Lies about Democrats and the price of oil will not save MAGA during the midterms.
Another day and another fact-free diatribe by the president of the United States. Trump went on his Truth Social (where truth is a rare commodity) and said Democrats have closed down the nation’s refinery capacity, and this is the reason diesel and gas prices are skyrocketing.
Here’s what Trump didn’t tell you: recent closures were corporate decisions by refinery owners, not a mandate by Democrats. LyondellBasell Industries in Houston made a strategic decision to exit refining in March, 2025, eliminating approximately 264,000 barrels a day. Phillips 66 in Los Angeles closed in October, 2025, citing uncertain long-term sustainability amid changing market conditions, while also reporting high operating costs and low earnings. The closure removed 139,000 barrels from the market. Valero in Benicia, California, ended refining in 2026, citing high maintenance costs and other business considerations. The corporation produced 145,000 barrels a day.
Valero also mentioned regulatory hurdles in California, where there are unusually stringent fuel, environmental, emissions, and operating requirements. However, it is not accurate to claim that Democrats or California’s governor ordered these refineries closed, or that regulations in the state are responsible for the fuel crisis in the rest of the country.
The 2025 shutdowns at the LyondellBasell Houston and Phillips 66 Los Angeles refineries cut total US refining capacity by about 400,000 barrels per day. Because the two California closures eliminated roughly 17% of California’s capacity, their impact is concentrated on West Coast fuel supply and prices rather than the broader US market.
It’s correct to say Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries affect global energy markets. During his first term, Trump approved the first US provision of lethal weapons to Ukraine, notably Javelin anti-tank missiles. In 2018 and 2019, the United States notified Congress of sales totaling 360 Javelins, plus launchers, training, and related equipment. In other words, US foreign policy, under both Biden and Trump, is responsible for the current crisis.
Diesel and heating oil account for nearly 30% of global petroleum use, with about one-quarter of this supply moving across borders. When Russian refinery exports drop, the impact extends beyond Europe, resulting in rising costs in transport, farming, construction, freight, and heating, all of which contribute to wider inflation.
The Trump administration is responsible for raising oil prices by continuing the war against Iran. When tankers stopped transiting the Strait of Hormuz because of the risk of attack, Gulf producers in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain were unable to export. Following the start of military action on February 28, Iranian strikes and potential vessel damage led most commercial shipping to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that 7.5 million barrels per day of crude production was shut down during March, rising to an estimated 9.1 million barrels per day in April. The cost of Brent crude oil on the spot market went from $69 per barrel in 2025 to $96 in 2026. On October 5, WTI crude oil traded at $91.82 per barrel, and Brent crude at $106.13 per barrel.
Finally, Trump continues to claim that the Strait of Hormuz remains open. As of October 5, the passage is closed or severely limited for standard commercial shipping. A few ships are moving through, but traffic has dropped to roughly 9 percent of its earlier level, around seven inbound and outbound ships per day, and war-risk insurance plus recent attacks have rendered routine tanker travel mostly impractical.
Before February 28, the strait generally accommodated about 125–135 large commercial vessels each day. Among them, roughly 54 were oil, chemical, or LPG tankers, along with about six LNG carriers. The remainder comprised bulk carriers and container ships.
Trump’s misrepresentation of the facts fails to deceive the vast majority of Americans who bear the weight of his economic and foreign policy choices. MAGA paladins, however, tend to accept his folderol without question, reinforcing Orwell’s notion of doublethink—a form of indoctrination where people are expected to hold two conflicting beliefs as true, often clashing with their own memory or sense of reality.
Article posted with permission from Kurt Nimmo
