This Midterm, Trump’s Strategic Doctrine Is “Affordable, Reliable, Clean” Energy Security

The following remarks were made by Publisher David DesRosiers at RealClear’s Third Annual Energy Future Forum held in Washington, D.C. on May 1, 2026 in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Center for Energy Analytics. He also joined “The Miller Report” for an interview at the forum.

Our energy future

Welcome to our third Energy Future Forum.

Elections have consequences. 

We have a fast-approaching midterm and energy is on the ballot. Energy is always on the ballot.

Our first Future Forum was during what turned out to be the last year for the Biden Administration.

At that time, we were a RealClear voice crying out in the wilderness.

We were calling for an Energy Abundance Mindset to replace the Energy Scarcity Mindset.

Change your mindset on energy, change our shared future for the better.

What a difference an election made.

One notable example: Chris Wright was a speaker at our inaugural Future Forum and was singing from the mindset of our abundance hymnal.

Now he is Secretary of Energy, and he is working to make the Energy Future that is still in its potential stages come to market like the fate of our nation depends on it — because it does.

For the past three years, RealClear has indulged the stable genius that is Mark Mills to see into the Future of Energy, revealing the future that is unfolding in the marketplace — and within reach and scale — if we get out of its way, and then behind it, and defend it. 

The Chamber of Commerce has been a party to this indulgence of Mark Mills’ and his Abundance Mindset. This is the Chamber’s second Future of Energy Forum collaboration.

Building a future of energy abundance

Not all stages are created equal. It is a Real Clear honor to have this event in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — the Carnegie Hall of capitalism.

And if all goes well, we’ll be back.

What makes Mark Mills worth indulging? 

You will see for yourself soon enough, but I will give you a non-spoiler clue.

Like Taylor Sheridan — the creator of the TV show “Landman” — Mark’s mind has a secret formula. Sorry buddy, we need more you.

I cracked the code on Mills a long time ago, and it is the reason why we all defer to his wisdom. 

Mark is a blended expression of the abundance promise; he is a demonstration project of what a free-science, a free-market, and free-politics can do to alleviate and elevate the human condition.

We are presently witnessing a “drill baby drill,” “build baby build” pursuit of energy abundance — and its fruits of affordable, reliable, and clean electrons.

“Drill baby drill” solves the unaffordable prices at the pump.

“Build Baby Build” solves the problem of unaffordable prices at the plug.

Sadly, energy prices at the plug cannot be solved in a matter of months, like they can at the pump.

It takes years — and a moon-shot mindset and warp-speed movement on the ground.

It requires the return of a “can do” America that has long been captured by the forces of “can’t do.”

The American spirit is coming back

I like what I see on the ground. The vital spirits that built the Empire State Building in a year are returning.

Natural gas fracking is getting the “build baby build” favoritism that it ought to have had since it was perfected by Harold Hamm in the early 2000s.

Harold Hamm’s drilling methods stand among the greatest American inventions. Walter Isaacson should author his next book about him.

The political problem, which is our problem — and better, our future’s problem — is that it takes years to get a natural gas plant online.

And, to make matters more politically and economically tenuous, we have a HUGE demand problem presently that is set on a hockey-stick uptick. 

Demand is out-pacing supply because we spent the past decades favoring “Clean” over a policy of Affordable, Reliable, and Clean.

In the interim, we are re-commissioning everything that was decommissioned.

Doing anything else is “Hunger Games” expensive, politically dangerous, and economically suicidal.

America, we got energy inflation at the plug because we had a politically correct measuring stick that favored “clean” over “affordable and reliable” in building new power for the grid.

Sadly, this mindset that necessitates high prices and low growth is a just an election away from making a comeback, and it is still governing all Blue States and too many Red States.

The clean energy mandate must not take priority

America, please hear this RealClear, common-good truth: “Clean” can no longer be in the driver’s seat when it comes time to building back better an affordable and reliable grid and economy.

Don’t get me wrong: “Clean” matters. Natural Gas is clean, but also abundant and reliable — which solar and wind are not.

Natural Gas favoritism needs to be a bi-partisan issue.

If we favored natural gas, we would not have an affordability problem.

When Democrats return to power, the high prices of their poor energy stewardship will be their problem.

Natural Gas favoritism ought to be good Blue politics. Senator Fetterman gets it.

A.I. would not pose the energy-pig problem that it does today if we follow T. Boone Pickens’ plan that he heralded 20 years ago — and was left in the wilderness.

There’s $18 trillion at our water’s edge waiting for a grid to plug into. If the grid that these investments require is not built fast — and has hopes of surviving a change of party — it will never materialize. $18 trillion, adjusted for inflation, is 120 Marshall Plan-investments in the American economy.

President Trump, and those listening: domestic energy and electron generation need a strategic doctrine.

A proper strategic doctrine

Mr. President, folks in this room, I have good news.

There is one at hand: the “Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act,” but it’s sadly captive to a do-nothing Congress — and grim midterm prospects.

President Trump, its word count and mindset are made for an Executive Order.

It’s a 700-word prescription to ensure and guide our energy future. In contrast, the prescription that was Obamacare was 906 pages and 400,000 words.

Mr. Trump, ask your energy team to give it a read. It speaks Secretary Wright, Burgum, and Zeldin’s policy language. It would clear the way and clarify their paths to energy abundance and security. 

President Trump, you grew up with an America that was a powerhouse — and envy of the free world.

You also experienced an America that chose to be less. 

After decades of intentional de-industrialization, you want to intentionally re-industrialize an “America First” economy and way of life.

You want to build a 21st Century striver-economy that works for all — bottom, middle, and top.

ARC-ES is the rising tide that can lift all boats and ensure the reality of the legacy you envision and are working towards.

It would create a prosperous, American, and clean way of life.

It’s an “Executive Order” away.

Your future is on the ballot

Folks in attendance in the room and watching from Midland, Trump is not on the ballot in 2026 and 2028 — but the future of this country’s economy and your industry is. It is time to wake up.

Democrats, you are going to be in power again and this high-price-for-electrons problem will be yours. ARC and natural-gas favoritism is your rate-payer, GDP-growth salvation. Take a winning solution to a shared problem and make it your own.

There is a lot to lose with the political return of the Scarcity Mindset.

The future is passing to our hands.

Defending the conditions of energy abundance is our shared, bi-partisan, common-good responsibility.

Thank you.

This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.