Now that President Donald Trump has easily defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, Americans who desire freedom of choice and are at their wits’ end with sky-high energy prices can breathe a massive sigh of relief. Moreover, the millions of Americans who are sick and tired of the never-ending climate alarmist narrative courtesy of the federal government can also rest easy.

In a few months, Trump will return to the Oval Office in one of the most spectacular comeback stories in American political history. As he has said on multiple occasions during the campaign, one of his first priorities will be addressing the energy cost crisis created by the Biden-Harris administration.

Since President Biden entered the White House in January 2021, his administration has declared war on American energy independence as well as the fossil fuel industry in general. From killing the Keystone XL pipeline to slow-walking leases for oil and gas exploration on federal lands, Biden has made it abundantly clear that he sides more with climate alarmists than ordinary, hard-working Americans.

On the other hand, Trump’s track record during his first term and what he has outlined that he will do in his second term tells us that he will embrace commonsense energy policies that puts Americans first, regardless of the propaganda spewed by climate radicals and those who benefit greatly from the scam that is known as the green energy transition.

Unlike Biden and Harris, Trump believes in American energy independence. More accurately, Trump is a strong supporter of American energy dominance. Although these terms sound similar, it is important to understand the difference between the two. When we talk about energy independence, we are basically describing a situation in which the United States does not need to import oil and other energy sources from countries like Venezuela or Saudi Arabia. When we talk about energy dominance, we are describing a scenario in which the United States can supply energy to our allies across the world, especially in Europe.

By mid-2020, Trump had achieved American energy independence for the first time in decades. This is a key reason why gasoline prices, and energy prices in general, plummeted under Trump.

It is no great secret how Trump managed to turn the United States into a net energy exporter during his first term; he simply lifted the throttle off of U.S. energy producers. Trump allowed more fracking, opened up more federal lands for exploration, and reduced regulations that have hindered the industry for far too long.

Fortunately, Trump will take that playbook and reinstall his pro-energy agenda on day one. This will drastically reduce the cost of energy across the board. Americans can expect to see massive reductions in the price of gasoline, home heating costs, and much more sooner than later.

Trump will also repeal Biden’s electric vehicle mandate and many of the other regulations he has put in place intended to nudge Americans towards electric stoves and other appliances approved by the climate scolds.

One of the major lessons gleaned from the 2024 election has been that Americans still long for freedom and do not buy the climate alarmist narrative. Exit polls show that climate change barely registered among the top issues, and was far behind the economy, immigration, crime, foreign policy, and the state of democracy.

For four years, Americans have suffered under Biden’s awful energy policies, which likely played a crucial role in the surprise victory of Donald Trump. The good news is that this will come to an abrupt end very soon.

Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute

Image: Eric Kounce