Trump turns to oil industry for $1bn towards campaign as they draft executive orders for him to sign

Donald Trump pictured speaking at his Mar-a-Lago estate

Donald Trump solicited a $1bn donation from oil executives during a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort last month, a new report reveals

Oil executives met with Mr Trump to discuss environmental regulations when the former president vowed to reverse many of President Joe Biden’s policies if elected, The Washington Post reports. He then asked for a $1bn donation to his 2024 presidential campaign from the attendees, according to the outlet.

As he asks oil executives for money at Mar-a-Lago, Politico reported the same oil giants are also drafting executive orders for the former president to sign if he returns to the White House. The outlet cited six lawyers and lobbyists familiar with the matter.

Politico also revealed that one drafted order would reverse Mr Biden’s pause on natural gas export permits. The president issued that pause in January as his administration further evaluated the industry’s impacts on the climate crisis.

Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for Mr Trump’s 2024 campaign, told The Independent that Mr Trump opposes Mr Biden’s environmental policies.

“Joe Biden is controlled by environmental extremists who are trying to implement the most radical energy agenda in history and force Americans to purchase electric vehicles they can’t afford,” Ms Leavitt said in a statement. “President Trump is supported by people who share his vision of American energy dominance to protect our national security and bring down the cost of living for all Americans.”

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied that climate science is legitimate and that the climate crisis is real. He has called the climate crisis a “make-believe problem” and “nonexistent,” despite the fact that experts across the globe overwhelmingly agree the planet is warming due to human-controlled factors.

Mr Trump’s call for campaign funding from these oil giants comes amid something of a financial crisis for the former president.

In March, a New York court ordered Mr Trump to pay a bond of more than $464m after losing a civil fraud trial earlier this year. His lawyers said Mr Trump faced the “practical impossibility” of coming up with the money before the state’s deadline.

Mr Trump eventually paid the $175m bond in his New York civil fraud case after an appeals court granted him a 10-day extension and slashed the $464m value by more than half. He secured the bond through the Knight Specialty Insurance Company.

However, New York Attorney General Letitia James has since called the bond into question, raising concerns that the company isn’t authorised to do business in the state. Mr Trump’s legal team called her concerns a waste of time during a court hearing on the matter in late April.

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