Trump reportedly asked oil industry execs for $1 billion for his campaign

Former President Donald Trump has asked executives in the oil industry for $1 billion to help out his 2024 presidential campaign. 

This is according to new reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post. 

Both outlets, in their reports, made it appear as though Trump is essentially trying to bribe the oil companies, highlighting the fact that, if President Joe Biden is elected to another term, it will be bad news for the oil industry.

This, of course, is because the Biden administration has been trying to force the country away from fossil fuels and toward green energy. The administration has claimed that this is necessary to combat climate change.

More details

At the outset, it is worth pointing out that these reports relied on anonymous sources. That being said, the Trump team has not, at the time of this writing, denied the reports.

Trump is said to have asked for the $1 billion in campaign donations during a meetup with oil executives that took place last month at Mar-a-Lago.

There, the Post claims that Trump told the oil executives that, in return for their donations, he, if elected president, would try to help out the oil industry, including through tax cuts and relaxed regulations.

The Post's source, however, made it clear that Trump was not attempting to set up a quid pro quo - even though that is how it is being reported.

Now, the White House and their Democratic allies are attempting to politically profit off of these reports.

"Corruption"

The White House has responded with a statement claiming that Trump is "selling out working families to Big Oil."

"Trump isn’t fighting for what’s best for American families, cheaper energy, or our climate — he only cares about winning this election and will sell out working families to special interests to do it," the White House said.

Its Democratic allies took things a step further and even accused Trump of corruption. This includes U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), one of the left's biggest proponents of their climate change agenda.

"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 [President Joe Biden’s] progress in fighting climate change. It’s corruption, pure and simple. And it would be a disaster for our planet," Warren said.

The Trump campaign has responded with a statement of their own, slamming Biden for caving to "environmental extremists." They wrote:

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. 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.