Playing defense on rising gas prices, President Obama plans to promote his energy policy in a visit to Miami on Thursday, senior administration officials said today.

Administration officials said the president's speech at the University of Miami will build off his State of the Union address, when he called energy one of the four "pillars" for "an America built to last," and is not a direct response to the political heat Obama has been taking for the pain at the pump.

The president is expected to outline his all-of-the-above approach to energy production, calling for a clean energy standard and the need to eliminate oil and gas subsidies, among other things.

While Republicans on Capitol Hill and the campaign trail have blasted Obama's energy policy in recent days, the White House is confident the president has a solid case for the progress he's made toward securing a strong energy future.

In the short term, administration officials said there's no magic solution to immediately bring down gas prices and declined to say whether the president would consider tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The president's Thursday speech will kick off a series of events in the coming weeks focused on American energy.