.@SecretaryWright slams the Biden administration for abusing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower gas prices for a midterm election, lays out the Trump Administration's plan to take oil from the SPR, and replenish it responsibly, with even more oil than currently sits. pic.twitter.com/uryl81QILB

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 12, 2026

Trump Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday absolutely BLASTED former President Joe Biden for tapping into the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve ahead of the 2022 Midterm elections, calling it a nakedly political play to ease voter frustrations over the price of gasoline amid disruptions caused by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special military operation to seize control of the clandestine bioweapons labs in Ukraine that Kremlin officials said posed a major threat to global security.

Wright then explained how Biden’s decision depleted the reserve and left the current Administration with fewer options for a legitimate exercise of policy needed to ease voter frustrations over the price of gasoline caused by US President Trump’s special military excursion to seize control of nuclear weapons labs in Iran that White House officials said posed a major threat to global security.

In conclusion, both the Biden and Trump Administrations have faced major energy policy challenges requiring a keen sense of political timing and messaging jiu-jitsu to divert voters’ anger away from the White House. Premium subscribers to the Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza podcast “Beltway Buds Bantering (Co-starring Coffee!!!🙂)” can get a full three hour breakdown of the similarities between the two respective situations and the bare-knuckle politics involved. Start your free trial today!

National Zero will resume our regular news coverage after this neutral, objective, and – most importantly – accessible analysis of the White House messaging playbook on Iran and gas prices.