Trump pledged pro-oil policy to CEOs, asked for $1B

Donald Trump talks on a cellphone at Miami F1 race

"What Trump was offering is entirely legal and absolutely corrupt"

(Image credit: Clive Mason / Getty Images)

What happened

Former President Donald Trump told top oil executives and lobbyists at an April 11 Mar-a-Lago dinner they should collectively donate $1 billion to his election campaign, saying it would be a "deal" because he would immediately reverse President Joe Biden's environmental and pro–electric vehicle regulations, The Washington Post and other news organizations reported Thursday. The oil industry has been "drawing up ready-to-sign executive orders" for Trump, Politico said Wednesday.

Who said what

"Trump is selling out working families to Big Oil for campaign checks," Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said. "Trump's 'drill, baby, drill' philosophy aligns much better with the oil patch than Biden’s green-energy approach," oil executive and Trump donor Dan Eberhart told the Post. "It's a no-brainer."

"What Trump was offering is entirely legal and absolutely corrupt," David Graham said at The Atlantic. Maybe "American politics would be healthier if all politicians were so transparent" about such "transactionalism."

What next?

Oil companies, which earned record profits under Biden and are drilling more oil than ever before, are expected to write Trump "large checks" at an oil industry fundraiser later this year, the Post said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.