Donald Trump issues bizarre ultimatum, says ‘everyone’ who won’t lower oil prices is conspiring with ‘the enemy’

President Donald Trump made strong comments about oil prices on Monday after attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities raised concerns about energy costs. The president used his Truth Social platform to send a message to oil markets and energy companies.

According to Reuters, Trump’s posts came as global oil prices moved up and down throughout the day. Brent oil prices reached a five-month high before dropping more than 1% to $76.10 per barrel. The price changes happened as oil and gas shipments continued from the Middle East after U.S. air strikes against Iran over the weekend.

In his social media post, Trump wrote in all capital letters: “Everyone, keep oil prices down, I’m watching! You’re playing into the hands of the enemy, don’t do it.” The president appeared to be warning against any attempts to raise oil prices during the current crisis in the Middle East.

Energy secretary responds to Trump’s drilling demands

Trump followed his first post with another message aimed at the U.S. Department of Energy. He told the department to “drill, baby, drill” and added, “I mean now.” The president has long supported increasing domestic oil and gas production as part of his energy policy, continuing his aggressive stance on various policy fronts.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright quickly responded to Trump’s call for more drilling. Wright posted “We’re on it!” on the social media platform X. However, it was not clear what specific actions the Energy Department could take to immediately boost oil and gas drilling across the country.

Oil and gas drilling in the United States already reached record levels during the previous Biden administration. Trump wants to push production even higher than those record amounts. The Energy Department did not respond right away when asked about Wright’s comment and what concrete steps might be taken.

The United States has options if oil supplies face serious problems. The country could use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is the world’s largest emergency crude oil storage system. However, the Trump administration has criticized how former President Joe Biden used the reserve after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. This makes it less likely that Trump would want to tap into the reserve unless there was a major crisis.