Trump asked top oil industry executives for billions of dollars in donations in exchange for scrapping environmental regulations

Former US President Donald Trump has asked top oil industry executives for $1 billion in campaign donations. He promised in a new election as president to scrap environmental regulations imposed under current President Joe Biden, the newspaper reported The Washington Post. It is based on anonymous sources.

The newspaper writes that the meeting took place last month at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. There, a top business figure complained about unwelcome environmental regulations. It is said that $400 million was spent on lobbying last year alone, but that would not have had sufficient results.

Trump is said to have then told his guests that it would be a bargain if they put a billion on the table to ensure that he is elected president again. He said that the companies are rich enough for that and explained that this way they can avoid taxes and burdensome regulations. The former president also promised that he would grant more permits to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, the newspaper writes.

Several dozen directors were invited to the meeting. According to The Washington Post, these include representatives of companies such as Venture Global, Cheniere Energy, Chevron, Exxon and Occidental Petroleum.