Donald Trump reportedly asked some top oil industry executives last month to donate $1 billion to support his election campaign and also promised the executives that he would reverse President Biden's green energy policies and stop new ones from being enacted if he is reelected.
The donation request, first reported by Washington Post, was made when he met the oil giants at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, for a dinner last month and one executive complained about not getting enough support from the Biden administration.
When the executive mentioned how they face difficult environmental regulations despite spending $400 million to lobby the administration last year, Trump said they should raise $1 billion to help him return to the White House.
While spending much of his time in a Manhattan courtroom, battling the hush money trial, Trump has fallen behind Biden in fundraising efforts.
Oil executives are reportedly preparing some highly specific requests for Trump, expecting he would sign the executive orders if reelected. The dinner was described as a roundtable discussion reportedly focusing on energy security.
Those who attended the dinner included top oil executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Continental Resources, and representatives from natural gas producer EQT, gas exporter Cheniere Energy, and the trade association American Petroleum Institute.
Oil executives are hoping Trump would lift the pause on new natural gas export permits and increase the number of offshore drilling lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, which have been limited by Biden's Interior Department.
Trump reportedly also pledged to reduce the Biden administration's tax credits for electric vehicles and decrease government spending on wind power development. These issues have been recurring themes in Trump's public speeches and rallies.
Although Trump said that the $1 billion contribution would support his presidential campaign, some executives believe that a portion of the funds would also be allocated to cover his legal expenses in various court cases, according to Dan Eberhart, chief executive of the Denver-based oil company Canary LLC, who didn't attend the dinner.
"I think everyone knows part of it is going to his legal expenses," said Eberhart, who is also a Trump donor.
"Biden constantly throws a wet blanket to the oil and gas industry. Trump's 'drill, baby, drill' philosophy aligns much better with the oil patch than Biden's green-energy approach. It's a no-brainer."
