If You’re An Oil and Gas Company (or Vladimir Putin, or Jared Kushner), this War is Great for You.

“Drill Baby Drill” has always been an act of right-wing class warfare—lining the pockets of political donors while sticking working families with the bill.

On February 18, Chris Wright, the oil-and-gas executive and Trump campaign donor serving as Energy Secretary, told Americans not to worry about a spike in fuel prices if the U.S. went to war with Iran. Six days later—and just four days before the war began—President Trump used his State of the Union Address to brag about low gas prices. That same day, the White House proclaimed that “American Energy Dominance is Back,” bragging that Trump’s “Drill Baby Drill agenda” was “driving economic growth, lowering costs for families, and enhancing national security.”

Can we finally agree that these people have no idea what they’re talking about?

We were told expanding fossil fuel drilling would protect us from economic shocks tied to Middle East instability. Instead, in just two weeks: the largest three-day gas price surge since 2005, a 25 percent jump in diesel, and what the IEA called “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.”

It’s unclear what President Trump is trying to accomplish with his war. But it’s clear what he’s already achieved: dealing another massive blow to families across California and America, who are already struggling with the skyrocketing cost of living.

The administration has scrambled to respond—lifting sanctions on Russia, releasing hundreds of millions of barrels from global reserves, and deploying the Navy to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

As anyone who’s filled up their car in the past week can tell you, none of it has worked.

But this crisis is about more than just the Trump Administration’s incompetence. It’s about the profound foolishness of an energy policy that prioritized oil company profits over affordability for Americans. “Drill Baby Drill” was, and still is, another act of right-wing class warfare—lining the pockets of political donors while sticking working families with the bill.

For decades, oil dependence has tied American families to volatile global markets. Trump’s answer was simple: produce more at home. And we did, reaching record production and becoming a net energy exporter.

Doubling down on fossil fuels was supposed to lead to more stability for American businesses and lower prices for American families. The Iran War has tested the “Drill Baby Drill” theory—and proved that it doesn’t work. Like it or not, we’re still part of the global economy: when oil prices rise around the world, gas prices rise here at home. Higher fuel costs ripple through the economy, raising prices on food, goods, and nearly everything Americans buy.

It didn’t have to be this way. While President Trump was illegally cancelling wind and solar projects, which he attacked as “expensive and unreliable,” countries like China were doubling down on investments in renewable energy. Not out of environmental idealism, but because renewable energy is cheaper and more secure.

Somehow, the Trump administration looks at the chaos unfolding around the world and still manages to pat itself on the back. As recently as Friday, the president’s team was crowing about “The White House’s energy triumph.”

If this is a triumph, imagine what a disaster would look like.

Then again, it’s possible that the Trump White House sincerely believes its policies are working—for the people it cares about. Fossil fuel executives donated $1 billion to President Trump’s campaign. Rising oil prices are making them richer than ever. If you’re an oil and gas company, this war is great for you. If you’re Putin or his oligarchs, this war is great for you. If you’re Jared Kushner, whose private equity company is reportedly seeking a $5 billion investment from oil giant Saudi Arabia, this war is great for you.

Meanwhile, if you’re an ordinary California family trying to make ends meet, you’re getting screwed.

Our dependence on fossil fuels won’t end overnight. Neither will the presidency of a man who calls affordability “a made-up word” and gives himself an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus” on the economy. But working people can’t afford to wait for the rest of us to start fixing the problems that President Trump created.

The same people who promised “Drill Baby Drill” would prevent a crisis now say we can drill our way out of one. We’ve heard enough. Our energy policy has prioritized Trump’s donors and allies long enough.

It’s time for energy policy that puts working families first.