Donald Trump tried to shake down a group of top oil industry executives for a whopping $1 billion dollar donation, providing a glimpse into the cash-strapped nature of his 2024 campaign.
The former president, who led a vast rollback of environmental protections and safety regulations on the oil and gas industry, invited executives to Mar-a-Lago last month to pass the hat around, per the Washington Post.
The potential quid-pro-quo isn’t as far-fetched as it may seem, as Politico notes that the oil industry has already put together a slew of executive orders for Trump to sign if he wins re-election in November. Such policies include a reversal on a Biden-administration pause on natural gas export permits and new drilling expansions.
Though the solicitation isn’t explicitly illegal, given that he reportedly didn’t tie the donation to exact policy actions, it raises major red flags into just how Trump would make decisions, critics say.
“At a high level, it perfectly captures so much of what’s wrong with our big money campaign finance system,” Erin Chlopak, former Federal Elections Commission attorney, told Politico.
Executives present at the April dinner from Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Continental Resources, ExxonMobil, EQT and more, as well as American Petroleum Institute lobbyists, could give the Trump Campaign a much-needed boost, though a billion dollar donation would likely have to go through a Super PAC, as it far exceeds the campaign finance contribution limit.
Trump, who is currently on the hook for hundreds of millions in legal bills and payouts, is seriously lagging behind his opponent, President Joe Biden, in fundraising, and struggling to make time to seek out donations in between his court dates.
