With just days remaining before a pivotal Republican primary in Texas, President Donald Trump traveled to Corpus Christi on Friday to deliver a speech centered on American energy policy—while simultaneously stepping into the heart of an increasingly competitive GOP political landscape.
Set against the backdrop of the Gulf Coast and the sprawling Port of Corpus Christi, the event doubled as both a policy address and a show of political force. Banners reading “American Energy Dominance” framed a stage that drew some of the most powerful figures in Texas Republican politics.
Among those addressing the crowd before Trump took the stage were Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and Dustin Burrows — signaling the unity of the state’s GOP leadership as primary voters prepare to head to the polls.
“In Texas, we share common values. We put God over government, we fight for freedom, and we know inherently there’s something unique about being a Texan,” Abbott said. “We are going to keep Texas Texas and keep Texas the best state of the United States of America.”
Trump’s remarks largely focused on energy production and exports, positioning Texas as the cornerstone of what he described as a revitalized national energy strategy.
“We’re unleashing America’s potential, strengthening our security, increasing our prosperity, and cementing America’s status as the number one energy superpower anywhere on Earth,” Trump said.
He praised the Port of Corpus Christi as “one of the largest energy exports anywhere in the world,” underscoring its strategic importance in expanding U.S. oil and natural gas shipments abroad.
According to Trump, domestic oil production has increased by 600,000 barrels per day since his return to office. He also pointed to record natural gas output and rising liquefied natural gas exports as evidence that his administration’s policies are fueling a new boom.
Trump referenced his first-day declaration of a “national energy emergency” and repeated a familiar rallying cry for the industry: “drill, baby, drill.”
While billed primarily as an energy address, the president’s speech moved across several policy areas, including inflation, prescription drug pricing, immigration, artificial intelligence, and election security.
He promoted his administration’s “most favored nation” prescription drug pricing policy, which he said would bring U.S. costs in line with prices paid overseas.
Trump also touched on the rising energy demands posed by artificial intelligence, noting that his administration is encouraging developers of new AI data centers to build their own power generation infrastructure to avoid straining the nation’s electrical grid.
Election integrity also featured prominently in his remarks, as Trump voiced support for the SAVE America Act, federal legislation that would implement a national voter ID requirement.
“We don’t want people that aren’t citizens of our country voting,” Trump said. “We don’t want people who don’t love our country voting.”
“The reason they don’t want voter ID is because they want to cheat,” he added, referring to Democrats in Congress.
Despite intense speculation leading up to the event, Trump stopped short of endorsing a candidate in Texas’ closely watched Republican U.S. Senate primary.
The race includes three prominent figures who were all present at the Corpus Christi gathering: John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and Wesley Hunt.
Trump acknowledged each of them during his speech without signaling support for any one campaign.
“We have a great Attorney General Ken Paxton. Where’s Ken? Hi, Ken,” Trump said. “And we have a great senator, John Cornyn. Hi, John. Thank you, John.”
“They’re in a little race together. You know that, right,” he continued. “It’ll be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people too. Thank you both very much. I appreciate it.”
He also offered praise to Hunt, calling him “another friend of mine who’s doing really well,” adding, “You’re doing a good job.”
“Well, you do have an interesting election. You have a couple of them going on,” Trump said.
The decision not to endorse comes at a critical moment. Trump’s backing has historically carried significant weight in Texas Republican primaries, and many candidates across the state have leaned heavily on his support following last year’s legislative push for school choice.
With primary voting set for Tuesday, the absence of an endorsement in the Senate race leaves the contest between Cornyn, Paxton, and Hunt wide open in its final stretch.
Trump concluded his remarks by thanking Texans for their support through three elections, adding, “And I’ve done a lot for you too,” before wrapping up the event in front of a crowd energized by both policy promises and the political stakes ahead.
