The Conversation (0)
Liam O'Dell
12s
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
As the crisis surrounding US gas prices continues amid President Donald Trump's ongoing war with Iran, the 79-year-old has claimed America actually produces more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined, apparently…
In an interview with daughter-in-law Lara Trump earlier this week for Fox News, the 79-year-old said: “We produce now, because of us – me – we produce more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined, times two. Think of that – we double what they do.
“Add Saudi Arabia and Russia, multiply it times two. And we’re going to be much higher with it. We’re the oil superpower, far greater than even Saudi Arabia, even Russia.
“But you add them up – these are two big monsters, you add them up – and you double it.”
Except, when it comes to this statistic, some key details are missing…
Data from the US Energy Information Administration as of April 2024 appears to support a large part of Trump’s assertion – showing the US’s 21.91 million barrels of oil per day accounting for 22 per cent of the world’s total oil production, compared to 11.13 million barrels per day in Saudi Arabia and 10.75 million barrels per day in Russia (both accounting for 11 per cent of the world’s total production).
Though of course, 11 per cent plus 11 per cent equals 22 per cent, so no doubling is required.
However, this data includes crude oil, as well as other petroleum liquids and biofuels.
Looking solely at crude oil data for 2026, via Global Firepower, then adding Saudi Arabia’s 11.1 million barrels per day and Russia’s 10.8 million barrels per day just exceeds the amount produced by the US, which is 20.9 million barrels per day.
As fact checking website PolitiFact puts it: "[Trump is] right when measuring the combination of crude oil and related liquids.
“The statement needs additional information because the United States’ lead over Russia and Saudi Arabia is built on the other liquids, not crude oil, and crude oil is at the center of most U.S. discussions about energy production and affordability.
“We rate the statement Mostly True.”
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