The American public was in total disbelief last week when The Post first reported about an alleged Florida meeting between former president Donald Trump and top oil executives, during which Trump allegedly sought $1 billion to skyrocket his presidential campaign amid struggles to keep up with the Biden campaign’s fundraising efforts so far. In exchange, Trump allegedly promised to reverse many of Biden’s green agenda laws and policies from day one in the White House office in case he wins the election in November. After more than a week since the report broke, none of the parties have confirmed the allegations.
Fundraising efforts
Trump’s campaign is constantly trailing behind Biden’s when it comes to fundraising. Most of the well-known conservative megadonors still haven’t opened up their wallets to support the presumptive Republican presidential candidate because of Trump’s costly legal battles and the fact that he uses a major part of the donations for the campaign to cover his looming legal expenses. Aside from the New York hush-money trial, Trump’s legal team’s efforts are paying off, as Trump seems to be close to delaying the start of the trials in three of his legal cases after the election. Such a development could improve his public image and prompt quick actions from Republican megadonors to help Trump’s fundraising efforts.
Missing confirmation
Without a proper confirmation from at least some of the parties that attended the controversial Florida meeting, one can’t really judge based on unconfirmed information. The Post reported that Trump is slated to get “some money” from the top oil executives, although the sum won’t be even close to Trump’s initial $1 billion request. These details were enough for the Democrats in the US House of Representatives to launch an official investigation about Trump and claims that he was ready to “sell laws” in exchange for financial support.
Initial actions underway
Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee reached out to nine oil executives on Monday, requesting details about their recent meeting with Trump in Florida. The letters ask the executives to disclose if Trump suggested a “quid pro quo” deal.
“Media reports raise significant potential ethical, campaign finance and legal issues that would flow from the effective sale of American energy and regulatory policy to commercial interests in return for large campaign contributions,” Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, wrote in the letter.
Reports from The Post allege that during a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort last month, Trump asked oil executives for a $1 billion donation. In return, he allegedly promised to roll back many of President Joe Biden’s climate policies if he wins the election.
Drafts ready
Politico reported that these same oil companies are preparing executive orders for Trump to sign if he becomes president again. One proposed order aims to overturn Biden’s pause on natural gas export permits. Biden issued this pause in January to assess the industry’s impact on the climate crisis.
“This was a very focused small group directed at a particular industry, there was an amount put out there of $1bn, which he described as a deal, which all raises questions about the transactional nature of the meeting,” Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told The Guardian.
Trump opposes Biden’s climate change and faces financial crunch
Trump has repeatedly denied the existence of the climate crisis and dismissed climate science as fake. He has called the climate crisis “nonexistent” and a “make-believe problem,” despite global experts agreeing that human activities are causing the planet to warm. Reports of Trump seeking campaign funds from oil executives surfaced while he was facing financial difficulties. In March, a New York court ordered Trump to pay a bond of over $464 million after losing a civil fraud trial. His lawyers argued it was nearly impossible for him to gather the money by the deadline.
Trump eventually paid $175 million after an appeals court granted him a 10-day extension and reduced the bond amount by more than half. He secured the bond through Knight Specialty Insurance Company. However, New York Attorney General Letitia James questioned the bond, stating that the insurance company is not authorized to operate in the state. Trump’s legal team dismissed her concerns as a waste of time during a court hearing in late April.
