HOUSTON—With an oil and gas service company as his backdrop, former President Donald Trump told a cheering crowd in Texas he would cancel green energy mandates and rebuild America’s oil and gas might if he wins back the presidency.
“We will end the war on American energy,” he said. “Energy security is national security.”
President Trump praised the Texas crowd for its love of “oil, gas, and guns” at the Nov. 2 rally while predicting he would win the state’s Republican primary by a landslide.
The 45th president is the Republican frontrunner, seeking a second term after Joe Biden defeated him for the presidency in a contentious 2020 election, which the former president maintains he won.
President Trump is the nation’s first former president indicted on felony charges, which he vehemently denies.
The 77-year-old Florida resident has continued campaigning while battling civil and criminal court cases that could put him behind bars, ruin his business empire, and deny him the presidency.
The outdoor Texas rally snarled traffic for hours, forcing some to scramble for parking and hike to the rally held at Trendsetter Engineering, based in Houston.
Hundreds stood in a line that snaked around an industrial-sized parking lot. Several attendees told The Epoch Times they traveled from as far away as California to hear the former president speak.
One of those travelers was Gavin Ortegon, who said he flew in from Florida because he wanted to hear the former president on the issues.
The 23-year-old said he attended a rally for Vivek Ramaswamy, who is also seeking the Republican presidential nomination.
“I’m just looking at all my options,” he said, adding he had decided not to vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis although he liked him as governor.
Once President Trump took the stage, he introduced Mario Lugo, chairman and CEO of Trendsetter Engineering, saying companies like his will help restore the country’s energy independence.
Much of his speech focused on energy in a city and state known for its ties to fossil fuels. Texas is the top producer of crude oil and natural gas in the nation and has the most refineries, according to government statistics.
President Trump assured the crowd he would scrap electric vehicle and boat production pushed by the Biden administration because the country doesn’t have the needed materials to build them.
“We will sign the papers as we’re walking up [to the White House],” the former president said.
President Trump dismissed the idea that renewable energy was a reliable power source for the nation’s grid, saying it would leave people in the dark.
He accused the Biden administration of attempting to regulate fossil fuel power plants—like those that supply the Texas grid—out of existence.
“Let’s go all-electric, but we don’t have enough electricity to take care of somebody’s air conditioner in California,” he said.
President Biden wants the U.S. military to produce electric tanks and provide fighter jets with fuel that is less efficient but better for the environment, he said.
The former president mocked the idea that weapons of war needed to be environmentally friendly.
President Trump blamed the Biden administration’s energy policies for inflation that has hurt working Americans by dramatically increasing gas prices, which were as low as $1.87 per gallon during his term.
He called the current administration’s Green New Deal a “socialist scam” that has cost Americans $2,500 per year in energy costs.
The Paris Climate Accord penalized America while benefiting big polluters like China, the former president said in explaining why he pulled the country out of the agreement.
President Trump reminded the crowd he approved the Keystone XL Pipeline—which the current administration canceled—that would have transported oil from Canada to refineries in Illinois and Texas.
The former president also touched on campaign staples such as the southern border and social justice issues, vowing to stop illegal immigration and restore parental rights.
“We will stop child sexual mutilation,” he said, adding that he will prohibit males identifying as female from competing against women in sports.
“With your vote, we will fire crooked Joe Biden,” President Trump said.
President Biden is the nation’s oldest commander-in-chief and turns 81 this month, which has raised concerns about his ability to serve a second term from Democrats and Republicans alike.
It is the first time Trump has held a rally in Texas since he visited Waco, Texas, in March. That campaign stop drew criticism because it was held during the 30th anniversary of the FBI’s siege of the Branch Davidian compound.
The Feb. 28, 1993, standoff lasted 51 days, ending on April 19 with the fiery deaths of 76 people, including 23 children.
Critics of President Trump suggested his choice of Waco sent a coded message to anti-government extremists.
