WASHINGTON D.C July 27, 2026 — President Donald Trump on Monday highlighted what he described as America’s vast domestic energy resources, declaring that the United States possesses a “thousand-year supply of gasoline” that China lacks and asserting a clear advantage in oil reserves.
Speaking at an event, Trump said: “We have a thousand-year supply of gasoline. China doesn’t.” He added, “We have more oil. Now, when you add Venezuela to it, we really have more oil.”
The remarks, shared in a Fox News post that included video of the president addressing a crowd from a podium bearing the presidential seal, framed U.S. fossil fuel resources as a strategic national asset. Trump argued that America’s oil holdings provide a major competitive edge over China and pointed to Venezuela’s massive reserves as a potential further boost if brought into the equation.
According to recent industry and government data, the United States holds approximately 45 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, compared with roughly 28 billion barrels for China. Venezuela possesses the world’s largest proven reserves at about 303 billion barrels, though its production remains limited by infrastructure challenges and other factors.
Broader estimates of technically recoverable resources in North America suggest supplies that could last more than two centuries at current consumption rates, with some analyses indicating that oil dedicated solely to gasoline could support transportation needs for several hundred years. Trump’s “thousand-year” figure exceeds those projections and appears intended to underscore long-term abundance rather than strictly proven reserves.
The comments come as the administration continues to emphasize energy production and exports. U.S. crude output remains among the highest in the world, driven largely by shale development, even as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been drawn down in recent months amid global supply pressures.
Trump’s latest statements reinforce a recurring theme of his presidency: that domestic energy dominance strengthens the United States both economically and geopolitically relative to rivals such as China.
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