Oil producers under pressure in 2025
Trump may get his wish for cheaper oil, but prices will more likely be driven by fundamentals than policies
Nobody could accuse President Trump of being dull. His campaign slogan “drill, baby, drill” is being repeated even after the January inauguration. Regulations are being relaxed to allow oil and gas companies to invest in expanding production. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve will, apparently, be re-filled to capacity—an increase of nearly 300m bl from today’s level. Tariffs are promised against Canada, China, Mexico and the EU, among others, to force them to either export less to the US or import more from the US. Sanctions against Iran, Russia and Venezuela might be toughened in the coming months. And this could be just the start. Ultimately, for all the sound and fury of Trump’s initiatives
Also in this section
9 April 2026
The April 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
9 April 2026
Offshore operators are working through an FID backlog as the rig market consolidates, helped by improving project economics and a renewed security drive
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term






