"Drill, baby, drill!" was a 2008Republican campaign slogan first used at the2008 Republican National Convention[1] by formerMaryland lieutenant governorMichael Steele, who was later elected chairman of theRepublican National Committee.[2] The slogan expressed support for increased drilling forpetroleum andgas as sources of additional energy and gained further prominence after it was used by Republican vice presidential nomineeSarah Palin during thevice-presidential debate. PresidentDonald Trump used the phrase repeatedly during his2024 presidential campaign, including when speaking at the2024 Republican National Convention,[3][4] as well as at his2025 inaugural address.[5]
On October 2, 2008, at thevice-presidential debate betweenSarah Palin andJoe Biden, "drill, baby, drill" reached a new prominence. Referring to the energy crisis and McCain's 20 votes against funding solar and wind energy, Joe Biden stated that McCain thinks "the only answer is drill, drill, drill. Drill we must, but it will take 10 years for one drop of oil to come out of any of the wells that will be drilled." Palin responded, "The chant is 'drill, baby, drill.' And that's what we hear all across this country in our rallies because people are so hungry for those domestic sources of energy to be tapped into."[6]
Republicans continued to use the slogan after the 2008 election.[7] In 2010, however, the slogan received renewed attention because of theDeepwater Horizon oil spill, a majoroil spill at aBP offshoredrilling rig in theGulf of Mexico. The spill caused extensive environmental damages and economic losses estimated in the billions of dollars. As a result, some proponents of "Drill, baby, drill" became embarrassed about their previous support.[8] The slogan was parodied as "Spill, baby, spill",[9] and "Kill, baby, Kill".[10] Two senior Republicansenators,Jon Kyl andPat Roberts, made comments attempting to distance themselves and the Republican Party from the slogan.[11]
Fred Krupp of theEnvironmental Defense Fund in 2014 harked back to the "drill baby" phrase as he launched a renewed effort to limit theenvironmental impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).[12]
TheNorwegian Progress Party's Youth Wing also used the slogan "Drill, baby, drill!" in 2021 to symbolize that theparty does not wantNorway to stop drilling foroil and gas.[13]
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