President Trump announced Monday that his administration will take a series of steps aimed at lowering high diesel costs, because nothing says "energy policy" quite like a red dye.

The president had been expected to announce a directive aiming to increase the availability of red-dyed diesel - which, for the uninitiated, is just regular diesel with red dye added to signal that it is tax exempt, typically used in machines such as farm and construction equipment. So, essentially, dye.

"I'm going to sign a historic executive order to officially waive the off-road requirement, and allow anyone to purchase tax-free red dyed diesel for any reason," Trump said before calling on aide Natalie Harp to bring the order on stage for him to sign.

Trump signed the order at a rally for Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts (R) and Gov. Jim Pillen (R). Ricketts' reelection bid in particular has become increasingly competitive in recent weeks - a fact that, surely, had nothing whatsoever to do with the timing of this announcement.

"So Pete and Jim, this should absolutely assure your election," the president said, in what we can only assume was a joke, or possibly not.

Trump was also expected to announce a Treasury Department review of diesel taxes during his speech at the campaign rally in Nebraska.

The moves come as diesel prices have reached record highs in recent weeks, putting a strain on industries that use the fuel, including agriculture and trucking. As of Monday, diesel averaged about $6.32 per gallon, according to AAA. That's not a typo, and unfortunately not a fever dream.

Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Gulf Oil, told The Hill that he doesn't expect increasing availability of red-dyed diesel to make a significant difference in the price overall. In other words: don't hold your breath.

"This is really a cosmetic gesture," Kloza told The Hill ahead of the actual announcement, based on reports that such a move was forthcoming. "This really is a Band-Aid where a tourniquet would be more appropriate."

He emphasized that the quantity of diesel released would not be enough to supplant the barrels that have been lost - particularly in the Russia-Ukraine war, as Ukraine targets Russian oil refineries. So to recap: a red dye order, a Treasury review, and a geopolitical supply crisis. Two out of three of those are not going to solve the problem. Guess which two.