Exxon Mobil Corp. said there had been no phone call between its CEO, Darren Woods, and President Donald Trump after the president invoked the company’s name at a rally in Arizona on Oct. 19 when he said he could raise more money than his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
RELATED
Analyst: Election Really Hinges on Texas, Four Other States
Trump, at the rally, said he could raise large sums of money if he wanted to by calling oil and Wall Street executives. He proceeded to paint a scenario of what he could do—though Trump said he would not actually make the kind of phone call he described.
“We are aware of the president’s statement regarding a hypothetical call with our CEO…and just so we’re all clear, it never happened,” Exxon said on Twitter.
Trump told the rally: “Don’t forget, I’m not bad at that stuff anyway, and I’m president. So I call some guy, the head of Exxon. I call the head of Exxon. I don’t know.”
Trump went on to describe a hypothetical conversation: “How are you doing? How’s energy coming? When are you doing the exploration? Oh, you need a couple of permits?”
“When I call the head of Exxon I say, ‘You know, I’d love (for you) to send me $25 million for the campaign.’ ‘Absolutely sir,’” Trump added.
“I will hit a home run every single call,” Trump said. “I would raise $1 billion in one day if I wanted to. I don’t want to do that.”
Trump, who has been trailing Biden in opinion polls, has also been trailing his Democratic rival in fundraising. Trump’s re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee started the last full month before the Nov. 3 election with $251.4 million in cash, after raising $247.8 million in September. The intake was about $135 million less than what Biden raised in September.
Recommended Reading
E&Ps Pivot from the Pricey Permian
2025-02-01 - SM Energy, Ovintiv and Devon Energy were rumored to be hunting for Permian M&A—but they ultimately inked deals in cheaper basins. Experts say it’s a trend to watch as producers shrug off high Permian prices for runway in the Williston, Eagle Ford, the Uinta and the Montney.
Tamboran, Falcon JV Plan Beetaloo Development Area of Up to 4.5MM Acres
2025-01-24 - A joint venture in the Beetalo Basin between Tamboran Resources Corp. and Falcon Oil & Gas could expand a strategic development spanning 4.52 million acres, Falcon said.
Blackstone Buys NatGas Plant in ‘Data Center Valley’ for $1B
2025-01-24 - Ares Management’s Potomac Energy Center, sited in Virginia near more than 130 data centers, is expected to see “significant further growth,” Blackstone Energy Transition Partners said.
Huddleston: Haynesville E&P Aethon Ready for LNG, AI and Even an IPO
2025-01-22 - Gordon Huddleston, president and partner of Aethon Energy, talks about well costs in the western Haynesville, prepping for LNG and AI power demand and the company’s readiness for an IPO— if the conditions are right.
Liberty Energy, DC Grid to Collaborate on Turnkey Power Solutions
2025-01-08 - Liberty Energy’s power solutions and DC Grid’s direct current systems will offer rapidly deployed, scalable and sustainable power for data centers, among other uses.