President Trump on Wednesday ripped into California Governor Gavin Newsom and the state’s Democratic leadership over policies he blamed for the closure of the state’s refineries and the resulting pain at the pump for drivers, according to reporting by The Gateway Pundit.
The remarks came after Trump announced a major $54 billion investment in Alaska liquefied natural gas, part of a broader $350 billion investment deal with South Korea. Describing it as one of the largest energy infrastructure investments in American history, Trump also highlighted a $22.3 billion, 6.5-gigawatt natural-gas power facility planned for Encinal, Texas.
Trump: ‘They Closed Their Refineries’
During a question-and-answer session with reporters following the announcement, one journalist raised the situation in California, noting that the state must now depend on foreign crude oil because it no longer has the refinery capacity it once did β a consequence, the reporter suggested, of aggressive environmental policies championed by the state’s progressive leadership.
That line of questioning set the president off. Trump vented his frustration at California Democrats, arguing that the state had squandered an enormous domestic energy advantage.
“It’s so unfair what California is doing. They closed their refineries. You know, they had a lot of refineries. They were actually the third or fourth biggest oil producer in the country. Nobody thinks of California that way. They have a lot of oil in California, but they don’t use it because of the environmental lunatics,” Trump said.
The president went on to say that Californians are being overcharged for energy and expressed dismay at the state’s voting patterns, suggesting that voters keep returning to office politicians who, in his view, do not understand the consequences of their own policies.
“They are being charged so much. It’s so sad to see and how they keep electing these people that have no idea what they’re doing,” Trump said.
A Familiar Line of Attack
Trump’s comments fit into a well-worn pattern of criticism directed at California’s energy policies, which Republicans have long argued drive up costs for consumers and weaken the nation’s energy independence. The president’s remarks Wednesday tied that critique directly to the new investment announcements, framing the Alaska LNG and Texas projects as evidence that other states are moving forward while California retreats.
The Encinal facility in Texas is set to add 6.5 gigawatts of natural-gas-fired power generation capacity β enough to supply electricity to millions of homes β as part of the broader energy package unveiled alongside the Alaska LNG investment.
California’s refinery closures have been a flashpoint in national energy debates for years. The state’s transition away from fossil fuels has reduced in-state refining capacity, leaving it increasingly reliant on imported crude oil, much of it from foreign sources. Critics argue that this dependence exposes California consumers to global price shocks and higher transportation costs, while supporters of the state’s policies say the shift is necessary to address climate change and reduce pollution.
The Broader Energy Package
The president’s announcement of the $54 billion Alaska LNG investment β part of a $350 billion overall investment deal with South Korea β represents a significant expansion of his administration’s push to boost domestic energy production and exports. The Alaska project is expected to develop the state’s vast natural gas reserves for export to Asian markets, while the Texas power facility will add substantial generation capacity to the grid.
Trump’s decision to take questions after the announcement gave reporters an opening to steer the conversation toward domestic energy policy, and the president used the moment to draw a sharp contrast between states that are expanding energy infrastructure and those, like California, that he says are constraining it.
The exchange underscores how energy policy remains a central battleground in national politics, with the Trump administration consistently positioning itself as a champion of oil and gas development against Democratic-led states that have pursued aggressive environmental regulations. For California, the criticism arrives as the state continues to grapple with some of the highest gasoline prices in the country β a reality that Trump and other Republicans frequently cite as evidence that the state’s approach is failing consumers.
Whether the president’s remarks translate into any concrete policy action targeting California’s energy regulations remains to be seen, but the comments signal that the administration intends to keep the state’s energy policies in its crosshairs. For now, the spotlight remains on the sharp divide between Washington’s energy ambitions and Sacramento’s environmental priorities.
Source: www.thegatewaypundit.com β https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/president-trump-goes-governor-newsom-californias-high-gas/