Trump asked US oil executives for $1bn to reverse Biden administration's environmental rules: Report

Donald Trump met with top oil executives in the US and asked them to raise $1 billion for his presidential campaign, the Washington Post claimed in a report on Thursday (May 9). He promised them to reverse dozens of the Biden administration's environmental rules and policies, the paper claimed. 

Citing unidentified sources familiar with the meeting last month in Florida, the report claimed that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee vowed to end emissions rules aimed at promoting electric vehicles and halt the Biden administration's freeze on permits for new liquefied natural gas exports. 

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In March, the Biden administration announced new automobile emissions standards. The officials called it the most ambitious plan ever to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles. 

The new Environmental Protection Agency rules aim to cut tailpipe emissions by 49 per cent between model years 2027 and 2032.

Meanwhile, the EPA set a target for EVs to make up at least 35 per cent of new vehicle sales by 2032. 

Notably, the set standards are less ambitious than the proposed rules released last year. Previously, the target was to reduce emissions by 56 per cent by 2032 and called for EVs to represent 67 per cent of new vehicles by that year. 

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The Post report alleged that Trump told the chief executives that giving $1 billion would be a "deal" for them. Invited guests included the CEOs of Venture Global, and Cheniere Energy as well as representatives from Chevron, Continental Resources, Exxon and Occidental Petroleum, it claimed. 

The report cited an unnamed dinner attendee as saying that Trump said, "You'll get it on the first day." 

(With inputs from agencies)