US President-elect Donald Trump nominated fracking magnate and climate change sceptic Chris Wright as energy secretary on Saturday, tasking him with "cutting red tape" which the new administration hopes will drive investment in fossil fuels.
"As Secretary of Energy, Chris will be a key leader, driving innovation, cutting red tape, and ushering in a new 'Golden Age of American Prosperity and Global Peace,'" Trump said in a statement.
Wright is a founder of Liberty Energy, which serves the energy companies that have massively increased US fossil fuel production in recent years by extracting oil and gas from shale fields in a process known as "fracking."
"My dedication to bettering human lives remains steadfast, with a focus on making American energy more affordable, reliable, and secure," Wright said on X after Trump's announcement.
Here are the live updates:
"Peace Through Strength": Donald Trump Likens Himself With Past Leaders
Donald Trump says he will bring "peace through strength," reviving a time-tested phrase, but whether he is pursuing a strategy or just relying on a catchphrase is a matter of dispute.
In invoking "peace through strength," the incoming president appears to be likening himself to Ronald Reagan, who sharply raised military spending before negotiating, late in his 1981-89 presidency, with a newly reform-minded Soviet Union.
Henry Kissinger, the apostle of the cool-minded pursuit of national interests known as realpolitik, had also spoken of "peace through strength" but the idea has much deeper roots.
The fourth-century AD Roman military strategist Vegetius famously wrote, "If you want peace, prepare for war," and before him the Roman emperor Hadrian sought stability by building defensive walls.
Trump, who has both vowed a strong military and to end or avoid wars, promised "peace through strength" in announcements of several key nominees, with Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio also using the phrase.
Since Trump's victory, "peace through strength" has quickly been embraced in statements by Ukraine -- but with a very different subtext.
Trump has vowed quickly to end the war started with Russia's invasion, with his aides suggesting leveraging US military support to Kyiv -- which totals $60 billion under President Joe Biden -- to force compromise.
Chris Wright, Climate Change Skeptic, To Be Trump's Energy Secretary
US President-elect Donald Trump nominated fracking magnate and climate change skeptic Chris Wright as energy secretary on Saturday, tasking him with "cutting red tape" which the new administration hopes will drive investment in fossil fuels.
"We Need A British Trump": Former Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss
Former British prime minister Elizabeth Truss on Saturday pitched for bringing the "best of reforms", fixing some arrangements in the "powerful bureaucracy" in the United Kingdom.
"Honoured And Grateful": Fracking Magnate Nominated By Trump For US Energy Chief
I am honored and grateful for the opportunity from @realDonaldTrump to serve our country as U.S. Secretary of Energy. My dedication to bettering human lives remains steadfast, with a focus on making American energy more affordable, reliable, and secure. Energy is the lifeblood… pic.twitter.com/IfjMQw9xKi
— Chris Wright (@ChrisAWright_) November 16, 2024
