On Monday, August 10, 2026, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau delivered remarks during a stop in Trinidad and Tobago, ahead of a planned diplomatic visit to neighboring Guyana. During his address, Landau outlined a shifting global political trend he has observed across democratic nations: voters are increasingly rejecting status-quo politics that prioritize empty rhetoric over tangible progress, and instead electing administrations they trust to deliver measurable results for their populations.
“Business as usual has stopped delivering meaningful outcomes for ordinary people across the globe,” Landau stated. “Voters everywhere are demanding change.” To illustrate his point, he cited the recent electoral victories of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago and U.S. President Donald Trump, arguing that both leaders have centered their governance on action rather than lip service.
“Unlike many former leaders around the world, these two leaders are laser-focused on delivering results, not just speeches,” Landau noted. His comments came during an event marking a major new energy development in the region: energy giant bp Trinidad and Tobago announced that Trinidad and Tobago’s state-run National Gas Company has acquired a 20% stake in the cross-border Manakin-Coucina gas field shared with Venezuela. Separately, bp has purchased the remaining 70% share of Woodside Energy’s Block TTDAA14, which hosts the deepwater Calypso Gas project, bringing bp’s total ownership of the project to 100%.
The event coincided with another major economic announcement for Trinidad and Tobago: Edwin Bennet, CEO of U.S.-based Pinnacle Steel and Vanadium Company, confirmed the firm would inject an initial $250 million into reopening the idled Point Lisas steel plant, which shut down operations back in 2016. The company targets full commercial production of steel and vanadium by the end of 2027, marking a significant revitalization of the country’s industrial sector.
Landau lauded Persad-Bissessar’s administration and Trump’s leadership for laying the policy and infrastructure groundwork that has unlocked these new energy projects, in partnership with major firms including ExxonMobil, Curlew, and bp. These developments, he said, will reshape the long-term energy trajectory of both the United States and Trinidad and Tobago.
“This is what mutually beneficial diplomacy and commercial partnership looks like: both nations advance their own national interests while finding shared solutions that lift all parties. This is a true win-win collaboration,” Landau added. He told Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar that international “capital flows to where it is welcome,” crediting her administration’s pro-investment policies for making the revitalization of shuttered industrial sites like Point Lisas possible.
Looking ahead, Landau’s upcoming visit to Guyana will center on deepening bilateral cooperation in high-priority strategic sectors, including energy development and critical minerals extraction. As of Monday, the Guyanese government has not yet issued an official public statement confirming the visit to Georgetown.