How The Midterms Will Change US Energy & Climate | Ep282: David Victor

Despite the Trump administration's efforts to roll back clean energy subsidies and climate policies, America's energy transition is proving more resilient than many expected. Solar and battery deployment continues, nuclear power is attracting billions in private investment, and demand for electricity is surging. But after a historic set of midterms where does the US go from here?

In this episode of Cleaning Up, host Bryony Worthington speaks to David Victor, Professor of Innovation and Public Policy at the University of California, San Diego, about the political and economic forces shaping America's energy future.

They discuss what the US midterm elections mean for energy and climate policy, why renewable energy is continuing to grow in Republican states, and how the explosion in data centre demand is transforming the electricity industry. They also explore the backlash against AI infrastructure, the prospects for a new generation of nuclear reactors, the future of electric vehicles and America's increasingly complicated relationship with China.

Victor argues that the fundamentals of the energy transition are stronger than the political headlines suggest. But with an unreliable federal government, and public resistance to new infrastructure, the challenge now is turning technological progress into something that works for everyone.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The US Midterm Elections and the Energy Agenda
• The Future of Clean Energy Under Trump
• Data Centres, Electricity Demand and the Grid
• The Politics of Building New Infrastructure
• The Damage to American Government Institutions
• Nuclear Power and the Role of Private Investment
• Why Climate Change Is Struggling to Gain Political Attention
• The Future of Electric Vehicles
• Electric Aviation and New Technologies
• China, Trade Restrictions and the EV Industry
• Critical Minerals and Battery Recycling

Leadership Circle:

Cleaning Up is proud to be supported by its Leadership Circle. The members are Actis, Alcazar Energy, Arup, Climate Imperative Foundation, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Cygnum Capital, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, KKR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä.

Links:

• David Victor's article for the World Economic Forum: Why Lithium Is Not Oil: https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/lithium-is-not-oil-heres-why-that-matters
• Heart Aerospace and its work on hybrid-electric aircraft: https://youtu.be/hW3uTBbAGHA
• The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026: https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12746

Chapters:

• 00:00 America's Energy Future
• 00:59 The Midterms and Energy
• 04:26 America's Electoral Puzzle
• 07:53 Did Energy Matter?
• 11:54 The Democrats' Next Move
• 14:21 Can Trump Stop Clean Energy?
• 19:36 The Data Centre Backlash
• 24:50 Powering the AI Boom
• 29:31 The Permitting Problem
• 32:21 Is Government Ready?
• 35:15 Nuclear's Private Investors
• 41:22 Nuclear's Bipartisan Appeal
• 44:30 The Future of EVs
• 48:12 The Next Aviation Breakthrough
• 51:13 Keeping Out Chinese EVs
• 53:33 The Critical Minerals Question
• 56:10 The Case for Battery Recycling