Staff Reports
Senator Dave McCormick made a plain, tough-minded point at Breitbart’s “Harnessing American Power” event: when President Donald Trump sits down with President Xi Jinping on his China trip this week, American energy exports and artificial intelligence should be at the top of the agenda. That’s not idle chatter — it’s a clear play to use America’s strengths as leverage in a relationship that McCormick calls a contest with our “primary adversary.”
McCormick: Energy and AI “Front and Center”
McCormick told the audience energy exports will be “front and center” because of the tight knot of issues tied to Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. Translation: when global supply routes get shaky, U.S. energy capacity becomes a diplomatic hammer. He wasn’t dreaming up policy in a vacuum — he tied this straight to real-world moves on sanctions and the White House’s push to pressure Iran‑China oil channels. If the president presses Beijing on who they buy oil from and how, he will be using a tool too many in Washington forget exists: American energy dominance.
Energy Diplomacy Is National Security, Not Charity
This is where the story gets interesting for conservatives who want results, not speeches. Energy is not just a trade line on a ledger; it fuels our factories, our military, and yes, the massive computer farms that run modern AI. McCormick is right to demand Washington stop acting like energy policy is only for the climate sermonizers on TV. If we want to lead economically and strategically, we need policies that allow us to produce and export more — not choke off pipelines with bureaucratic red tape while telling our allies to “hang tight.”
AI, Permitting Reform, and the Race with China
McCormick also called AI central to the summit talks, and he nailed a point too few pundits make: leadership in AI depends on domestic choices. You can’t out-compete China if you hamstring data centers with state-by-state regulation or if permitting rules make it impossible to build the energy and infrastructure needed to run cutting-edge servers. Deregulation and faster permitting aren’t just business talking points — they’re the plumbing of American innovation. If the administration and Congress want to win the AI race, start by fixing the basics.
What to Watch and Why It Matters
Keep an eye on whether President Trump presses China on energy deals, rare-earth access, and a broad AI framework — and whether he backs those asks with clear carrots and sticks. Will the administration tie trade talks to concrete offers for more American energy? Will Congress act to clear permitting logjams? If this summit ends up full of warm words but no leverage, critics will smile and call it diplomacy. Conservatives should hope for leverage, delivery, and a plan that turns American strength into real policy wins. After all, if you’re going to treat China as a “primary adversary,” act like it — bring the power to the table.
