By Tom Gantert

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night in Lubbock, Texas, that his administration would roll back Biden-era methane regulations on oil and gas producers, saying the changes would reduce costs and increase energy production.

“Tonight, I’m officially terminating Biden’s expensive and unnecessary methane regulations,” Trump said, estimating the action would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and help produce an additional 210 million barrels of oil.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlined the planned changes earlier this month as part of its review of methane emissions penalties for oil and natural gas producers adopted under former President Joe Biden.

The Environmental Defense Fund criticized the EPA’s planned rollback of methane regulations, saying in an Oct. 7 statement it would increase wasted natural gas, pollution, and health risks for nearby communities.

Trump campaigned on Tuesday in Texas to support Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s run for Senate and other Republican candidates in the approaching midterms on Nov. 3.

During his hour-plus speech in Corpus Christi, Trump talked about the war with Iran, his border policies, and highlighted the successes he said his tariffs were producing, while suggesting the United States could make Venezuela a 51st state.

“These rallies have really energized the Republican Party,” the president told the Corpus Christi crowd.

Paxton is running for a U.S. Senate seat and facing Democrat James Talarico. Republicans control both chambers of Congress. The GOP has a 53–45 majority in the Senate. There are two independents who caucus with the Democrats. In the House, Republicans hold a 218–214 majority with one independent and two vacancies.

Trump said before the speech in Corpus Christi in a post on Truth Social that the United States would receive 1 million barrels of Venezuelan oil at no cost to American taxpayers.

The shipment was the result of a U.S. military operation and a subsequent oil deal with Venezuela, according to Trump. He described it as the first shipment of billions of barrels to come.

“Thanks to our renewed relationship with Venezuela, which has turned out to be a truly excellent one, the oil is being provided to the United States at no cost to the American taxpayer,” Trump said on Truth Social.

The president also predicted that gasoline and diesel prices would soon fall, saying his administration had made the Western Hemisphere the “energy capital of the world.”

Trump said the U.S. military has knocked out 159 Iranian ships, which he said was all the country had. He also said the U.S. military has struck down 288 Iranian jets, which Trump said was all the jets Iran had.

He repeated that the United States couldn’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and predicted the war would end “very soon.”

Audience members react, as President Donald Trump attends a midterm election campaign rally to support Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Oct. 27, 2026. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The most difficult situation Trump said he has faced was the border situation. Trump told the crowd 25 million people came across the border under the Biden administration and that in the last 18 months none came across the border into the country.

Trump said he’d rather the number be 116 or 203 rather than zero, because it was so hard to believe.

“The number is actually zero,” Trump said.

The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection reported Oct. 16 that Border Patrol agents made 98,708 apprehensions along the southwest border in fiscal 2026. The agencies said September marked the 17th consecutive month in which Border Patrol released no apprehended migrants into the country.

Trump brought to the podium Alexis Nungaray, the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was murdered in Houston on June 17, 2024. Two illegal immigrants from Venezuela whom the White House alleged were Tren de Aragua gang members are charged with the crime.

Alexis Nungaray blamed her daughter’s death on the border policies of “the prior administration.”

Trump also repeated his promise to give $5,000 to each U.S. adult citizen if the Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate after the midterm elections.