The Internet Trashes Trump for Allegedly Wanting a Billion-Dollar Bribe From Oil Execs

Reportedly former President Donald Trump advised a group of oil executives and lobbyists to donate $1 billion to his presidential campaign because, if elected, he would roll back environmental rules that he claimed hindered their industry. As reported by The Washington Post, he pledged at the dinner to instantly rescind dozens of President Biden's environmental laws and policies and prevent the enactment of new ones.

In terms of funding, Trump has trailed behind Biden. He spends most of his days in a Manhattan courthouse battling accusations of forging company documents. According to the outlet, Trump reportedly pledged during the April dinner to reduce government spending on wind power development and to eliminate the Biden administration's tax subsidies for electric cars. Both of them have been recurring themes in his speeches and rallies in front of the public. Harold Hamm, a millionaire from oil who has influenced Republican energy policy for many years, arranged the gathering. Executives from the oil industry lobbying group American Petroleum Institute, EQT Corporation, and ExxonMobil were present. 

Social media users are criticizing Trump for supposedly ignoring the environmental catastrophe while seeking a billion-dollar bribe from oil executives. Elizabeth Ann Warren who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts shared on X, "Donald Trump has a deal for Big Oil: if they raise $1 billion and send him back to the White House, he’ll gut environmental protections and roll back @JoeBiden’s progress in fighting climate change. It’s corruption, pure and simple. And it would be a disaster for our planet." When it comes to the Biden administration, it has made climate change a top priority. He has emphasized tax credits for Americans buying electric cars and rebates for energy-efficient home improvements.

One user wrote on X, "Trump is a disaster waiting to happen. It’s laughable that he somehow represents the average American worker when he is willing to sell their future to Big Oil for 1 billion dollars." Another user commented, "Oil executives are an opportunity rich environment for Republicans. Oil owns the Republicans and Trump is trying to exploit that relationship even more. That is the reason Republicans are against EVs, Big Oil instructed them to be against EVs. It's that simple." A third user chimed in, "It’s absolutely insane that this is even legal. No one in office, and no candidate, should be allowed to ask, or accept, money from corporations, who are clearly trying to buy their vote or support. Talk about a blatantly corrupt reality." A fourth user pointed out, "Policy in Trump's administration were written by lobbyists! That is if a lobbyist was not the secretary of the agency already! It was all backrooms."

By pursuing the most aggressive climate agenda in the history of the country, Biden has let down the fossil fuel sector. He has approved a comprehensive package that would provide $370 billion in incentives for electric cars and sustainable energy. He has also implemented a stringent set of rules that will significantly cut emissions from burning coal, oil, and gas. As reported by The New York Times, in order to assess the potential effects of new liquefied natural gas export facilities on the economy, national security, and climate change, the Biden administration put a halt to the permission process this year.

However, the Biden administration has also seen record earnings for the fossil fuel sector. As per the NY Times, The United States generated historic levels of oil last year. The US is the world's top exporter of natural gas, and because of projects that have already received licenses and are now under construction, it is still on schedule to almost quadruple its export capacity by 2027