Why Trump Will Likely Ban Diesel Exports … and Europe Will Have Only Itself to Blame

09/24/2026 / By Mike Adams

Trump Looking to Ban Diesel Exports

I believe Trump will ultimately ban diesel exports, and I think the political math makes it nearly inevitable. The price of diesel has blown past $6.50 a gallon in the United States, with reports noting it reached $6.53 per gallon, an all-time high ^[1]. That is not a rounding error — it is a direct attack on the pocketbooks of farmers, truckers, and every family that buys food moved by truck or rail. Diesel powers “commercial trucking, agriculture, construction, rail and maritime freight – meaning the record price filters through the cost of nearly every good that moves by road or rail” ^[2]. When diesel spikes, everything spikes.

Trump has already signaled he is on board with the ban. According to the Epoch Times, Trump said, “Well, I’ve called for that too. I’ve said, let’s not send out the diesel” ^[3]. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent followed up by saying the administration was “examining” whether a ban was feasible ^[4]. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he was “open to exploring” an export ban ^[5]. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley flat-out demanded it, warning that “High diesel prices ARE KILLING FARMERS’ INCOME” ^[6]. The political pressure is overwhelming, and Trump knows it.

The oil industry hates this idea because foreign buyers pay far more than domestic retailers, and refineries make a killing exporting diesel abroad. But Trump does not owe the oil majors an election. He owes farmers and truckers. My prediction is that he bans exports — and when he does, Europe will have no one to blame but itself.

Why Diesel Is the Real Currency of Civilization

Diesel is not just another fuel. It is the workhorse of the real economy. One gallon of diesel does the work of dozens of men for hours or days. Without diesel, you cannot plow a field, haul a harvest, build a house, or stock a grocery store. Diesel is the difference between a functioning civilization and a famine.

That is why European buyers are willing to pay absurd prices for it. As Doug Casey told International Man, “The wars in the Ukraine, Iran, and now Houthiland have doubled the price of fuels in the last six months. And I believe they’re going higher” ^[7]. European industry can afford to pay $15 a gallon because diesel still makes economic sense at $25 a gallon when the alternative is shutting down factories and freezing in the dark. U.S. refineries, meanwhile, make far more money exporting diesel to Europe than selling it at home — which is exactly why the oil industry resists any ban.

In a pure free market, oil companies should sell to the highest bidder. I believe in free markets. But national energy security is not a pure free market. When American farmers are on the verge of closing their operations because diesel costs are wiping out profits ^[8], the government may believe it has a duty to act. That is not socialism; that is sovereignty.

The Climate Cult Created This Diesel Crisis

Decades of climate alarmism and anti-refinery policies have deliberately restricted U.S. distillate manufacturing. The climate cult treated carbon dioxide as a pollutant instead of plant food, and in doing so, it made it nearly impossible to build new refineries or expand existing ones. As Steve Goreham documents in his book Climatism, rocketing food prices have already sparked riots in countries from Mexico to Pakistan, with “riots in numerous countries” and “protests turned violent” ^[9]. This is not a distant warning; it is the present reality.

The shortage we face today is not a temporary glitch. It is the predictable result of treating carbon dioxide as a pollutant when it is actually the molecule of life. Adding fuel to this economic fire is Russia’s decision to ban gasoline exports, which impacts global supply chains and drives up fuel costs across Europe and the United States ^[10]. California paying $10 a gallon for diesel is the direct economic cost of shutting down energy infrastructure and treating refineries as enemies of the state.

An export ban would be a band-aid, not a cure, however. It does not rebuild refineries or reverse years of bad policy. Trump can pressure oil companies to keep diesel at home, but that contradicts the free-market principle conservatives typically claim to defend.

What an Export Ban Would Actually Do

If Trump bans diesel exports, U.S. prices should fall temporarily. That gives farmers, truckers, and consumers some relief. The mere talk of a ban already accomplished that goal in the futures market: “Even if a diesel export ban is not implemented, the talk of it in recent days on Wednesday accomplished its goal of reducing prices, at least in the futures market. Ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) on the CME commodity exchange fell Wednesday by 16.57 cents/gallon, a decline of 3.35%” ^[11]. Relief, even temporary, is welcome.

But it will not solve the underlying refinery shortage. The crisis will return unless domestic energy production is restored. Barclays warned that a potential ban could backfire ^[12]. And Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said an export ban “would not lower energy prices for consumers” ^[13]. Those are real concerns. But doing nothing is not an option when farmers are in “survival mode” and diesel costs are wiping out their livelihoods ^[14]. Sometimes you have to apply a tourniquet before you can perform surgery.

Western Europe would be doubly impacted. It already lost Russian natural gas, and now it faces reduced U.S. diesel exports. Europe’s leaders, sadly, listened to the same climate cultists and shut down their own energy infrastructure. They have only themselves to blame. That’s why a U.S. export ban would function like an economic embargo against Europe, and that could trigger industrial collapse, revolts, and widespread unrest. The Epoch Times reported that Trump and Zelenskyy are pushing for the war to end before winter ^[15], but winter is coming regardless. Europe’s factories cannot run on hopes, promises and good intentions.

My Prediction: Trump Bans Exports, Europe Pays the Price

I believe Trump is likely to ban diesel exports because the domestic political pressure is too great to ignore. Farmers are a core constituency, and they are hurting. Truckers are hurting. Every American who buys groceries is hurting. The midterms are coming, and Trump knows that $6.50 diesel is a losing message. He said it himself: “let’s not send out the diesel” ^[16].

An export ban will help a little by making transportation and food slightly cheaper. It will not solve the crisis. The underlying shortage will remain until we rebuild our refining capacity and reverse the anti-energy policies that created this mess. The climate change narrative has been used to crush domestic energy production, and diesel is the latest casualty. I have warned repeatedly that the global energy and currency wars are erupting ^[17], and this is what those warnings look like in practice.

Europe will blame Trump. It will call him a nationalist, a protectionist, a destroyer of alliances. But Europe’s own leaders created this vulnerability by destroying their domestic energy base. It is not America’s job to bail out Western Europe, especially when we have our own diesel emergency at home. If European leaders hadn’t acted like climate retards, they wouldn’t be facing an energy crisis right now.

The next chapter in all this will be economic pain, political upheaval, and shortages abroad. No amount of climate rhetoric will keep the lights on or the trucks running. If Europe wants diesel, it should have thought about that before it shut down its own refineries and followed the climate cult into darkness.

Prepare for a brutal winter ahead, and diesel scarcity even across America.

References

Benchmark diesel sets new record; futures signaling relief? – FreightWaves. September 22, 2026.
Brace For Impact: Diesel Costs Top $6.50 A Gallon Amid Worsening Supply Disruptions. – NaturalNews.com. September 22, 2026.
Trump Backs Diesel Export Ban as Fuel Costs Continue Soaring. – NaturalNews.com. September 23, 2026.
Trump backs diesel export ban. – Just The News. September 22, 2026.
Thune “Open To Exploring” Diesel Export Ban As Skyrocketing Prices Raise Fears Of 2008-Style Shock. – ZeroHedge. September 15, 2026.
Grassley Urges Diesel Export Ban As Global Fuel Crisis Stokes Resource Nationalism Fears. – ZeroHedge. September 20, 2026.
Doug Casey on the Diesel Crisis—and What It Means for the Economy. – International Man. September 23, 2026.
Fuel Skyrockets As Wars, Tight Refineries, and Record Diesel Profits Collide. – The New American. September 18, 2026.
Climatism: Science, Common Sense, and the 21st Century’s Hottest Topic. – Steve Goreham.
Brighteon Broadcast News – The Economic Collapse Of The USA And Europe. – Mike Adams. Brighteon.com. March 01, 2024.
Export ban talk sinks diesel, boosts gasoline as White House eyes options. – FreightWaves. September 24, 2026.
Barclays Warns Potential US Diesel Export Ban Could Backfire. – ZeroHedge. September 16, 2026.
US Will Not Ban Oil Exports, Interior Secretary Says at G20 Energy Meeting. – The Epoch Times. September 15, 2026.
Survival Mode’ – Farmers Crushed As Trump’s War On Iran Sends Diesel Cost Soaring. – ZeroHedge. September 22, 2026.
Trump, Zelenskyy Push for Russia–Ukraine War to End Before Winter. – The Epoch Times. September 22, 2026.
Trump Backs Temporary Diesel Export Ban as Fuel Costs Ripple Through Economy. – The Epoch Times. September 23, 2026.
Health Ranger Report – Global energy and currency wars erupt. – Mike Adams. Brighteon.com. April 03, 2023.