people and the environment are somehow “hampering” production when crude oil production in recent years has skyrocketed to record high levels!

“This is yet another unconstitutional and radical policy from Gavin Newsom that threatens our country’s energy independence and makes energy more expensive for the American people,” claimed Attorney General Pamela Bondi in announcing the launching of the lawsuit against California. “In accordance with President Trump’s executive orders, this Department of Justice will continue to fight burdensome regulations that violate federal law and hamper domestic energy production — especially in California, where Newsom is clearly intent on subverting federal law at every opportunity.”

Ironically, while the A.G. Bondi filed the lawsuit against California’s SB 1137  to supposedly “fight burdensome regulations that violate federal law and hamper domestic energy production,” despite state regulations, the U.S. has been the biggest oil producer on the planet over the past three years! Here are the actual facts:

U.S. crude oil production crushed all time world records in 2023 with 12.9 million barrels per day and 13.2 million barrels per day in 2024 under the Biden administration, according to the Energy Information Agency (EIA). Crude oil production then jumped to a new record high of 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025 under the Trump administration.

The EIA forecasts that crude oil production will “drop slightly” to 13.5 million barrels per day in 2026, but that will still be more crude oil than any previous administration, including the previous Trump administration, or other world government in the history of the planet: www.eia.gov/…

But record high drilling by corporations in the U.S. is not enough for Trump. As we saw in January, he wants to control the rest of the world’s oil, as evidenced by the U.S. kidnapping President Maduro and his wife, the murder of 100 people who never threatened the U.S., the murder of innocent Venezuelan fishermen by the U.S. and the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers.

As the U.S. wages war and military interventions in one country after another, including the country with the largest reserves of crude oil on the planet, Trump is a climate denier who claims climate change is a “hoax” as the fossil fuel-spurred climate disasters ravage the planet.

Big Oil spent $33.8 million to lobby California officials in 2025

Meanwhile, here in California, just released data posted on the California Secretary of State’s website reveals that Big Oil spent $7,478,567.87 in the fourth quarter of 2025 lobbying California officials, bringing the total to $33,848,396.96 in 2025. That will probably make last year the second biggest year for oil industry lobbying spending in California history.

The Western States Petroleum Association topped the oil industry lobbying expenditures with $3,525,971.27 spent in the fourth quarter, while Chevron finished second with $2,113,122.50 spent. The two Big Oil organizations have consistently spent the most on lobbying in Sacramento of any lobbyist employers.

More information with a detailed analysis will be coming later. I'm the only journalist in California that has done consistent reporting on Big Oil - and many years ago broke the huge story about how Big Oil has captured the faux "green" and "progressive" government of this state. 

Big Oil's influence on this state and country is one of the key reasons for the U.S. wars all over the planet, including Iraq, Palestine and Venezuela. Yes, it is about the oil.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Last Chance Alliance's analysis of Big Oil lobbying spending in 2025 - and will post that here also.