Julia Louis-Dreyfus Critiques Trump’s Offshore Oil Drilling Executive Order
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus took to social media to express her disapproval of President Trump’s executive order that permits offshore oil drilling along California’s coast. Addressing her nearly 2 million followers on Instagram, she remarked, “This isn’t going to decrease gas prices.”
“What’s really absurd?” she continued in a video endorsed by the Environmental Defense Center. “Trump’s notion of reviving old oil pipelines off California is supposed to impact gas prices? The reality is, these pipelines have already caused the worst oil spill in California’s history, releasing over 100,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean and resulting in countless dead animals along the shore.” Louis-Dreyfus added, “Now, President Trump is compelling Sable Offshore, a Texas oil company, to resume operations that don’t adhere to all safety standards.”
She referenced analyses from economists, asserting that this oil wouldn’t reduce gas prices at all. “So why is Trump doing this?” she posed. “To enrich Sable’s CEO, Jim Flores, and his Texas investors, while jeopardizing our beaches, fisheries, and our health.”
As oil prices spiked during recent tensions, Trump’s directive enabled the Department of Energy to leverage the Defense Production Act for faster oil and gas development. Residents of California were already grappling with some of the highest gasoline and diesel prices in the country even before the recent Iranian conflict escalated.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently instructed Sable Offshore to reboot its operations in federal waters off Southern California.
Louis-Dreyfus’ comments sparked strong reactions online, with many users on X labeling her as “unreachable,” suggesting she should “stick to acting.” Some argued that, being a multimillionaire who supports Kamala Harris, she is detached from the financial struggles faced by many of her audience.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has publicly condemned Trump’s actions, stating they are aimed at furthering oil drilling in the state. However, oil is already being extracted from the existing pipeline.
Under Newsom’s leadership, energy prices in California have consistently risen, and the state is losing significant oil refineries to Texas. The state’s stringent environmental regulations, taxes, and cap-and-trade policies have now led Chevron to caution that “these regulations threaten the viability of California’s refineries,” warning that the entire industry could vanish from the state.
