Goldman: Trump promised oil executives that if they gave him $1 billion for his campaign, that he would do right by them. And they gave about 500 million. And this is a massive gift that is in violation of international law and is essentially just co-opting an entire country's… pic.twitter.com/mY3CROvsyX
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 4, 2026
Factcheck: Reports confirm Trump solicited $1B from oil execs in 2024 for favorable policies (Politico, WaPo). Oil industry donated ~$445M to influence 2024 elections (Guardian, Climate Power). Recent policy allows US firms to invest in Venezuela’s oil post-Maduro capture. Multiple sources (BBC, Atlantic Council) view the US intervention as violating int’l law (UN Charter), though justifications exist. Legality remains debated.
Trump pressed oil executives to give $1 billion for his campaign, people in industry say
“This is a scandal” and “an indictment of the system” — but probably legal, one legal watchdog told POLITICO.
Former President Donald Trump asked oil industry executives last month to donate $1 billion to aid his campaign to retake the White House, three people familiar with the conversation told POLITICO — a request that campaign finance experts said appeared troubling but is probably legal.
The request, first reported Thursday by The Washington Post, occurred during a meeting of industry executives at the former president’s home in Palm Beach, Florida.
The oil industry has a long list of policy actions it would want Trump to take, including dismantling parts of President Joe Biden’s green agenda and rolling back pollution regulations that threaten to crimp their profits. As POLITICO reported Wednesday, oil executives are also preparing some highly specific requests for Trump, including executive orders they hope he would sign if reelected.