'Drill baby drill': Trump touts energy production to drive down prices

Former President Donald Trump on Friday vowed to curb prices through energy production, contending that a reduction in the prices of other stable goods would follow as a result.

"It's going to start with energy," he said at a town hall event in Warren, Michigan. "We're going to drill, baby. Drill. Energy is coming way down. Energy is coming way down. And when energy comes down, everything else follows.

"That's what started this onslaught of inflation that the greatest we've ever had in our country," he said, referencing a surge in gas prices that began in early 2022.

He further attributed inflation to government spending, including on major environmental initiatives.

"They spent like nobody's ever spent.," he said. "They went crazy and the green new scam, and they were spending on things that didn't help the country, and it also drove so between the energy and the spending, the inflation went up, and food prices came with it, and rent came with it. Everything came with it."

Trump went on to tout the American supply of "liquid gold," referencing oil and gas, and reiterated his promise to drop energy costs by 50% within one year.